Genazzano FCJ College is a Catholic girls’ school in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Kew. It teaches and inspires 900 students, from early learning to year 12, achieving outstanding academic results that put them in the top 5% of schools in Victoria.
Genazzano has built a culture of success and personal achievement and is proud of its innovative approach to teaching and learning. The college embraces technology in the classroom to enhance learning outcomes. So when the interactive whiteboards the college had used for many years came to the end of their life, Genazzano decided not to simply replace them, but to take the opportunity to create classrooms of the future.
Out with the old, in with the new
Genazzano’s teachers have a range of teaching styles and the college wanted to ensure that the technology they selected supported this diversity. Teachers wanted to deliver more dynamic, interactive lessons, to share information readily with students and to engage pupils with their teaching materials.
The college’s ICT committee, along with key staff, and the head of facilities went through a detailed evaluation, including an on-site trial. The clear winner from this process was Clevertouch Interactive Panels.
A complete support service
“From the moment we were introduced to ASI”, says Brett, “we started to build a strong working relationship. They really understood what we were trying to achieve in the classrooms. Our account manager, Alex, was fantastic, and the ASI installation team did an amazing job. ASI also provide us with ongoing technical support, warranty cover and training.” Two of ASI’s technicians worked on-site at the college for a week during the installation project. ASI delivered a professional development program to show teachers what the panels are capable of and to inspire them to think of ways they can use the technology to engage their students.
“Teachers love the way that the system is so quick and easy to use”, he goes on. “The Clevertouch panels are ready to use almost instantly they’re switched on, and with a single PIN, the system identifies and connects to the teacher’s device. The Clevershare wireless mirroring means teachers don’t need to tether their laptop to the panel with a cable, freeing them to teach from anywhere in the room.”
“At the end of a lesson, teachers can use the system’s QR codes to very simply capture teaching material from the panel and send it to students for their home study or revision. They have so much more flexibility in how they present their lessons, and adapt them to the girls’ needs.”
“The panels also play an important role as digital signage” Brett adds. “For example, during the VCE period, the Head of year 12 used the Clevermessage feature to centrally manage sending information about exams, along with messages of encouragement to the girls.”
The Clevertouch panels are delivering benefits that extend outside the classroom too. “We’re very environmentally aware as a college”, explains Brett, “and for us the fact that the Clevertouch panels use less power than a projector, and have a sensor-based automatic power-off is a big bonus.”
“My team can manage the panels centrally, controlling the admin, sending out messages and managing the applications. We manage the IT aspects and teachers can focus on using the panels to educate.”
The move to Clevertouch Interactive Panels, supported by ASI, has been a very positive one for Genazzano. The implementation of Clevertouch within the school has dramatically increased the level of technology within the classroom and is increasing productivity and engagement from teachers and students alike.
“With this project”, says Brett, “we are maintaining our focus on innovation and on using technology to drive improved learning outcomes for our girls. We’re all about educational excellence and our Clevertouch Panels are another step on that journey.”
