Innovative Classroom Increases Student Engagement with Standing Desks

ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ergotron, Inc., a leader in the global sit-stand movement, placed LearnFit™ Standing Desks in a forward-thinking classroom at Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School in the Pasadena ISD, a suburb of Houston, Texas earlier this school year and is already receiving positive feedback. Students taking freshman geography started the school year at traditional sitting desks and in October transitioned to Ergotron LearnFit adjustable standing desks to support project-based learning and reinforce the school's focus on open, collaborative classrooms.

"Since the introduction of the LearnFit standing desks student engagement has gone up markedly," said Jason Rhodes, geography teacher at Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School. "Students are more actively participating in discussions and the amount of time that it takes students to complete tasks has lowered by four to five minutes, which is a big deal in a 45-minute period."

The LearnFit desks transform static classrooms into active learning environments. Students can change their own desktop height on demand, so a comfortable position can be achieved whether sitting or standing or using different types of technology like tablets or netbooks. The casters enable easy movement for reconfiguring classroom layout and student collaboration. Desks can be rolled together for small group breakouts and quickly returned to the full classroom configuration when done.

"Oftentimes the afternoon, post-lunch hours pose the greatest challenge for teachers as student attention starts to fade," said Rhodes. "The afternoon performance with the LearnFit desks is night and day. I've had no sleeping issues recorded this year, and any time I sense a potential issue I have the students change their positions, which does a great job of recapturing their attention and focus."

Standing more throughout the day increases blood circulation, burns more calories, and helps maintain muscle tone and insulin effectiveness. The LearnFit standing desk promotes good posture by giving students age nine through adult the ability to easily self-adjust the desk up to 20" (50 cm) to their preferred height, utilizing Constant Force technology to make the adjustment effortless. The on-demand adjustability meets the comfort and collaboration needs of students, without requiring any adjustments to be made by school staff.

"Students who sit at traditional desks are hindered in both mind and body by a lack of physical activity," said Carrie Schmitz, ergonomic and wellness research manager at Ergotron. "An abundance of research indicates that movement is integral to the development of the mind and therefore the learning process, which is exactly what our products aim to do – encourage healthy behavior and improve student learning."

Ergotron's LearnFit Adjustable Standing Desk will be on display at TCEA 2015 booth 1333, from February 2-6 in Austin, Texas, and is available for US MSRP $499 through Ergotron's global distribution channels. Learn more about classrooms using LearnFit desks at educaton.ergotron.com. To learn more about Ergotron visit the company's website, www.ergotron.com, or call 800.888.8458.

About Ergotron

Ergotron, Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of digital display mounting, furniture, and mobility products that have been improving the human interface with digital displays for over 30 years. This history of innovation and passion for differentiation is evidenced in over 70 patents and a growing portfolio of award winning brands—OmniMount®, StyleView®, TeachWell®, WorkFit™ and Neo-Flex®—for computer monitors, notebooks, tablets, flat panel displays and TVs. Ergotron's products incorporate patented CF lift and pivot motion technology to achieve less effort and more ergonomic motion for a healthier and more interactive user experience when viewing any digital display. Whether to enhance computing wellness or entertainment excitement, improve workplace productivity or create business process efficiencies, Ergotron's products are positioning your digital world. Ergotron is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with sales efforts in Phoenix, Amersfoort, London, Tokyo, and Singapore. Ergotron is a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc.(Nasdaq: NTK), a global, diversified company whose many market-leading brands deliver broad capabilities and a wide array of innovative, technology-driven products and solutions for lifestyle improvement at home and at work. Please visit www.nortek.com for more information.

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150203/173127

SOURCE Ergotron, Inc.

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