Classroom technology has evolved. Projectors and interactive whiteboards are becoming increasingly less popular with schools and colleges and interactive LED touchscreens are rapidly taking their place. However, at a starting price of approx. £900 each, this is a huge investment for schools, especially if they are equipping each room with classroom screens. But is it worth the extra investment? Well, it’s a resounding YES from us, purely based on the fact that an interactive touchscreen enables in depth engagement of learning. As a result, this improves academic performance, which is of course a primary goal for most academic providers. So, are you fully aware of all of their features so that you can get the most out of your classroom screens?
Do you know all the ways in which your classroom screen improves academic performance?
In many situations, equipment is procured by IT Managers or School Business Managers, rather than the end-users. So, it’s no surprise that the classroom screens are not being used to their full capacity. In a lot of cases, they are being used as a projector which is a shame when there are many more features available on the screens to enhance teaching and learning. In this article, we are going to share with you, 5 of the key features of interactive screens so that you can hopefully make the most of every functionality and ensure that your investment pays off.
Let’s get started!
1. Increase learner enthusiasm
The collaborative and interactive nature of classroom screens instantly makes learning more engaging for the students. The huge variety of interactive learning apps available on the screens, makes learning more fun, offering something that engages every child and helps them with their learning. In most cases you can just go to the app store and download your favourite teaching apps tailored to specific age groups, from Kahoot and Quizlet to Mathletics and much more. You can also mirror the apps from your device, directly to the screen.
2. Appeal to all learning styles of the students
It’s no secret that everyone learns differently. For one student, taking notes and reading the material is enough for them to retain the information and learn from it. Other students however, may prefer to learn through visual aids such as images and videos. Then of course, you have kinaesthetic learners, who prefer more practical lessons. The flexibility offered by the interactive screen allows teachers to vary their lessons to suit all the ranges of learning preferences in the classroom. So for the visual learners, they can access online videos, images, slide presentations as well as drawing and animation tools. For the readers and writers, the screens provide a tool that enables the teacher to save on-screen notes and distribute them. For the practical learners, the interaction tools are a huge benefit.
3. Save time lesson planning.
As a complete turnkey solution, all the software you will need is already installed into the classroom screen, as well as learning apps mentioned in an earlier point. This will further enable teachers to create interactive and engaging lessons. The apps, as well as the software such as BenQ EZWrite 6, lets you whiteboard easily without boundaries and increases student understanding by reinforcing what is being taught.
4. Utilise the sync function to enable collaboration.
Although physical attendance is still a priority in schools, occasionally students are unable to attend for various reasons. In the past, they would have missed out entirely on the content of the lesson as it wouldn’t have been easy to record and share. However, with the interactive classroom screens, lessons can now be shared by syncing with cloud accounts directly from the screen, enabling students to collaborate on content and maximise their learning.
5. Embrace the ease-of-use functionality of the screen.
Whether a student or a teacher, the average interactive classroom screen couldn’t be easier to use. From clicking on links and buttons to drag and drop, the functions are designed for streamlined use. So there really is no need to fear the new technology. It’s as easy as picking up your phone and using its user-friendly features. Most classroom screen manufacturers offer free training to help you become as proficient as possible and help you to make the most of all their features.
The benefits of training
So hopefully you are now fully aware of exactly how to make the most of your interactive displays and all the exciting features they offer. As mentioned above, please do not hesitate to arrange for some training, directly with the manufacturer to maximise on your investment into the technology and reduce any possible frustrations you may be having.
For a comparison of interactive screen manufacturers, please check out our guide.
Need help to upgrade your classroom technology?
If you would like to find out how we can help you with your next purchase of classroom screens, simply click below to arrange a FREE Site Survey. We offer a full, one-stop-shop service, as detailed in the steps below;
- We will visit your site and carry out a FREE Site Survey
- Following the survey, we will send you a detailed quotation of all the options, we feel will best meet your needs in terms of budget and size etc.
- If you are happy and you wish to go ahead, simply send us an order confirmation.
- We will contact you to schedule a time to carry out your installation.
- The stock will be delivered to site and our engineers will install the screens to your requirements.
