Marymount Cuernavaca Schools in Mexico utilized Konftel, a Sweden-based provider of conferencing solutions to improve the hybrid learning experience for its remote and in-person students.
Assessing the Hybrid Learning Experience
After months of remote learning, the K-12 Catholic school planned to welcome back teachers and roughly half of students for hybrid learning. However, administrators and faculty realized that the laptop computers and webcams would not be good enough for engaging the students.
Thus, the school, with two campuses in the city of Cuernavaca serving almost 600 students, hired local integration firm Orange Tech AVA. The firm worked with technology distributor Neocenter SA de CV to install Konftel Cam20 4K Conference Cameras in every classroom and learning lab. The goal was to seamlessly integrate remote students with the in-person learning experience. In addition, teachers would also be able to teach as they had before the pandemic.
Martha Tajonar Miranda, general director of Marymount Cuernavaca, explains that the school’s technology department had urged to invest in the solution. “…Our Board of Directors [also] had the vision to see that this hybrid model could have a very positive impact,” she adds. “We have been very pleased with the results and are happy to know that we’re serving our community well.”
Integrating Remote Students into the Classroom
According to a statement, the classrooms are spacious with whiteboards or smart displays. The firm thus faced the challenge of integrating a camera platform that allowed a wide field view of the classroom. What’s more, it needed to provide a high resolution for remote learners in order to see the teachers clearly. “It was a challenge at first to divide our attention and blend the half of students who were at home with the half who were in the class. [However,] the Konftel cameras made it possible,” Jonathan Bowles, teacher and academic director at Marymount Cuernavaca, remarks.
The Konftel Cam20 offers a 123-degree field of view so remote learners can see everything. This includes teachers at the front of the classroom and multiple whiteboards or displays. Moreover, the Konftel Cam20 features 4K resolution and 8X digital zoom. Thus, the students have a crystal clear view from their laptops at home.
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“The picture is very detailed, and we don’t lose any of the quality when we zoom in or out, or use one of the presets the camera offers,” Bowles adds. “In my classroom, I can use the Konftel remote control to focus on one corner of a whiteboard. [Then I can] go to a completely different view of my other whiteboard and the at-home students see exactly what they need to see.”
Orange Tech AVA ensured that the technology installation supported teachers’ preferred technology. As a result, all teachers are free to move around the classroom, just as they would normally do so.
A Feasible Integrated Solution for Teachers
In all, Orange Tech AVA installed 42 Konftel Cam20 solutions across the two campuses of Cuernavaca. The integrator also hung 32-inch flat-panel displays from ceiling mounts at the optimal distance from the front of each classroom.
Additionally, a Konftel Cam20 camera was attached below each display at roughly eye level with most teachers. Extended high-speed USB cables were also routed through the mount and ceiling. These were then attached to each teacher’s PC at the front of the class.
The display serves as the teacher’s confidence monitor. It shows what remote students are seeing while allowing the teacher to monitor them. Teachers also have a Bluetooth headset that communicates via a USB dongle in the PC. This permits them to address both in-person and remote students while moving freely around the classroom.
“It was important to the school that we be able to offer a complete solution. And that all the components worked seamlessly together,” Isaac Sedano Hernández, director comercial for Orange Tech AVA, says. “It couldn’t be difficult for teachers to connect to the system and start class. The Cam20 just works and works well with all the other components of the turnkey solution.”
Erika Franco, coordinator of the school’s technology department, prepared easy-to-follow documentation. As a result, teachers learned quickly on how to begin hybrid teaching. She says that teachers had gotten used to the Konftel solution within few weeks.
Remote Connections for More Than K-12 Students
Marymount Cuernavaca decided to conduct a pilot when all Konftel cameras were installed in early 2021. The school got dispensation from the Mexican government to have some students in classrooms once a week in May. Then, students and teachers tried out the system. The pilot emerged a success. The school states that the current hybrid model is the same as the pilot.
“Most students are in the classroom now, but we still hold remote learning for everyone one day each week,” Tajonar Miranda explains. “The teachers still teach from the classroom so it’s natural for them. And we will continue with the system because there are times when students can’t come to school, [and] they should be able to have the same experience.”
Tajonar Miranda says she uses the Konftel system for parent conferences and meetings with other community members. The Cuernavaca school even has a program for newborns. According to a statement, some parents bring their babies to class and others join remotely. “It’s fascinating how the technology helps our staff interact with those babies in their homes. They start listening to the music and the teachers and immediately respond,” she adds.
Tajonar Miranda concludes, “Being able to connect like this allows us to help students of all kinds everywhere, not just Cuernavaca.”
To view photos of the hybrid learning experience, click on “View Slideshow” on the upper left corner.
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