As the Technical Services and Support Supervisor for 106 schools in the Ontario, Canada School District of Niagara, Derek Galipeau has to make wise technology decisions. He is part of a team responsible for selecting and supplying every K-12 school within the district with the latest technology. To do this, he has to take every single teacher’s needs into consideration– all while still remaining within budget.
After learning that some teachers were building “makeshift” storage and charging centers for their classroom tablets, Galipeau set out on a mission to find affordably-priced, yet cutting-edge solutions that would help teachers to better maintain their educational technology. With hundreds of new classroom tablets and absolutely no way to store, charge or transport them conveniently, he was referred to TechTubs.com by Advanced Education, a reseller of innovative and affordable charging and storing solutions for iPads, Chromebooks, and tablets.
“In the past, educational computers were housed in a designated technology lab, or tucked away in the back of the classroom. With the rise of classroom tablets, there no longer has to be a space only designed to use technology,” Galipeau said. “Gone are the days of multiple children huddling over one or two classroom computers, or having to rent a shared space to use the internet. Now, classroom technology is available wherever you’re sitting. And with this development, we also have to think about solutions to charge, store and transport that technology.”
According to Galipeau, the switch to classroom tablets came very quickly, and the need for sturdy, secure and transportable solutions immediately followed. “There was a clear, instant need for them,” he said. “Our teachers were beginning to improvise, and I knew there had to be something on the market that would satisfy all of their needs. Luckily, we found TechTubs very quickly, and the solutions they offer checked off all of the boxes.”
All charging and storing solutions offered by TechTubs guarantee robust construction, exceptional security, and speedy charging. TechTub solutions vary in size, and can be mobile or stationary. Each solution makes life easier for administrators and teachers by offering an organized way to securely store and charge classroom tablets.
After proving to be successful in existing schools, Galipeau also deployed one TechTub solution for each classroom in the Harriet Tubman Public School– the district’s newest school that officially began operating in September of 2015. According to Ronna Lockyer, principal at the new K-8 school, the TechTubs solutions fit in perfectly. “As a brand new school, we have the advantage of starting completely fresh with the newest classroom technology,” she said. “Every classroom received a TechTub with five new Chromebooks, and the teachers are using them really creatively. We’re thrilled with the results.”
“It’s almost as if no one thinks about them, because they are so naturally integrated,” Lockyer continued. “They are very subtle, they don’t take up a lot of space, and they satisfy multiple needs at once. They securely lock away the expensive tablets when they are not in use. They charge them to ensure that they are ready to use when the teacher needs them. And, they are easily transportable in one manageably-sized box with a handle and wheels.”
In addition to offering a compact means to store classroom tablets, TechTubs are portable; so, when a teacher within Harriet Tubman Public School needs more than five, she can easily borrow from another classroom. “TechTubs eliminate the ‘computer lab’, which frees up how teachers can set up their classrooms and their lessons,” Lockyer added. “They are also easily transferrable, and you don’t need to push around a huge cart to share.”
According to both Lockyer and Galipeau, it’s a relief for teachers to move the equipment instead of the children, which had been necessary with computer labs. “It’s been a seamless transition from computer labs to tablets and TechTubs,” Galipeau concluded. “I would urge any school that uses classroom tablets to invest in TechTubs. It’s the best way to store, charge and safely secure tablets.”
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