Poly

 

Beijing, China - Jun 13, 2012 : Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications, today announced a collaboration with the Education Commission of Beijing Xicheng District for the establishment of the first remote and international exchange education system in Beijing using Polycom® RealPresence® video solutions. The first stage of the remote education system will involve construction of video classrooms in 10 middle schools, 50 standard schools, and 200 cooperative schools to be completed by September 2012.

 

Through the use of high-definition video collaboration in classrooms, students in Xicheng District Education Commission-allied schools will have access to a richer and more stimulating face-to-face learning experience, more access to information and knowledge, and dialogue with students in other school regions in China as well as other countries.

 

"In the past, the education institutions under the Xicheng District Education Commission – consisting of elementary and secondary schools, private schools, supplementary education providers, and private education institutions – functioned relatively independently of one another," said Liu Zhong, deputy director of the Education Commission of Beijing Xicheng District. "There was also the obvious distance barrier when attempting to implement exchange programmes with education providers overseas. The implementation of Polycom video collaboration solutions is enabling us to not only provide an advanced remote video teaching system covering all major schools in Xicheng District, but also to support interaction with schools abroad."

 

 

With a mandate to develop a remote education system that delivers high-quality video collaboration and audio for the most interactive learning experience, whilst utilising minimal bandwidth to keep costs low, the Education Commission selected Polycom® RealPresence® Room Solutions, including the Polycom® HDX® 7000 and Polycom® HDX® 8000, combined with the Polycom® RealPresence® Whiteboard (Polycom® UC Board™). The UC Board supplements the interactive learning experience, allowing students and teachers to simply pick up a digital pen to transform LCD monitors or plain surfaces into digital whiteboards so that users can share ideas and collaborate across any distance. Polycom® EagleEye Director cameras are also being installed to enhance the classroom environment with the ability to locate and focus automatically on active speakers; and Polycom® HDX® Ceiling Microphones, delivering superior audio coverage and noise reduction. The complete solution is powered by the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform, connecting the hundreds of video classrooms into a seamless video collaboration network, so that all authorized users can easily and securely collaborate via video regardless if they're in a classroom, remote or mobile.

 

"Polycom video collaboration solutions for education have brought teachers and classrooms together from all over the world, enhancing collaboration between education providers and creating greater trust and understanding through visual connections," said Steven Li, vice president and general manager, Polycom China. "We are focused on providing customized video solutions for our customers. Our innovative remote education solutions are a perfect fit for the Education Commission's requirements, which we believe will further accelerate the development of digital education in Xicheng District."

 

Digital education is a priority initiative for the Xicheng District Education Commission, and the Commission plans to extend the use of the new remote education system to include seminars that build professional competencies and