From installation and the initial training of more than two hundred world languages teachers to specialized workshops and customized rubrics for our district, Stevens Learning Systems excels in all aspects of customer service and support. Teachers, school administrators and local school technology support personnel alike routinely comment about the professional and timely service provided by the company. The annual service also ensures the equipment runs efficiently. When it came time to expand the technology to the district’s middle schools, it was easy to gain the support of everyone from the Purchasing Department to district and school administrators because of our track record with Stevens.
Using the new drop-down classroom labs has made a real impact on student learning. The ease of access and hands-on experiences immediately creates an engaging environment and boosts student motivation. Through everyday usage, it has contributed to more authentic student performances as it has lowered student anxiety and made students feel at ease as they successfully increase the level of their speaking and listening skills. Their highly qualified and personable technology support, great communication skills and swift follow up is unlike anything I have experienced thus far from a vendor. Caring service on a highly professional level is what comes along with a quality product once you become a part of the Stevens Learning Systems family.
The Stevens language lab is an indispensable tool in my world language classes. The lab places students in a Standards-based environment in which their affective filter is actually lowered. It allows for a range of communicative options where students experience greater success. Because I can attend to each student’s progress individually and without the affective interference that generally accompanies student-teacher interactions, I can really know what they are able to do in the target language. The lab’s built-in rubrics and immediate response options simply work for me. I spend less time completing multiple tasks while students reach their communicative goals more quickly.
For more than 6 years, I have been an enthusiastic user of the language lab by Stevens Learning Systems Inc. Lab features that allow me to record, playback, facilitate partner/small group conversation, present audio and video mean that I am able to implement best practices for language instruction. My students and I often use the playback feature to enhance self- and peer-feedback and thus, improve performance proficiency. Both upper and lower level students agree that their vocabulary use, comprehensibility, accuracy, presentational and/or interpersonal speaking skills are better because they feel that the lab experience lowers their speaking anxiety and just lets them enjoy communicating in Spanish!
We did quite a bit of research before purchasing our labs from Stevens Learning Systems and found that this system more than meets our needs. We are thoroughly delighted with the product, the training we received after they were installed, and the service that Ralph and his crew have given us. We love the simplicity of using the labs. It took no time for all 24 of us to get used to them and, as a result, we use them regularly in our day-to-day instruction.
The Stevens Learning Systems, Inc. team delivers a valuable product and comprehensive, ongoing support. From the installation of the classroom learning lab to the customized teacher training and prompt, individualized response to teacher needs, their focus is always on the classroom teacher and students. Their differentiated training model provides regular, hands-on opportunities for teachers to become comfortable using technology to enhance language learning. Stevens is always attentive to our needs and, as a result, has customized a long-term plan to assist us with our goals of standards-based instruction and performance assessment.
I served as World Languages Coordinator for the Fulton County School System in Georgia from 2004-2008. From the beginning, I was very impressed with Stevens’ customer service, and during my four year tenure in Fulton County, I was always happy with the quality of the language labs and everyone at the Stevens team.Their trainings were not only “nuts and bolts” trainings on how to use the labs but also instructional strategies, often led by Ms. Peggy Boyles and other experts in the field. The Fulton teachers consistently gave all of the trainings high ratings, and they felt very comfortable using the labs with their students. Yet another example of the support that Stevens provided was during AP testing. At AP Exam time, Ralph had his team members on call and either near or present in our schools just in case the test proctors should have difficulty recording the speaking portion of the AP Exams.
The language lab is a phenomenal tool for maximizing language use in the classroom. It provides for excellent accountability in students as well as variety when it comes to working with language partners. I love how it accommodates a variety of input sources for stimulating students and allows the instructor vast creativity when developing and using resources – especially multi-media and web-based resources. The lab saves me incredible amounts of time with its recording capabilities and assessment tools. Having used the lab extensively, I don’t ever want to be without one.
Stevens Learning System drop-down classroom labs have become an integral part of our program since our pilot year in 2012. Now almost all of our secondary campuses have a lab in every second language classroom. But there is much more to Stevens Learning Systems than their product. Ralph and his staff have become part of our district world language department team with ongoing professional development such as new teacher training, AP testing preparation, and the student centered lab activity workshop called Pathways to Performance presented. Stevens is only a phone call away when we have technical questions, need repairs, and make special presentations highlighting the lab and second language proficiency.
When our district partnered with Stevens Learning Systems, Inc., it completely revolutionized the way to deliver instruction! The capability of immediate access to the internet with a mounted LCD projector and high quality audio access have enabled me to use authentic resources at all levels of instruction. This company provides exceptional training for new teachers and quick response for repairs and maintenance. The Stevens Learning System has bolstered the achievement of our Advanced Placement students because of the ease of students practicing and recording interpersonal and presentational speaking tasks. The administration of the AP exam is so easy now, thanks to the “AP Survival Kit” provided by Stevens Learning. Thank you for providing us with this phenomenal instructional technology.
The Stevens Learning Systems language lab is an essential tool for language learning. The lab allows teachers to address all three modes of communication in engaging and efficient ways. One benefit of using the lab is the ability to have students practice interpersonal skills in different pairs or groups without having to physically move in the classroom. In addition, the teacher can record all of the students at one time, allowing him/her to easily assess presentational and interpersonal speaking.
As a teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools I was fortunate to have a drop down language lab in my classroom. It truly changed my instruction and assessment. Students loved it and were able to use the language with more confidence after practicing with the lab. Later, as a supervisor in BCPS, Stevens Learning installed several more labs. Ralph, Jamie, and the technicians provided outstanding service as well as hands-on training for teachers. Over the years the technology has changed and the capability of the software has increased by leaps and bounds, but the high quality of service and responsiveness has remained the same.
Stevens Learning Systems offers exceptional language labs with superior customer service. They provide thorough training for the school staff and continue to be “on-call” for assistance as needed, even visiting periodically throughout the year for check-ins. The labs are capable of so much that I was able to assess my students in a fun, productive way in each class. I recently transferred to a school without labs and it has left a gap in my instruction, particularly with speaking practices.
Our labs have enabled us to practice real-life situations with the students and to participate in multiple activities to increase fluency in the target language. Students are excited to use the labs and benefit from the multiple functions of the labs. In addition, the support we receive from Stevens Learning Systems is superb and the people that you see in person are the people with whom you speak on the phone!
I have been lucky to have been using Steven’s labs in my classes since 1989. I’m delighted with the constant updates and innovations that have taken us from the days of a 5 foot long console that looked like an airplane cockpit to the sleek computerized model now that allows me control from an iPad while walking around the room. Using the lab allows my students to speak on a daily basis and for me to not only listen to and grade my students, but to do it in a matter of seconds per recording. I can grade a paired speaking activity for an entire class in only a few minutes, which means that I can have my students not only using the presentational mode but also the more important interpersonal mode and that they can do it every day. Managing the pairing of the students and using the random sort allows students to get used to talking to everyone in the class and to practice the authentic skill of talking to people with whom they’re not already well acquainted. Students quickly lose the fear of speaking when they do it on a regular basis and the use of headsets and random partners helps the more timid students to become fearless. We use the labs on a daily basis for speaking and listening activities, for administering our common and end of course assessments and for the AP Exams. The labs are extremely versatile and Stevens staff wonderful to work with. We are always able to upload our own rubrics, making the scoring of any activity, assessment or exam personalized and quick work. . In short, we love the Stevens labs and don’t know how people teach students to become proficient speakers without them!