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Goodfellow Air Force Base is a non-flying base located in San Angelo, TX. We provide cryptologic and intelligence training for the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps. It is home to the 17th Training Wing and part of the Air Education & Training Command (AETC).

What challenges were you trying to solve?

We were tasked with the responsibility of equipping U.S. Marine classified computer classrooms with a classroom management system. Our Instructors needed the capability to monitor 16 student dual screen displays from their desk position. This solution needed to allow the instructor to monitor audio/video student activity, communicate with each student individually or as a group, push material to all students, and blank screens when training required a different focus.

Why did you choose to install Composite LINK Systems in your classrooms?

We tried software solutions but found that they always ran into connectivity issues due to network security settings. I found that the LINK hardware based solution offers more compatibility to the instructor. My squadron is very familiar with LINK System technology since they have been using these products in their classrooms for over ten years.

Tell us a little about your classrooms?

Several classified classrooms on Goodfellow are equipped with the Composite LINK System. These classrooms are designed to use dual screens at all instructor and student workstations. Our LINK System solution is dual screen compatible and allows the instructors to easily access both student monitors, keyboard, mouse, and headset using the ACS touch screen interface.

How has the Composite LINK System helped you?

We have found the LINK System set ups are very beneficial to our instructors. They no longer have to constantly walk around the classroom to look over student shoulders to see how they are progressing. Instructors can interact with students having issues and blank all the screens when they want their attention.

What is feature of the LINK System is most beneficial to you?

The most valuable feature is the instructor’s ability to monitor dual screen audio/video.

How would you describe the customer service you have received from Applied Computer Systems, Inc?

What do your instructors think of the Composite LINK System?

Our instructors find the LINK System to be very intuitive and user-friendly.

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HISTORY
St. Mary School is a Catholic school located in Chardon, Ohio, just thirty miles east of Cleveland, Ohio. The Church of Saint Mary’s was built in 1908 and moved to its current location in 1931.  In 1952, twenty two acres of land was purchased with the vision of building St. Mary School.  That vision was completed in 1961 when the school’s doors were first opened.  Since that time, St. Mary School strives to develop each student’s potential in an environment of Faith, in cooperation with the Family, and with a vision for the Future.

OBSTACLE
St. Mary School needed a way to manage the students in their computer lab more efficiently. The lab is used to teach students of all ages, from kindergarten to eighth grade.  They were looking for a solution that would work well for all of the age groups.  St. Mary School first purchased and installed a LinkNET LINK System in 2000.  They later upgraded the LINK System instructor equipment in 2011, but opted to leave the student equipment in place.  Amazingly, St. Mary School is still using the same LINK System student hardware that was sold to them in 2000.  After fourteen years of service, the equipment is still functioning as it did on the day it was first installed.

LINK SYSTEM CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
Kathy Lyons, the Technology Instructor for the school, has been using the LINK System for years with celebrated success. When asked how she would rate her experience with the LINK System, Mrs. Lyons emphatically states “Excellent, I could not function without it, especially for the primary grades.”  Applied Computer Systems, Inc. and its employees are proud to hear her sterling praise of the LINK System, a product that was first patented by the company founder in 1984.  “Receiving rave reviews from customers is something we never tire of,” reveals Todd Broceus, President of ACS.  “As an elite provider in the educational industry, ACS has been providing innovative classroom management solutions for over thirty years now and we are continually improving on our technological offerings.  We work with one goal in mind, to strive to provide each of our customers with services and solutions that they cannot live without.”

The LINK System has a wide array of features, all accessible via its simple-to-use touchscreen interface. When asked how the LINK System benefits her most, Mrs. Lyons cannot narrow the answer down to just one feature.  “The feature that benefits me the most is to be able to control each individual computer and also to be able to demonstrate procedures to the class on their individual computer,” replies Mrs. Lyons.  The LINK System allows her to not only remotely view a student’s screen but also the ability to remotely control the computer as well.  Prior to students starting their assignments, she is able to demonstrate the proper procedure to her students by transmitting, or broadcasting, her instructor screen to the student screens.  “I use the system all the time to show students how to do different projects step by step.”  Her classroom is equipped with two televisions that are used as projectors, but as is the case with many classrooms, they do not provide each student with a perfect view.  Displaying the instructor’s desktop on each student’s monitor ensures that each student has a pristine view, regardless of their location in the classroom.  Furthermore, the LINK System delivers a live video feed to each monitor, providing the user with full-motion capabilities that are just not possible with a software classroom management solution.  If the video is on the instructor’s screen, the instructor can rest assured that it is being displayed on the students’ screens as well with no lag or degradation in video quality.

A LINK System provides many benefits, but one of the most commonly addressed is the amount of time that can be saved when using one. Mrs. Lyons indicates “One of the biggest benefits is it is much quicker to be at the computer and help students with questions than to walk around and help students.” If a student has a problem, the student can select Help from their Windows Taskbar, and the teacher will be alerted immediately.  The teacher does not need to go to the student’s desk; she can simply receive, or view, the student’s screen from her desk.  If the student needs further assistance, the teacher can take control of the student’s keyboard and mouse and guide them even further.

The LINK System also saves time by minimizing a teacher’s effort when trying to gain the class’s attention. In a typical classroom, a teacher must verbally gain everyone’s attention, which has varying degrees of success.  However, when using a LINK System, a teacher can gain each student’s undivided attention instantly by initiating the Blank All feature.  When Blank All is enabled, each student’s monitor is immediately turned off, taking away any distraction that the computer may provide for the students.  When the teacher is finished with his or her announcements, the students’ screens are restored by selecting Reset.

During the most recent visit to St. Mary School by an ACS representative, Mrs. Lyons was shocked yet pleased to learn that the LINK System is compatible with iPads and other mobile devices. By simply plugging the device’s video adapter into the LINK System’s auxiliary input, a teacher can broadcast the output of an iPad, Android, or other mobile device to each student’s monitor.  Any device with a video output can be connected to the LINK System, the possibilities are endless!  Just one more way the LINK System can positively impact the learning experience in the classroom.

Want to experience a LINK System first-hand? Inquire about our 14 day trial and see for yourself how a LINK System can completely alter your way of teaching.  You too will find it is an indispensable tool in the classroom.  Speak to one of our knowledgeable sales representatives at 800-237-5465 or visit our website at www.acs-linksystems.com

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John Wright, an instructor at Bloomfield High School, was tasked with designing and building a CAD/CAM lab for Bloomfield’s Technology Department.  “We were looking for a management tool to enhance instruction and to allow the monitoring of students as they work.”

Mr. Wright researched software classroom management solutions first.  “We tried several network systems but found the intensive graphic requirements of the cad and 3D solid modeling software made the video response too slow.”  Later, Mr. Wright was fortunate enough to see the LINK System installed in a college.  “I saw the LINK used at a local college, that was all it took.  I knew I had to have it!”  Ultimately, Mr. Wright and his colleagues found the LINK System was the best solution for their CAD/CAM lab.

The LINK System is a computer classroom management system that offers instructor’s the ability to broadcast crystal clear demonstrations directly to each student’s screen.  Using the LINK System’s features, students are able to see all of the details of the CAD/CAM program no matter where they are seated in the classroom, contrary to classrooms that use only overhead projector.  “The ability to focus each student on their own screen during direct instruction is invaluable,” says Mr. Wright.  The proverbial “bad seat” is eliminated from the classroom.  In the event that an instructor prefers to use a projector, the LINK System works flawlessly with the existing equipment.  Not only can instructors broadcast their own desktop to the projection screen, they can project any student’s desktop to it as well.

When asked which of the many features that the LINK System has is most useful to him, Mr. Wright said, “The ability to take control of the student station from the teacher station is important.  If a student has a question there is no need to go to that station.”  Using the LINK System’s intuitive touch interface, simply select a student station and their desktop is instantly displayed on the instructor’s monitor. Make an additional selection on the screen and you now have remote access to the student’s keyboard and mouse.  Mr. Wright continues “if you would like to use that student’s screen for helping or instructing other students you can transmit that individual student’s screen to all the other student stations.”  This collaborative teaching style eliminates the need to explain the same procedure to multiple students during the class period.  The LINK System will allow you to engage students more effectively, will save you instructional time, and will help to increase student comprehension.

Bloomfield Central School District purchased the most reliable classroom management system on the market.  “We have used the LINK System since 1999,” says Mr. Wright.  Since that time, the school updated the motherboard in the instructor’s LINK System equipment in 2004.  Incredibly, Bloomfield Central School District is still using the same LINK System equipment that was installed more than 15 years ago!  Due to the longevity of the LINK System, Applied Computer Systems, Inc. (ACS) has developed upgrade paths for customers.  Customers have the ability to use their original student equipment while upgrading their instructor’s equipment.  Later, when budgets allow for it, the student equipment can be upgraded as well.

When asked about his experience with ACS’s customer service, Mr. Wright expressed only praise.  “Excellent.  Their customer service is second to none!  They are prompt, and courteous.  If you call with a problem, they will do whatever it takes to solve that problem.”

Applied Computer Systems, Inc. does offer free onsite demonstrations of the LINK System.  The LINK System is used in computer classrooms to effectively enhance the teaching and learning process.  It improves retention rates and keeps students on task.  It is a cost-effective computer classroom management system built to last for many years.

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Timothy Sheehy, Computer Assisted Drafting teacher at Buckeye Career Center, enjoys teaching and watching his students’ advance in their knowledge of CAD. The biggest obstacle he has found during his many years of teaching is the physical layout of his classroom. The layout inhibits the students’ view of his demonstrations shown on his projection screen.

Mr. Sheehy was searching for a solution to resolve this obstacle and learned about the LINK System computer management system at a school seminar. He also looked into a software computer management system but found the LINK System was the best solution for his CAD lab.

The Composite LINK System is a computer classroom management system that offers students the opportunity to clearly see demonstrations on their own screens. Mr. Sheehy’s students now can see the fine lines and details of the CAD program at any workstation in the classroom, something that is nearly impossible to clearly see on an overhead projector. The students are happy that they can now watch his demonstration on their monitor without having to reposition themselves in order to obtain a better view.

Mr. Sheehy can also remotely access a student’s video, keyboard, and mouse to simply observe their progress or to help them through a problem. If he notices multiple students are experiencing a similar problem, he can then help a group of students work through the problem by broadcasting one student’s screen to the remainder of the class. Collaboratively, he can step those students through the problem with the video distribution of the LINK System. It is amazing how the LINK System can be used to enhance the teaching and learning process for the class. Mr. Sheehy also uses the LINKCET software to electronically administer tests. Once the test has been delivered to each student he can view their progress as they work through the test. Once the student’s complete the test, the results will be displayed on his screen and he has the ability to store these results as a CSV file, later to be imported into his grade book. He can even allow the students to view their test results immediately following the test’s completion.

Many classrooms today are setup with a single monitor for the instructor and the students, but Mr. Sheehy’s classroom is setup with dual monitors at both the instructor’s and students’ desks. He particularly likes this arrangement because as he projects his lesson onto one screen the students can work through the lesson on the other screen following his lead.

With the LINK System he says he is “finding it to be ergonomically beneficial to all the students, exciting and fun delivery of content, eliminated the “bad seat” conditions, and beneficial to instructor’s time and amount of content to be delivered.”

Sheehy continues to say, “The most useful features are transmit, testing, student view, and keyboard/mouse control. My overall experience with the LINK System and Applied Computer Systems, Inc. is wonderful.”

Applied Computer Systems, Inc. offers free onsite demonstrations of the LINK System. The LINK System is used in computer classrooms to effectively enhance the teaching and learning process. It improves retention rates and keeps students on task. It is a cost-effective computer classroom management system built to last for many years.

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“We needed a way to effectively put information in front of our students”, explains Teresa.  Teresa was also looking for a way to keep the students on task and eliminate the ‘surfing’ during her instruction time.

After evaluating the LINK System, Watkins High School purchased several LINK Projection Systems (LPS-II) for their technology classrooms.  They also chose to have the qualified technicians of Applied Computer Systems install them.

“Every student has a computer and the ability to broadcast directly to their screen instead of a projected image in the front of the room is awesome.  For many students, having the information right in front of them is a much more effective tool than general classroom projection.  It is also nice to have the ability to blank the computers so that students are not ‘surfing’ during instruction,” says Teresa.

Teresa expresses that the most useful features are both the ability to project to the students’ screens and to blank their screens when needed.  She goes on to say that the video works much better on a hardware classroom management system versus a software solution.

The LINK Projection System is currently setup in three classrooms at Watkins High School.  The LINK System equipment is used daily throughout the school year with great success.  Teresa rates ACS’s customer service as exemplary and her overall experience with our products as top notch.

PDF:  SouthwestLickingCaseStudy

http://www.swl.k12.oh.us/watkinsmemorialhighschool_home.aspx

For more information about the LINK Projection System, visit http://www.acs-linksystems.com

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