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Digital Signage In Education: What’S The Story?
Why do schools need digital signage? The simple answer is that we are all bombarded with information and schools need to compete. Just as the blackboard had to give way to the interactive whiteboard as technology developed, now the whiteboard must be replaced by more contemporary technologies if schools are to be seen as stimulating modern places that are fun and exciting to work and learn in.
To compete with iPods, Twitter, text messages and the barrage of other messages hitting teenagers every minute, schools need to use vibrant technology to enhance the learning experience and engage students. This is where digital signage comes in.
A digital signage solution for education replaces static text and pictures with an eye-catching display that can incorporate moving images, video, TV, scrolling text and highlighted messages to create an impact.
Digital Signage can be used in education, from Primary Schools through to Higher Education establishments. Through the use of screens placed in reception areas, staff rooms, canteens and boarding houses Digital Signage is a proven method to communicate effectively to pupils, students, staff and guests.
Why is Digital Signage so useful?
The Education ‘industry' is increasingly introducing technological advancement within the education environment at all levels.
With digital signage the means of presenting information is very varied and can include video, Flash animation, moving text, alternating images, RSS feeds and live TV.
The same message can be introduced at multiple screen locations, perhaps in different buildings, counties or even countries, from a remote central point.
In addition information can be easily disseminated in several languages: in today's multi ethnic schools this can be invaluable.
Some examples of how Digital Signage can be used in schools include:
- Ensuring staff and students are up-to-date with latest information: e.g. schools can spend a lot of time printing class timetables, only to encounter confusion when classes printed in timetables are cancelled or rescheduled. While e-mail can be helpful, dynamic message boards, updated in real-time, help reach students who aren't near a computer.
- Fully customised branding to reflect the schools image, particularly across a large site, enabling a school to stand out from other schools in an increasingly competitive environment where differentiation is critical. Accurate and consistent presentation of graphical and editorial elements (official logos and colour scheme, for example) to both internal and external audiences can be easily managed using a digital signage system.
- Communication: For example where a school magazine was once the sole communication method, with digital signage, students and staff can create their own school TV
- Education: Screens communicate concepts to students more clearly than blackboards and older, projector-based solutions. They also serve video-extension and distance-learning setups well, particularly for higher education. A lesson or lecture held in one classroom can be broadcast to a large screen in another room. With streaming, free-to-air channels can also be broadcast to classrooms and individual student's PCs over the network. For interactivity, digital whiteboarding tools can be used by students to upload work they've done on a laptop to the screen seen by all.
- Improved information flow to staff, pupils, parents and visitors e.g Emergency information: the speed with which a digital signage network can disseminate information throughout a large school building can be literally a life saver should a serious emergency arise. Fire evacuations are just one example, when instructions must be conveyed quickly, clearly and with authority.
- Community Development: Traditional bulletin boards and printed posters cannot keep up. With a digital signage system, information can be communicated instantly across an entire site, replacing existing noticeboards with dynamic, eye catching screens. A digital signage network instantly informs students of speakers, sporting events, student achievements, class timetables, photos of school plays and out of school activities.
- Restaurant / Canteen Menus: Whether the students are standing in line or sitting down to eat, digital signage is a great way to catch attention and for example post daily specials in addition to the standard menu.
Getting started: Concerns
With all new technologies there are concerns surrounding adoption. Digital signage is no exception:
Too expensive.
No. Good digital signage manufacturers will offer free software updates, and free support, and cost effective trade-in schemes to keep hardware up-to-date.
No. A good digital signage solution should be easy to use by even non-technical users, with very little work being required of the school staff. The ease of use will encourage buy in of both staff and students to the new system; with digital signage, it is easy to dynamically change the content with non technical staff, and customize different screens in different locations.
Fresh and regularly updated content is essential to maximise the value of a digital signage system, so a dedication to content renewal needs to be established at the outset. A good digital signage system will be easy and intuitive to use for real-time updating and scheduling.
The content management system for each digital signage solution will also vary with some being more simple than others; while some systems can offer much greater flexibility they may be more complex to use. The content management solutions will also vary in terms of how much you can change within a template. Most solutions will allow a school to create their own designs with other solutions proving fixed templates allowing only changes to content.
Only a few trained individuals will be able to use it
No. A good digital signage system has a simple, easily accessible web based interface so anyone with appropriate permission can upload new information or content without any training whatsoever. Thus the school digital notice board or school TV becomes a live instant trading place for information and a hub central to school life.
Why not DIY?
If it is that simple why not do it yourself? There are several reasons:
- It can become a project for an already overstretched IT dept
- The time cost will be greater than result
- Just doing Powerpoint is not good enough
- The quality will be lower
- There will be a single point of data entry by an expert versus distributed for all to access.
In conclusion
Digital signage is becoming ubiquitous and schools can chose to adopt it and use it effectively to improve and enhance their students' learning experiences. Schools that are less innovative are likely to get left behind and will have less to offer the individuals they teach.
About the Author
Communications Manager, ONELAN Digital Signage
