North West London Jewish School combines a strong bond between Jewish education and the National Curriculum, aiming to give children the knowledge, understanding and life skills to help them flourish in the outside world. They believe in the fundamental ABCD of education: Academics, Behaviour, Creativity and Dialogue, which produces the ideal learning environment for their pupils. Their vision is for everyone to have a thirst for learning within a high quality, caring, inclusive school striving for excellence for all. Founded in 1945 for the Jewish Community in the area, North West is the school of choice for the local orthodox communities. Sylvester Saldanha, the IT Manager for the school, is responsible for the IT infrastructure and the smooth running of IT operations throughout the site.
About Stone Technologies:
Stone Technologies assisted thousands of organisations in adapting and thriving in the ever-changing landscape of technology. Through deploying valuable technology, delivering personalised services and providing reliable IT support. They offer their own branded desktop, notebook and other IT devices, manufactured at their Stafford head office, where they also have purpose-built, fully secured ITAD and recycling facilities. Their dedication has enabled them to become one of the UK’s (including Northern Ireland) leading suppliers for technology to the education and the public sector.
The Challenge
Before introducing the new hardware, the North West London Jewish School deployed several SmartBoards and projectors in every classroom around five years ago. However, the ageing units became more and more problematic and causing daily issues, which were affecting classroom efficiency.
Issues varied from hardware failure to connectivity issues, where teachers did not know which extension to select to display their content, causing delays in starting lessons. Moreover, as the corners of the old boards can gather dust, pens could not function correctly as the sensors are blocked. According to Sylvester Saldanha, the IT Manager for the school, the worst thing about the old devices are they needed syncing daily to overcome connectivity issues. Sylvester explains.
The Solution
Sylvester contacted Stone to discuss their options and decided the 75” and 65” ViewSonic ViewBoard 4K interactive displays and projectors were the best solutions to deploy in the school. They also opted for the ViewSonic myViewBoard digital whiteboard software, which most teachers in the school now use thanks to its user-friendly interface. Moreover, the ability to log in from any classroom provided the convenience that the teachers did not have previously.
The main reason for choosing ViewSonic was the simplicity of the ViewBoard interactive displays. The software was also easy to use and navigate. Before purchasing, the North West School received demo products of the interactive displays and projectors, allowing teachers to test the new equipment and its latest functionalities. This part proved to be pivotal in the decision making as the school wanted to introduce a hardware and software solution that allowed teachers to adapt comfortably.
Teachers were impressed they could easily log in from various classrooms quickly, saving time at the start of their day. Connectivity was also seamless as Teachers did not have to log into their computers to use the ViewBoard interactive displays. All they had to do was press the power button on the interactive displays, and the teachers were ready to teach instantly.
Furthermore, the ViewBoard interactive displays are Windows compatible, which allowed the teacher to connect their laptops/ devices wired or wirelessly, and switch to different screens in different classrooms seamlessly. With this feature, teachers can now present content to the class within seconds, making resource sharing much easier. They also have a further option to connect via USB if required, providing multiple connectivities options to make teachers lives easier.
Stone delivered the central hardware installation, set up, and supported North West School during the whole process. Questions were answered, and solutions were provided promptly by all parties to make sure everything was moving smoothly. ViewSonic provided training and support for myViewBoard digital whiteboard software to the school remotely due to covid-19 restrictions but was available to assist with operational queries when they arose.
The training sessions were recorded and stored on the cloud, allowing teachers to access it anytime when needed. Further resource videos were also accessible 24/7, and support was available from ViewSonic throughout and after the installation to help resolve any issues, should they occur.
The Result
The North West School now experience the ease of daily use without the need to recalibrate and delay the start of their day. Pupils also find them easy to use, which makes learning fun and interactive. With teachers’ resources and documents on the cloud, they can access them quickly across the entire school. The easy-to-use software also works effectively, as pupils can interact with their work in ways they could not before the installation. The overall cost of maintenance has been significantly reduced, as North West School no longer need to replace the bulbs for the projectors; which periodically led to decommissioning the projectors ‘out of use’ while they waited for replacement bulbs to arrive.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
