Dundee City Council

Dundee City Council implements Promethean technology authority-wide

With a longstanding and ongoing commitment to the use of ICT, Dundee City Council’s Education Department was quick to recognise the potential of interactive whiteboard technology to take its schools to a new level of learning. With the aim of bringing the benefits of the new technology to the entire Education Authority, they looked for an organisation that could offer the most comprehensive solution.

What was needed?

Dundee City Council needed to improve ICT resources in schools throughout its Education Authority.

Realising that their choice of supplier would not be based entirely on price, they identified the additional criteria of comprehensive after sales support and a robust product that could offer a high level of accompanying software. An added bonus would be a supplier who could train them to make the best use of the new technology. After meeting various companies and attending several product demonstrations, the Education Department chose to work with Promethean.

The solution

Initially three of Promethean’s award-winning Activboards were purchased for evaluation purposes, which proved to be the start of a long partnership between Promethean and Dundee City Council’s Education Department. The success of the first boards led to an ongoing installation programme, with a matched funding scheme between schools and the Education Department to finance the whiteboard technology.

The uptake of Promethean’s advanced technology was quick, and now Dundee City Council has a Promethean Activboard in every school in the authority, covering 10 secondary and 42 primary schools.

Promethean also provided a certificated training scheme, which enabled many of Dundee’s teachers to reach advanced and teacher trainer level status. By August 2005, 250 teachers had been awarded certification as an Activstudio user for their interactive whiteboards. In addition, following a three-year partnership with Promethean, the Education Department’s ICT Support Section heralds its teaching staff as being the best-trained interactive whiteboard users in the UK.

The verdict

Keith Thomson, ICT Projects Officer for the Education Department’s ICT Support Section, says: “We were instantly impressed by the quality of the software, and the durability of the board. That proved to be invaluable when placed in school classrooms. The number of ‘wows’ expressed over the software by my support colleagues bear testimony to its quality. From our first installations we were committed to Promethean technology, and this was helped by their fantastic after sales support – from day one we had a human face dedicated to OUR needs, with much patience and good humour!”

The Activboards received an excellent reception from pupils and teachers alike. Keith explains: “When you speak to colleagues they’re just so enthusiastic about using it with their classes. There is a new found excitement for what they’re delivering enabled by a fantastic tool that brings their lessons to life.

The comprehensive Activstudio software was easy to get to grips with, demonstrating that it had been designed by teachers for teachers – with good teaching practice behind it.” Anne Latona, Promethean’s education consultant and a former Dundee teacher and ICT Staff Tutor says: “You won't be surprised to hear a teacher say that they would be lost without their interactive whiteboard. I have worked with teachers across the Council who are highly motivated and inspired by their Activboards. Teachers enjoy the fact that lessons can be prepared ahead of time and called back at the click of a button. And pupils enjoy taking part in lessons that are really stimulating, colourful and truly interactive.” Keith agrees: “From sitting in on classes I have seen that from the very first session with an Activboard, pupils find them natural to use. I remember a Primary 1 literacy lesson where the pupils hadn’t been in school very long but every child was fully and easily involved in using the interactive whiteboard. This became even more apparent when pupils were asked questions afterwards; they were all able to give the correct answers!”

Dundee City Council’s commitment to promoting Activboard best practice through training also enabled them to become the first Promethean Centre of Excellence in Scotland. “Being a Centre of Excellence means that we have been able to meet the immediate needs of those schools with Promethean boards. It has given us the ability to show the potential of the technology and directly help teachers overcome any difficulties. Working so closely with Promethean means that we can offer our schools an intimate knowledge of the curriculum married to extensive technological support.”