Promethean Announces Implementation at Texas School for the Deaf

From: Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA - Dec 10, 2004

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2004--Promethean, manufacturer of the ACTIV board Collaborative Classroom System, today announced it has been selected as the interactive whiteboard of choice by the renowned Texas School for the Deaf (TSD).

Considered by many educators to be the top of its class for group-learning tools, the ACTIV board interactive whiteboard system is a novel set of hardware and software tools designed specifically for the K-12 education market, to enhance both the teaching and learning environment.

TSD presented a unique set of needs as its student population is comprised of deaf and hard of hearing students, as well as those with multiple disabilities.

"Our programs are diverse, but one thing is constant - our students are visual learners," said Mari Liles, director of technology at TSD. "And as such, we need teaching solutions that work with and for our unique student population."

Authors of Instructional Media and Technologies for Learning, 6th Edition, Robert Heinich, Michael Molenda, James D. Russell and Sharon E. Smaldino, state that visual learners gain knowledge more readily when they see images, and even students who tend to rely on other sensory input often need visual supports in order to grasp certain concepts. Additionally, cognitive theories of learning support the principle that students learn more effectively when they are actively manipulating information.

Visual aids such as the ACTIV board not only offer visual and interactive reinforcement to printed or written information, but also provide TSD students with a break from concentrating intently on the educator's signing hands, an activity that can be tiring.

Identical to most public schools, TSD offers an elementary program for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students, a middle school department for students in grades six through eight and a high school program for students between ninth and twelfth grade. Middle school students are offered introductory classes in the Career and Technology Education (CTE) program, and all high school students have the opportunity to receive career orientation and technology courses in the CTE program.

"Elevating instruction and learning is our primary objective, that's why we are so pleased to have the opportunity to affect real change in the delivery of educational instruction provided by the Texas School for the Deaf," said Sandee Casey, Promethean's US director of sales and marketing.

About Texas School for the Deaf

Since 1856, Texas School for the Deaf has provided unparalleled educational services and opportunities for the children of the state of Texas who are deaf and hard of hearing. Located on the same site in Austin since its inception, TSD has grown into a state-of-the-art residential school that serves approximately 500 children who are deaf and hard of hearing, and their families, in regular school programs. Through the school's Educational Resource Center on Deafness, TSD also provides outreach services to professionals and families throughout Texas.

The school's programs serve children from infancy with the Parent-Infant Program, through the preschool years, on through elementary, middle and high school, as well as a post-high school Returning Graduate Program designed to expand job readiness and training. More information can be found at: http://www.tsd.state.tx.us/

About Promethean, Inc.

Part of the Promethean Technologies Group Ltd., Promethean, Inc., is a systems integration company, which specializes in the use of information technology to support learning and knowledge transfer. It specializes in supplying interactive whiteboard systems to K-12, Higher Education, and sells through a channel of re-sellers. The company sells complete solutions including its innovative Collaborative Classroom, featuring the ACTIVstudio2 and ACTIVprimary software, and interactive learning devices such as ACTIVote and ACTIVslateXR. It also provides a comprehensive support service, through its professional training programs.

The company's headquarters are based in Blackburn, UK; and there are overseas offices in the USA (Atlanta, Ga.), France and Germany. For the rest of the world, Promethean International works together with a chain of over forty partners, providing ACTIV solutions to every continent in the world.

For more information please visit http://www.prometheanworld.com

Contacts

For Promethean, Inc., Atlanta
Charlotte Andrist, 954-446-6554
Charlotte@EicherCommunications.com
or
Leslie Eicher, 314-965-1776
Leslie@EicherCommunications.com

© Business Wire 2004