As states across the nation have started to reopen their economies, businesses both large and small are working hard to implement new protocols to ensure their employees and customers are safe. With schools in some parts of the country opening as soon as August, there is now a close eye on what educators will integrate into the classroom environment to create a collaborative and safe learning experience.
Prior to the pandemic, most learning took place in the traditional classroom. Students spent their weekdays from August to June in school with peers and educators, developing interpersonal skills and fostering friendships. This created an experience that many have grown used to and look forward to each year.
School administrators are challenged to reimagine what this experience will look like as we quickly approach a new school year in unprecedented times. As many districts unveil their plans to return to the classroom, there is a focus on a hybrid model wherein some students learn direct in the classroom and others join the lesson remotely. Technology is crucial to ensure that teachers can confidently provide a quality learning experience through this hybrid solution.
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By pairing interactive whiteboards with video conferencing capabilities, school systems are able to engage with students in a more familiar setting even when students are at home. With new solutions, teachers will be able to live stream their classroom to the students participating remotely, offering the similar level of engagement without physically being in the same location. Additionally, teachers can leverage these tools to record their lessons and upload them into the school’s portal for students to reference later.
Some schools have already deployed various hybrid solutions and have seen positive results. According to Antonio Roca, managing director at Academica, a global network of public charter schools, “Academica embraced technology to ensure students didn’t miss a single day of live instruction with their teachers utilizing remote live instruction or synchronized education and had excellent results and student engagement increased.”
While exact details may differ, all school systems will have guidelines that they need to meet to best protect their faculty and students who physically attend schools, making it increasingly important to equip their facilities with digital signage that can provide important updates quickly and efficiently. Many digital displays offer remote management software that allows users to update the content at the cadence they need.
Retailers and other businesses are already implementing thermal scanning solutions to screen employees and patrons as they enter the store to ensure no one has a fever. With the speed at which these devices complete a temperature reading, they could be an integral component for school campuses, allowing administrators to quickly identify any potential risks before allowing students to enter the building.
The professional audiovisual industry has realized the need to quickly meet the new demands posed by the current situation—in both schools and the workplace. With the new solutions being developed and brought to market, schools are adjusting their physical spaces to offer safe, clean environments as society resumes normal operations in a new capacity. From collaboration tools to wayfinding offerings to emergency alert protocols, integrating display solutions is crucial to offer teachers, students, and parents peace of mind as we embark on an adjusted way of life together.
Mark Quiroz is speaking at the 2020 AV/IT Summit with a pre-panel intro titled "Samsung on AV in Corporate and Education Environments".
