PRODUCTIVE Business Solutions (PBS) has opened a custom-designed learning lounge at its Kingston office, which should provide free advanced training for teachers who have received tablets from PBS under the Government’s tablets in schools pilot project.

The corporate entity, according to PBS general manager, Michael Lewis, has completed the tablets in schools distribution programme, which was aimed at distributing 10,000 to 25,000 tablets across 10 schools in Jamaica and have further extended their services by creating the lounge to provide training for the teachers at an advanced level.

“We have now gone beyond our contract and are offering free workshops to enhance the use of tablets, expose the teachers to various tools, apps and best practices for a more effective integration of technology into the classrooms and ultimately to enhance the teaching and learning systems,” Lewis said.

Julian Robinson, minister of state in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining lauded the initiative by PBS and urged other companies to support the tablets in schools initiative.

“It is a welcome initiative and PBS needs to be commended for taking on this corporate social responsibility. Other companies should come on board and provide this support for the initiative,” Robinson recommended.

The training workshops are also expected to expose teachers to new application methods on the tablets. One feature of the programme is that the applications can be accessed without Internet connection.

Robinson said: “The good thing about it is students who may not have Internet access at home can use the tablets freely at home.”

Marvin Hall, principal of Halls of Learning, and his team of facilitators of the workshop used the opening of the lounge to expose teachers to different apps and features such as robotics, using the tablets to control robots.

Robinson, who was particularly impressed with this function noted: “The robotic demonstration where you could link the device [tablets] to robots and move robots around is a great move for technology in schools.”

Lewis explained that the workshop marked the first of many free training series, which PBS will host.

— Kimberley Hibbert