DORAL, FL- February 8, 2010 – When the School District of Indian River County (SDIRC) wanted to integrate its technology system, it turned to Florida’s information technology leader, UDT (UDT), to get the job done. Now, three years into the Technology Integration Initiative (Ti2), 95 percent of the schools in the district have received an “A” or “B” grade from the State of Florida, up from 74 percent two years ago. SDIRC has also received the Florida School Board Association Award for Innovative Technology in Education.
Prior to hiring UDT, the SDIRC faced a challenge common to many educators— how to successfully implement classroom technology globally. Convinced that techno-savvy students “powered down” upon entering their traditional classrooms, the SDIRC wanted to incorporate technology into the curriculum to enhance the educational experience. UDT Account Manager Monica Samaha witnessed first-hand the challenges teachers faced trying to upgrade classroom technology. “One day I watched a teacher struggle in her classroom with a DVD player and a karaoke machine in order to stitch together an interactive classroom system,” she said.
“I knew UDT could offer them something better.” UDT understood that all the PCs, projectors and audio systems in the world weren’t going to prove effective if teachers were intimidated or didn’t know how to use the equipment to its full capacity. Previous installations had had limited success because equipment was outdated, too complex, or patch-worked into other systems that proved incompatible. UDT, known for its customer-centric approach, offered SDIRC a total solution with the Pole Vault system, an easy-to-use, network-enabled, all-inclusive digital classroom. “Other vendors proposed solutions that incorporated multiple controls,” says Bruce Green, the SDIRC’s Educational Accountability and Instructional Data Analyst.
“Only UDT presented a completely integrated package that gave the teachers the most simplistic system with centralized push-button control.” The district’s pilot program involved forty teachers, and was so successful that the Superintendent assessed it a district-wide high impact goal.
“The teachers valued the equipment so much, we could hardly keep up with the demand for training,”
says Green.
“It allowed them to teach in just a few minutes, what they’d never had time to teach before.” Today the SDIRC is experiencing some of the best academic performances from both teachers and students alike as the district begins to integrate technology to break down traditional barriers to learning and communication. For additional information on UDT’s state-of-the-art digital classroom or to schedule a demo, please contact them at 305-882-0435. For all media inquiries, please e-mail [email protected].
About UDT:
UDT Inc. (UDT), named one of the 50 fastest growing IT firms in the U.S. by Everything Channel, is a leading provider of high-performance technology solutions in the Southeast and Mid-South United States. The company is dedicated to helping our customers maximize their investments in IT by providing the best and latest technology solutions. UDT partners with top tier leaders in the industry to provide the latest products, from personal computing, audio visual infrastructure to customized solutions to our clients. At UDT, we believe that your IT experience should always help you “accomplish more”.
