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Traditionally, with blackboards, whiteboards or flip-charts, the focus of teaching was just one way: from the student, narrowly, towards the teacher at the top of the classroom or lecture theatre.
Now, thanks to Smarter Surfaces, that focus can change to one which surrounds teaching of the student on all sides, allowing him or her to work on walls, desks and tables in an interactive and much more enjoyable way.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with products manufactured there, in the UK and in the Netherlands, Smarter Surfaces’ product innovation opens up possibilities to walls, corridors, classrooms, training rooms and lecture halls by giving them whiteboard, magnetic and projector functionality. It is a success recognised internationally with many awards including EOPA Product of the Year 2014. At a recent trade fair in Milan, the global capital of design, Italy’s premiere newspaper, Corriere della Sera commented enthusiastically “Walls are usually dead. With Smarter Surfaces they come alive!”
Smarter Surfaces’ CEO, Denise Doran, comments that “we are not only providing schools, universities and other learning institutions with functional and cost-effective products, but we are ultimately changing the way educators teach and students learn. Our cost-effective products and ten year guarantee provide real value to decision-makers as well as better overall productivity in teaching in the classroom.”
Testimony from those in the Education sector who use Smarter Surfaces’ products, who include clients from primary schools to some of the top universities in the world describe below the difference the products have made:
Teaching In Schools
At Ratoath Junior School in Co. Meath, near Dublin, Principal Miriam Fox uses Smarter Surfaces products in three classes. Ms Fox remarks that unlike with whiteboards, there are no height restrictions, an important point with schools where children are of varying heights in their growing development. Her colleague, Emma Brehony, adds that with the painted walls and desks – which the children love particularly – they, teachers and pupils alike, have a lot more space.
“The kids love it. If they make a mistake, they can rub it out. The kids can copy what I write on the board, then write it down on the table. It means they’re definitely improving as they have the tool at their disposal.”
Another advantage, Ms Brehony points out, is Smarter Surfaces’ interactivity with technology. As their teaching surfaces are projectable “ we can use interactively with games from a laptop or information from the internet.”
Another advantage is that Smarter Surfaces’ dry erase paint can be applied over graphics – say a skeleton for teaching Biology, or a map for teaching Geography. Learning then becomes much clearer, more fun for the student, and therefore more likely to be successful and meet with less resistance.
Teaching In Third Level Institutions
Universities and other third-level institutions all over the world use Smarter Surfaces to transform their teaching environments. Customers range from universities such as Imperial College, London in the UK to Trinity College, Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland back in Ireland.
In England also, Smarter Surfaces has partnered with Teach Design, a network of technology and design teachers whose Jon Taylor describes its effect of students and teachers alike:
“The pupils were immediately engaged with this new phenomenon. This has really allowed us to maximise the use and potential of our classroom spaces. The Smart Wall Paint has also proven very useful in our department staff area too, with to-do lists and notices popping up on the walls.”
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