Local AV specialists Swing CVBA has provided 26 PMD570 Installation Recorders and four PM670 Solid State Recorders to Ghent High School, giving staff the means to exchange materials and mark coursework over the internet, and students the ability to take their language studies off-campus to be continued at home.
The School's previous system used cassette recorders and traditional tape for recording and playback of learning materials, but teachers prompted the move to digital media technology. Using Marantz's PMD recorders, each student uses his or her own flash card, which is removable and can therefore be used to play back lessons and exercises at home. Via the internet, data can be shared among members of the school, and teachers are able to mark exercises without having to meet with students.
Two Marantz models have been deployed in the system design by Tom Haelvoet of Swing CVBA, interfacing with a digital translation system marketed in Belgium by Sennheiser. The PMD570 professional installation solid state recorders are permanently installed in the tops of the desks, whereas the portability of the PMD670s make them suitable for use in the translation booths, from which everything is moved to a secure lock-up after study sessions. Both units record directly to compact flash cards, and are MP3, MP2, WAV and BWF compatible.
Tom of Swing explains that one of the major advantages of the new Marantz-based system is that "now the students can be speakers as well as listeners, as we've found a way to integrate the Sennheiser system with the Marantz recorders to provide seamless recording and playback capability with the highest standard of sound quality."
(Chris Henry)
