St Thomas the Apostle Primary School in Blackburn, Victoria, has won a new Hitachi 65-inch interactive flat panel, valued at $4619, following Education Matters’ recent subscription competition.
Open to primary and secondary school staff Australia-wide, those who signed up to a free subscription of both Education Matters Magazine and its fortnightly Whiteboard e-newsletter were automatically entered into the draw.
St Thomas the Apostle Primary School Principal, Angela Lacey, was among those who had entered and was very excited to hear of the news she had won. “When I received the phone call, I couldn’t believe it. Classroom technology can be expensive and I’m very grateful to have won this for our school. Our students will be very happy engaging with this technology and will love the interactive features too,” she said.
Featuring a true 65-inch UHD interactive display, the Hitachi HILU65203 flat panel has been installed in the school’s computer lab. “Every student uses this space at least once a week, so it means every student will have access and the ability to use this new technology,” Ms Lacey added.
As part of the prize, Business Development Manager at Hitachi Australia, Nick Papadopoulos, hosted a training session with Ms Lacey and the school’s ICT Leader, Andrew Snape, highlighting the product’s features and ease of use.
According to Mr Papadopoulos, the Hitachi HILU65203 flat panel is a well thought out K-12 product with plenty of functionality and three core areas of use.
The first of these uses, he explained, is in the same way as a traditional classroom whiteboard. “Teachers can use the flat panel for brainstorming via the ‘Drawing’ function. It’s a blank canvas that allows students to come up and engage with the panel. As it is multi-touch, several students can write or draw on the panel at the same time. Teachers can then easily save the work straight onto the panel or onto a USB,” explained Mr Papadopoulos.
The second way to use the flat panel is through its plug and play functionality. “Instead of having to carry around a laptop, teachers can plug in a USB and the ‘File Manager’ allows you to manage all of your files. Users can browse by type, with files automatically sorted into images, videos, music, documents, etc,” he adds.
Mr Papadopoulos explained the third core use of the flat panel is via a laptop. “When a laptop is plugged in – whether it be a PC or Mac – the flat panel automatically switches over. Hitachi is one of the few products on the market that automatically recognises a Mac. It allows teachers complete control of the laptop via the flat panel touch screen.”
Following the training session, Ms Lacey said she was impressed by the product’s ease of use. “When it comes to new classroom technology, half the battle for teachers is learning how to use it. This flat panel is just so easy to use which is great and we’re looking forward to Andrew being able to demonstrate this to all of our teaching staff.”
Education Matters has now partnered with Hitachi for a second instalment of its competition – this time with a Maxell ultra-short throw interactive laser projector (valued at $4539) up for grabs.
To enter, simply sign up for a free subscription to Education Matters Magazine and its fortnightly Whiteboard e-newsletter. The competition is open to primary and secondary school staff Australia-wide, with the winner drawn on 14 November 2019.
