Believe Memphis Academy Partners With Inspiroz

As They Started A New School

Opening a new school is no easy task. From getting the classrooms set up to bringing in new staff, all these tasks must be completed on a strict deadline.

When Believe Memphis Academy, a charter school for grades 4-8 in Memphis, opened, they knew they needed help getting all their technology ready, said Jeff Warren, Director of Finance and Operations.

Warren knew he needed a strong technology partner if they were going to open on time. He signed on with Inspiroz to have them design the technology and implement it in the new school. In addition, they helped provide guidance on their internet provider and the E-Rate program.

Here’s how Inspiroz partnered with Believe Memphis Academy to help set up their new school on a tight deadline:

Creating A Comprehensive Technology Plan

As part of the planning for the new school, Warren reached out to Inspiroz for technology planning. They worked together to determine what he needed in the new school, and then the Inspiroz team put together a technology plan that covered all aspects of charter school technology.

As an added benefit of this proactive planning, Warren was also able to price out all the technology and knew what he had to spend ahead of time.

“Having all our technology figured out, aligned and organized together really saved us a lot of time in the long run,” Warren said.

On-Site Installation

The Inspiroz team worked very closely with the school’s other technology vendors to ensure that the fiber internet and wiring were ready so they could coordinate the installation of the servers as well as setting up the firewall and security applications.

“Within a few hours, the phones and computers were working,” Warren said. “The team was all amazing at making sure we had everything set up. They stayed until 9:30 p.m. to make sure it was all done.”

Designing Classroom Technology

Warren and Inspiroz also focused on creating classroom technology that would meet all the needs of the teachers and students.

“We talked through what we needed for all our classrooms,” Warren said. “We were copying a model that worked, so we had a strong idea about what we wanted. Inpiroz was able to make that a reality for our teacher and our students.”

As a former teacher, Warren knew firsthand what worked in the classroom and what didn’t. He was able to give Inspiroz a clear vision of what devices were most effective.

For example, he wanted an inexpensive projector that sat on a cart instead of a document camera with a static arm.

“This simple technology was just the thing teachers needed, so they could focus on teaching and not one hundred unnecessary buttons,” Warren explained.

With this clear direction, Inspiroz was then able to think through the details of exactly what was needed to equip all the school’s new classrooms as well as what underlying infrastructure was needed to support it.

Continued Improvements

Warren credited the Inspiroz team with helping them meet their deadline to open the new school. Once open, the Inspiroz team continued to provide on-site support for IT issues while continuing to plan how to improve the school’s technology.

“Being able to have Inspiroz in here beforehand and knowing so much of the vision was key,” Warren said. “We wouldn’t be able to be where we are today if we didn’t work with them on all the planning earlier. It’s been awesome to have so much support from so early on in the process.”

From their comprehensive planning to the onsite support and continued improvements, Inspiroz has been a key partner in the successful opening of their new school.

Share Your Experiences:

Are you considering opening a new school, adding a grade or expanding to a new city? How do you handle your technology planning? Any tips you’d share about opening a new school?

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