Investing in classroom displays to supplement your existing technology solutions

The world has changed. And educating in a world in which social distancing needs to become a priority at short notice necessitates a change in techniques that can also require new technology.

Did you know that, according to HolonIQ, in 2018 the global education market spent $142b on digital? That’s a big investment. This is forecast to grow to $342b by 2025, an even bigger figure, yet still less than 5% of overall education expenditure. With so many classrooms already installed with digital technology, investing further to update in line with the most recent classroom requirements can be a challenge.

While it sounds like a great idea to scrap the current stock of tech and to invest in a new, complete solution, realistically (unless an overhaul was due anyway) budgets are unlikely to allow this. So, how do you bring in the latest technologies – with the flexibility to fit the needs of your teachers and students into the future – without breaking the bank?

Flexible technology – an investment for the long term

Technology will continue to grow in its significance in the learning journey. Let’s face it, when a student makes their way into employment, it’s very likely they’ll need to be fully digitally conversant.

And today, with hybrid and blended learning very much on the agenda, the interactive classroom display is a central feature. But while digital whiteboards, and even interactive displays introduced in more recent years, have brought the education environment into a digital era, these have already dated as education needs have evolved.

What’s more, technology in education is no longer simply a teaching tool, it is also a key deciding factor for parents and students when selecting their school, college or university. Providing best-in-class learning environments for students from nursery through to university to fulfil their potential is vital. Selecting a quality solution, and getting maximum return on investment, has never been more important.

Flexing to your classroom needs – Philips T-Line

In February 2020, PPDS introduced the Philips T-Line. An education-specific interactive touchscreen designed with input from academics and students to address their frustrations with legacy technologies, the T-Line brings education displays up-to-speed with modern requirements, including an interactive whiteboard, wireless screen sharing and videoconferencing. All bringing the education touch screen in line with displays used in corporate environments, preparing students for the future as they learn.

Available in 65”, 75”and 86” size variants, Philips T-Line comes with a wide range of out-of-the-box features and functionality capable of transforming any educational space into a hive of inspiration and engagement

Running on an Android operating system, it’s also incredibly flexible. It can work with a teacher’s preferred software, providing almost universal familiarity. And if new software is needed, it comes pre-installed with access to i3LEARNHUB, providing access to an extensive range of new educative and collaborative tools designed to help teachers create fresh, inspiring and feature-rich tailored content to present during lessons.

The Philips T-Line features true multi-touch interaction, as well as high speed technology and optimised glass coating to deliver a high-class writing experience, allowing multiple students to physically interact with the display (20 touchpoints) simultaneously, using either their hands or a multi-tip passive stylus. The displays can also connect with a keyboard and mouse.

Ensuring students always have the best view of the screen, T-line – running from a secure wireless connection – allows up to 64 students to connect their own personal computing device directly to the display at the same time – whether in the room or in their own room. And work on up to four students’ devices can be shared onto the display at any one time. Perfect for both blended and hybrid learning!

Wireless content sharing with Chromecast built-in – Philips B-Line

In some classrooms, an interactive display isn’t needed. Here, selecting a display that enables easy sharing of content – whether presentations, online content, video or music – wirelessly and without the need for peripherals.

Available in 50”, 58”, 65”, 70” and 75” options, the Philips B-Line is Google and Crestron-certified, with Chromecast built-in. It is designed to enable secure and easy content sharing, wirelessly from any device, with no extra hardware or set-up time required, across all operating systems.

HDMI Hotplug detection also caters for wired connections, with auto switching between connected devices. All delivering smoother, faster and more focused interactions with zero technical distractions.

If you would like to discuss the flexible display solutions to complement existing technology in an education establishment, or to find out more, please contact your local PPDS sales manager.