Florida Schools Deploy District-Wide Digital Blended Learning Platform
- By Sharleen Nelson
- 03/25/13
A central Florida school district plans to implement a cost-effective, integrated learning platform to deliver digital curriculum to its 40,000 district-wide students.
After piloting the system at several schools in the district, Lake County Schools (LCS) has selected Safari Montage's Digital Curriculum Presenter (DCP), a K-12 digital media management and distribution platform to be installed in conjunction with technology integrator United Data Technologies (UDT).
In addition to offering a suite of standards-based curriculum tools, the DCP platform will deliver digital content via the district's wide area network rather than the Internet in an effort to lower the district's overall bandwidth usage cost.
The platform, which can be integrated with Moodle and other learning management systems (LMS), provides a single interface, which will allow instructors to deliver lessons without having to switch between multiple media players and technologies. Likewise, multiple course developers can work in the same course simultaneously. Teachers can also add lessons, import playlists, and integrate other Safari Montage modules into their curriculum.
DCP offers access to videoconferencing, live streams for cameras or digital television, and support for interactive whiteboards and handheld devices. It also offers a virtual student response system called "Get It?" that converts mobile devices into clickers, which will support the district's bring your own technology program.
To manage the district's digital learning resources, the platform features a learning object repository that students and teachers will also be able to access from any mobile device.
Over the course of the three-year implementation period Safari and UDT will work with educational media company Modern Teacher to support professional development for LCS educators as they transition to a full digital curriculum.
"Lake County School's vision is to provide 21st Century student engaged learning resources to all the students of Lake County anytime and anywhere," said Superintendent of Lake County Schools Susan Moxley, in a prepared statement. "By providing engaged learning, we believe it will motivate students to be more successful in their achievement goals."
Located in central Florida, Lake County Schools serves more than 40,000 students in 43 public schools, including 23 Elementary, 10 middle, nine High Schools, and one technical school. The district's 2012-2013 annual operating budget is $554.3 million.
For more information about Safari, visit safarimontage.com. Go to udtonline.com to learn more about United Data Technologies.
About the Author
Sharleen Nelson is a freelance journalist based in Springfield, Oregon. She can be reached at [email protected].