Onboarding to Ongoing Support: How BenQ Sets Schools Up for Success

[00:00:00] Narrator: This is Teach Your Way with BenQ, where educators find ideas that work. Let's get started. [00:00:08] Crystal Yao: Hey guys, welcome to this episode of Teach Your Way with BenQ. I'm Crystal Yao and this is Lauren McMillan. And we are both customer success specialists at BenQ. Um, and today we're gonna be talking a little bit about. [00:00:19] Onboarding and what that looks like. Um, we know that implementation always starts before like teacher, teachers even touch the board, and so we're gonna be talking about how, like what are some great ways that you can implement ThankQ boards into your district and into your schools and what that looks like. [00:00:35] Just to get things started, can you tell me a little bit about how onboarding works for school or for a district? [00:00:40] Lauren McMillian: Yeah, so our onboarding process with BenQ is typically, um, customized for each district. We really meet with. Them and we talk to them about what their vision is, what their goals are for our tool in their classrooms. [00:00:54] Um, we have initial orientation onboarding with administrators, with, um, the IT [00:01:00] department. You know, we wanna make sure that their environment is set up for, um, everything that they're wanting. We wanna make sure that our product matches their environment. So we have several meetings. Um, prior to the board ever, even being in the classroom to make sure that when teachers walk in, they don't run into any issues. [00:01:18] Um, so that's kind of what our starting point is really having that meeting, um, with them, with, uh, their, whoever's kind of leading that charge of implementing this technology in their classroom and just making sure that everything is kind of set up. So we do offer, um, onboarding for, uh, the. It department. [00:01:36] We offer onboarding for anyone that may be managing the boards, anyone that may be troubleshooting the boards. Um, and then we also do onboarding training, like orientation training for teachers as well. [00:01:46] Crystal Yao: So that sounds really great. Lauren? So I used to be a campus tech, uh, technology specialist, and I know you used to as well. [00:01:53] And so when we have, whenever we had to implement things in the, in the classroom and implement new technologies, like we [00:02:00] always just kind of got the product and immediately started teaching about it, but. It sounds like you guys already do, or I guess we already do onboarding beforehand. Mm-hmm. Which is amazing, but. [00:02:10] After the onboarding process, what happens next? What's the professional development look like for teachers or [00:02:15] Lauren McMillian: everyone [00:02:16] Crystal Yao: else? [00:02:16] Lauren McMillian: Sure. Yeah. So that's a really good point. And I think there were a lot of times, like in our former role, um, you know, even as an instructional coach, when we lead teachers through training, you know, typically it's here's how to do it, here's what you need, and now you can go do it and. [00:02:30] Our role as customer success specialists here is really to bridge the gap between having just an element of technology in the classroom and really how our technology enhances instruction and really gets students engaged and it fosters creativity and collaboration. And so that being. Said that's where developing a really strong professional development, um, is really important because that's where those pre-meetings where we customize those trainings for school districts so that we can talk to them about what LMS do they use and what instructional [00:03:00] websites and tools are they accessing all the time. [00:03:02] Because when we come in to provide that training for teachers, we don't want to be talking about things that they don't have access to or we don't wanna talk about things that are no, are not relevant in their classroom. So the professional development. And that initial training really just looks like however it looks in their environment, and we've custom made that for them. [00:03:21] Now, in terms of what it physically looks like, you know, our training, um, our team specifically, we cover all the training for BenQ. Um. Here in BenQ America, and a lot of times there are schools that they have the boards mounted on the walls, and so they want more of a hands-on training. And so we offer a great virtual training here in our studio where we can be modeling how to do the things and we can be training on the use of the board. [00:03:47] And teachers are actually in their classrooms following along on their. Own board. And so it really, even though it's a virtual option, it's not a let me sit at my computer and watch someone do it. We're [00:04:00] really walking them through it. So that's one way that our training looks. And then the other option is our onsite training. [00:04:06] Um, a lot of time this hap. A lot of times this happens, right when the boards get installed, we will come on site. Um, we'll do some kind of, um, a lot of times instructional technology specialists or digital learning coaches. A lot of times those people end up doing most of the training for their school district, especially if it's in a really large school district. [00:04:24] Um. So we'll go train them so that they can then, um, provide that. So we really try to make our training set apart by making it very tailored and specific to the classroom environment that it will be in. [00:04:37] Crystal Yao: Yeah. It makes it sound like you guys have really thought through the whole process and that what, that's what makes our training really unique. [00:04:44] Um, and the fact that it's customized to every single customer. Mm-hmm. That's really wonderful. Moving on, like after you've done the initial trainings, you've done the pre, like the onboarding, you've done the, uh, professional development for teachers. What does ongoing support look like? [00:05:00] Because I know teachers, they'll learn something, they'll come to the pd, but then mm-hmm. [00:05:04] You know, they won't soak in everything at the same like at once. So what does that look like? What does ongoing support look like for them? [00:05:10] Lauren McMillian: Sure. Well, one thing to keep in mind, and this kind of goes for trainings of different technology resources in general, is that sometimes there is a lot to know about a product. [00:05:18] There's a lot to know about a platform, um, and there's a lot of resources and we don't want to overwhelm our users The. Best thing about these boards is teachers can literally walk up to them, tap, log in, and they're teaching right away. It's really easy to access materials. Um, and so that is a, a benefit for the onboarding and the orientation because really teachers walk up, they customize the board and they're, they're teaching on day one. [00:05:43] They don't, there's not as much of a learning curve. However, a lot of times we see about six weeks into the school year or a few weeks after they have the board, now they're really into it and now. It's okay. So I feel really good about all of the basic features that you showed us at the orientation training. [00:05:59] What can I [00:06:00] learn now? And so what that ongoing support looks like is our podcast episodes. It looks like documentation. Um, our team will actually create how to guides and resources that are specific to instruction in the classroom. Um, we also create quick videos and, um, we even have our, you know, webinars that we'll offer as well. [00:06:19] So we have a lot of opportunities for, um, our users. To, to learn more even on their own time. Uh, we also have our BenQ Academy, which houses all of our tutorial videos and there are videos there for it. Um, anyone managing the boards, also for teachers as well. And those are really short. I think every video is. [00:06:39] Under three minutes because as you know, teachers have no time to go sit and watch videos. And so, you know, our podcast is great 'cause you can just listen while you're driving, um, or when you're doing something else. But those videos are great because teachers can walk up or. Teachers can go to the website and say, you know, I just wanna learn about easy. [00:06:58] Right? And it filters out all [00:07:00] those easy right videos. Um, and then if additional training is needed, we do offer several layers of professional development. So, um, while all of our orientation training and that onboarding is all included, you know, down the road we have users that they say, okay, I feel great. [00:07:16] I've had the board for a year or two. To even. And now they wanna be that power user. They wanna be the advanced user. In fact, they may even wanna do trainings in their own school district or even in neighboring school districts. And so we do offer some even advanced professional development. Uh, we have BenQ, certified trainer, we have BenQ, certified educator. [00:07:35] And so we really want our user. To not just learn the basics and then be done and kind of have that stagnant environment. We want them to keep going 'cause there's always something new. There's always something updated and there's always something that's changing in the education world that we can then match in our environment as well. [00:07:53] Um, so that ongoing support you, once you have been q you're kind of stuck with us for the life of your panel. [00:08:00] [00:08:00] Crystal Yao: So that sounds really great. There's a lot of. Um, really great resources that teachers can use, but are there any communities that teachers can share their resources or just talk to each other about things? [00:08:08] Lauren McMillian: Yeah, so once you have the Ben keyboards, we actually have a private user group on Facebook, and this is a great place for, um, teachers to come together from all over, from all different states, and they can drop ideas and maybe they've created a lesson that they really love. They can drop it in there and say, Hey, like, I'm. [00:08:26] Created this for my music classroom. Maybe another music teacher can use it. But it's also a great place where they can come and ask questions. You know, um, maybe we don't have a training scheduled for a couple more months, and so they just wanna pop in and ask a quick question about how to do something. [00:08:40] Um, and then we also share our updates and we share announcements. And then in addition, um, we also have a BenQ board ambassador group. So we have some, um, users that have applied for that. And this is where they also can spotlight. Their own materials and what's the great things that are happening in their school districts. [00:08:57] And we kind of highlight that. Um, and we have a [00:09:00] shared drive of resources that are being built as well. And so it's really just a place for teachers to come. And I know, um, as much professional development as I used to give in my school, you know, at the end of the day some of the best PD comes from the teacher next door. [00:09:12] And, you know, there's a lot that we like to offer and contribute and we really try to customize our resources with what's happening right now. Um, but you guys are the ones in it. And so we wanna make sure that. We build and foster that community. We also have events that happen, um, you know, in different areas, um, where we'll have users kind of come together and talk about, you know, what's happening in one district versus another. [00:09:34] Um, and then also we love having our get togethers at our conferences and the big national shows and, um, things that we're at. We love our community to come together and our face, our private Facebook group is actually a place where you can really come in and, and learn more and kind of take it to the next level, and then you get to know us a little bit more as well. [00:09:51] Crystal Yao: That sounds wonderful. So it sounds like, like we provide a lot of really great resources for our teachers and we also have communities for them. But what if a teacher has a [00:10:00] suggestion for something like, what would that look like? What do we do with those suggestions or with that feedback if we get any? [00:10:05] Lauren McMillian: Yeah, so we love teacher feedback because that's really how we develop things on our panels as well. I mean, a lot of the things, especially those of you that already have been keyboards, a lot of the features that you use every day, some of the pen tools, um, some of the templates and the. Those resources were built because teachers requested them. [00:10:25] Um, and so we do love to hear that feedback. You can, um, put those suggestions on any of our videos in the comments. You can put 'em in our Facebook group if you're already there. Um, you can also email anyone on our team, and we do have a form that you can fill out to submit. Those, um, suggestions or requests. [00:10:41] And then we actually take those and we work with our, um, team at our headquarters to, to develop those and to enhance those because we want this to constantly be a tool that is, um, relevant for you and you guys are the ones using it every day. And so, um, that feedback really helps guide our product to make it, [00:11:00] um. [00:11:00] As relevant and helpful and useful as possible in, um, the, the classroom environment. [00:11:06] Crystal Yao: Yeah, and I think it's really important to mention also we've been teachers before. Mm-hmm. So we know like how important it is to feel supported by a company or to feel supported by like a product, um, but then also to have resources to use in the classroom. [00:11:19] Lauren McMillian: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. And think about too, you know, like. Half the time. I remember when I was a teacher, I would always think like, oh, it'd be so great if, right? Mm-hmm. And so have a little notepad, have a post-it note handy where when you have those thoughts of, you know, oh, it'd be so great if our pen did this, um, jot it down and then send it to us. [00:11:37] And you can reach out to, you know, your district people, you can reach out to the reps, you can jump on our website and find a way to connect. And there's always a way for you to share those resources to us. [00:11:46] Crystal Yao: So you've talked about a lot of resources that we provide, you know, community resources, training resources, all sorts of things. [00:11:54] So can you help me, um, by summarizing all the, all the things that we provide, trainings, resources, [00:12:00] all those things? [00:12:00] Lauren McMillian: Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, a common district rollout, we always really like to start by partnering with the environment. And so we do all the initial onboarding, whether it's for technologists, for teachers, um, any. [00:12:14] Any end user in the environment. Um, and then we provide orientation training for our teachers. That could be virtual, it could be onsite. Um, we'll kind of tailor that based on the need and the desire of the teachers in the schools. And we also look at size and things like that. Um, and then we also provide refresher trainings. [00:12:30] Um, as needed, we can work with, um, learning coaches, digital coaches, um, anyone that may need additional training. Um, again, we've got our studio here, so it's really easy for us to provide, um, as many virtual sessions as you need because as long as our studio has availability, then, um, you know, we can squeeze anybody in. [00:12:48] Um, and then we also have advanced professional development options as well. If you want to be a certified trainer or a certified educator, um, then we have those options as well. Um, and all of that information will [00:13:00] be linked in our show notes. So if you are a new user to BenQ, if you are evaluating BenQ or thinking about BenQ, or maybe you've had Ben Keyboards for a few years now, um, please don't hesitate to reach out and get more information about training because we love supporting. [00:13:14] In fact, um, crystal was just with a customer that has had our boards. For about eight to nine years now. And she was, um, giving them some new updated information about how they can kind of keep those things, um, new. So don't hesitate to reach out even if you feel like you've had your boards for too long. [00:13:29] Crystal Yao: Yeah. Awesome. Thank you so much for summarizing all the things that we have. Thank you so much for joining us on this episode of Teach Your Way with BenQ. We really appreciate you being here. We hope that you guys learned how our support and our training really helps transform your instruction on our BenQ boards. [00:13:46] Um, but again, we have all of the resources linked in our show notes. Please like, subscribe, and follow, and we hope to see you guys in the next episode. Bye. [00:13:54] Narrator: Thanks for joining us on Teach Your Way with BenQ. For more resources and teaching [00:14:00] inspiration, visit us online@benqboard.com. Don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode.