Technology plays a critical role in modern-day collaboration within the classroom. And, it’s even more important for the Georgia Academy for the Blind. Recognized for providing quality education services to Georgia’s students with visual impairments, the Georgia Academy for the Blind aims to prepare students to achieve their highest level of independence.

For Georgia Academy for the Blind, finding a product that enhances WiFi and browsing, collaboration, voting and polling, and general presentations, while simultaneously being student-friendly, can be difficult.

“We began investing products to utilize as a supplemental device to our Recordex Simplicity Board in order for us to easily access the internet,” said Amy Bardash, Instructional Specialist for Georgia Academy for the Blind. “When we learned about the NovoPro from Vivitek, we were immediately impressed with the presentation features, as well as the accessibility for our students, including the large screen and contrast features.”

Installation time can be one of the most critical factors when it comes to investing in and implementing new technology. For the Georgia Academy for the Blind, the latest installation of NovoPro was virtually seamless.

“The installation of the NovoPro was unbelievably simple,” stated Nathan Forrester, IT Administrator for Georgia Academy for the Blind. “Vivitek sent a Professional Service Representatives for a few training sessions, as well as Field Application Engineer to answer all of our questions. Once we received the NovoPro’s, we began integrating them into the designated rooms, and Vivitek was easy to contact during the entire process. Then, due to the lightweight design of the NovoPro, we attached it to the back of our interactive panels, allowing us to save additional space for other tools and classroom needs. We utilize NovoPro nearly every day and have little-to-no issues.”

Technology in the classroom can be beneficial for students, but it’s critical to find technology that works with the students’ learning styles. Students at Georgia Academy for the Blind require differentiated learning capabilities customized to each individual need. With the NovoPro, students have the ability to utilize their own devices, tailored to their needs, while collaborating together.

“NovoPro provides our students with access to the presentation at close proximity, either with their own iPads or laptops, which they have the ability to adjust for glare and contrasts, as well as use a screen reader if necessary,” explained Bardash. “Our students are low vision so allowing them to view a presentation up close while incorporating voice-over, is very helpful. They’re comfortable with the technology they’re utilizing and the NovoPro is compatible with all of it. With the ability to integrate different technology, it provides me with different options in the classroom.”

At the Georgia Academy for the Blind, the NovoPro hasn’t just enhanced learning within the classroom, it’s utilized by staff and parents, as well.

“We invested in three NovoPros and two are currently being used daily by our teachers, specifically Math and English, and one is located in a multi-purpose room that we utilize for staff meetings, parent conferences, and other small collaboration sessions,” detailed Forrester. “We utilize NovoPro in conference rooms for Individualized Education Program meetings, which are developed through a team effort and reviewed periodically. NovoPro has been a great asset for a multitude of different meetings, allowing participants to present to a group, collaborate as a whole and work as a team.”

Vivitek’s NovoConnect solutions represent the next generation of wireless collaboration technologies by allowing participants to seamlessly share

content from the connected device through a wireless network. NovoPro, a product within the family of NovoConnect solutions, addressed Georgia Academy for the Blind’s collaborative needs in a clutter-free, dynamic environment to enhance productivity while encouraging collaboration.

NovoPro allows participants to instantly connect their device via WiFi and start sharing content immediately. With NovoPro’s high-quality content streaming, up to 1080p/WUXGA @60fps, four people can present on one display while connecting up to 64 users through iOS, Android, Windows, Mac OS, and Chrome cross-platform mirroring. NovoPro provides educators with value-added features, such as moderation and screen preview, instant file sharing, Mobile Device Lock, Session Termination and class attendance, through administration functions. With NovoPro’s AirNote annotation tool, participants can annotate on the presentation display directly from their device during a full-screen presentation. In addition, NovoPro makes it simple to create voting and polling for formative assessments and exit tickets, wirelessly file-share from student to teacher and vice-versa, and wireless screen sharing of up to four simultaneous displays on one screen for collaboration and discussion.