This past year has truly highlighted the benefits of technology in the classroom. Investing strategically in edtech can deliver a wide range of benefits for teachers and students alike. An interactive flat panel display (IFPD) such as the ActivPanel is a great all-rounder, offering a highly engaging lesson delivery platform and innovative lecture tools. But when you incorporate personal devices and cameras, the resulting interconnected edtech ecosystem becomes so much more than the sum of its parts.
Before making any investments, however, schools must confirm that any new technologies being integrated into the class align with curriculum goals, to ensure the devices are used to their full potential. Here are a just few of the benefits that an enriched edtech ecosystem can deliver for teachers and students:
Hybrid flexibility: webcams and BYOD
The last year has highlighted the importance of flexibility when it comes to where learning takes place. BYOD (bring your own device) is a cost-effective way to get students connected to IFPDs that can help build a strong alignment of edtech with curriculum goals, to ensure no momentum is lost when situations necessitate hybrid or remote learning.
By having students take their personal devices to class, teachers can guide them in how they use their own tech to interact with the lesson being delivered. With the ActivPanel Elements Series, multi-device screen mirroring is easy with a 6-digit code, so collaborating can come quickly and effortlessly.
Multiple webcams throughout the room can then connect students to the lesson when they are unable to attend in person, giving them a realistic classroom experience. This can then allow for a split of class-based and at-home learning when necessary.
Timesaving collaboration: tablets and charging stations
We all know timing in the classroom is crucial, but it can be tricky to manage. When you have edtech elements working together in harmony, you can end up saving big-time. Tablets that connect students directly to IFPDs open so many creative ways to collaborate quickly.
Digital assessments can be marked as they’re being completed, work can be submitted and received instantaneously, students can present their work to the class all at the press of a button (or screen)!
And to get serious about time-saving goals, investing in modern charging stations that offer wireless charging of multiple devices at once can cut down on time spent packing away. There are many options from carts that can move from class to class, to lockers for security, or sleek, space-saving docks.
Access for all: personal laptops
To the children of today, tech is often second nature, with many learning to scroll before they can speak their first words. But to those students for whom this is not the case, providing them with personal take-home laptops could help bridge the digital divide when it comes to remote learning. This of course is a significant investment, especially if you allow for dongles for those without internet connection, but one that can make a crucial difference in schools in areas with lower digital access rates.
If providing personal laptops is not possible, by enriching your edtech ecosystem with shared devices in-class, students still receive increased access to technology, allowing them to build their digital literacy and confidence where they may not have the chance to develop these skills at home.
If you would like to learn more about how you can enrich your edtech ecosystem and the collaborative applications of the ActivPanel, request a flexible online session or a safe on-site demonstration hosted by a Promethean expert. Visit this page to learn more.
