Press Releases

Middle Tennessee State University Reaches New Heights in Instructional Education with PolyVision’s Thunder™ Virtual Flipchart™ System

Suwanee, GA and Murfreesboro, TN (Sept. 20, 2006) – PolyVision Corporation, a Steelcase Company (NYSE:SCS) and the world leader in visual communication products, today announced that Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) has installed Thunder™ Virtual Flipchart™ System to create a collaborative, student-centered, interactive learning space. MTSU students can now participate in a next-generation learning experience where the real learning space intersects with the virtual learning world.  

MTSU students and faculty can now experience an entirely new dimension of collaboration with Thunder in which any data and information, in any format, can be communicated, stored, displayed and organized – all captured on an unlimited, shared group canvas in real time. The group easel is as easy to use as a paper flipchart where participants jot notes and drawings onto a “page” with a stylus or finger. Multiple pages are "posted" - projected - onto the wall in high resolution, allowing all the information to remain visible to all participants.

With the touch of an icon, Thunder immediately integrates all forms of media and content into MTSU’s advanced technologies classroom, creating a stream of projected images that flow freely among groups and allow creative flexibility. Any team member or student on any laptop with an Internet connection can instantly join the session from within the room, or remotely, and enjoy full multi-way participation. Participants can share their laptop screen, actively add content and annotate, turning a personal computer into a true group device. Following a lecture or seminar, content is seamlessly archived, emailed to all participants and ready at the touch of an icon for immediate retrieval, whenever desired and from any location.

“MTSU is committed to the personal and professional development of each and every student and with that, technology advancement in education is a top priority for this institution,” said Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, president of MTSU. “PolyVision’s Thunder™ Virtual Flipchart™ Systemwill change the face of how our students learn by allowing them to go beyond the traditional instructor-centric, lector-based learning environment to a state-of-the-art interactive setting designed to help teachers and students collaborate and learn at the highest standards.” 

Thunder Integrates with MTSU’s Advanced Education Experience

Thunder has been installed in MTSU’s advanced technologies classroom which seats sixteen in comfortable, flexible furniture that can be reconfigured for collaborating, lecturing, critiquing, or viewing. PolyVision’s Thunder™ Virtual Flipchart™ System sits at the heart of the classroom. Additional technological instructional tools surround Thunder including four LCD projectors and projection walls, instructor/student tablet PCs with wireless access, PolyVision’s Walk-and-Talk™ Cordless Lectern, iPods for use in developing podcasts and four plasma screens to collaborate on learning activities including digital game-based learning. The space supports a multitude of instructional delivery methods, accommodates various learning styles, encourages the use of digital content and other learning resources, permits sharing and visual display of resources, enables a persistence of data that resonates beyond the class and is completely multi-interactive for increased participation and accountability.

All technology in MTSU’s advanced technologies classroom is integrated making the tablet PCs, VCR, DVD, scanner, document camera, pan/tilt cameras and plasma screens a source for projection and the infrastructure is programmed through a touch screen control panel to support any instructional activity. Students not only learn course material, but also gain valuable, marketable skills in technological presentation tools, collaborative multimedia interaction, podcast creation and simulated case studies through serious games.

“MTSU is on the cutting edge of advanced technology for education and Thunder will enable MTSU’s faculty and staff to continue this tradition with the break-through communication capabilities of Thunder,” said Mike Dunn, CEO of PolyVision.  “MTSU is raising the bar in higher-education and leading the way for other universities to redefine the collaborative process providing students with the essential environment and tools to learn together in the most effective way possible.”   

Because faculty competes for the use of the advanced technologies room, the space remains available for the faculty who will most utilize the technology. A PolyVision RoomWizard™ Room Scheduling System that connects to Resource 25 for scheduling purposes has been incorporated to accommodate the use of the classroom for demonstration in addition to regular courses.

About Middle Tennessee State University
Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is the oldest and largest public university in the Tennessee Board of Regents system. The campus occupies 500 acres at the geographic center of the state in Murfreesboro. The General Education Bill of 1909 established three normal schools or teacher-training institutions in the state. Murfreesboro was named the home of the middle Tennessee institution. The university now enrolls nearly 23,000 students and is the largest undergraduate university in the state. Sidney A. McPhee, Ph.D, is president of MTSU. For more information on MTSU, visit www.mtsu.edu.

About Thunder™ Virtual Flipchart™ System
Thunder Virtual Flipchart System is the new generation of collaboration. With Thunder, organizations can experience an entirely new dimension of collaboration for groups and teams in which any data and information, in any format, can be communicated, stored, displayed and organized – all captured on an unlimited, shared group canvas in real time. Teams can connect from anywhere in the world through Thunder, reducing the need for excess travel. The system is simple and intuitive to use, allowing teams to work and learn the way they want. For more information, visit www.polyvision.com/thunder.

About PolyVision Corporation, a Steelcase Company
PolyVision Corporation enhances the way people learn, work and communicate visually through a broad portfolio of products. Since 1954, PolyVision has focused on creating products and services that inspire users to be more productive, effective and creative when collaborating and communicating visually. Whether it is developing the world’s number one selling P³ ceramicsteel^® surface, or creating the industry’s first walk-up-and-use interactive whiteboard, PolyVision has an unparalleled track record of new breakthroughs in the visual communication market. For more information, visit www.polyvision.com.