The future of education goes hand-in-hand and will be determined by the development of technology. And today’s technology has introduced digital signage into education and gave us the ability to set up a classroom anytime and anywhere. Whether you are a teacher, a lecturer, a motivational speaker, product trainer, facilitator or a certified instructor, whatever it may be, these 5 simple steps for setting up a portable classroom with digital signage will be beneficial for you.
Step 1: the hardware check-list.
If you are teaching in a facility that provides screens and media players, you may skip this step. But, if you are responsible for your own teaching entourage – let’s get into it. Your hardware checklist is a) screen and b) media player. That’s all folks! Nowadays there’s a huge amount of amazing portable screens. If you are usually getting about the city on foot and public transport you might want to invest in a small USB powered LCD monitor. They are very lightweight, usually PC and Mac compatible with a monitor touch screen. Option for those traveling by car can be more advanced, much bigger and much more impressive. Look for an ultra slim portable digital signage screen that is easily transported in a comfortable carry bag and set up in few minutes with a folding stand. Usually, these screens have tempered glass protection and are waterproof and dustproof, so if you feel like teaching outside – you have that option. Furthermore, these screens have external power outages can last up to 4 hours,
Now, the options for DS media players are endless. They are all rather compact and light which makes them perfect addition to a portable classroom. Our recommendation is Apple TV, a company known for its iconic quality of visuals, impressive innovations, and user-friendly features. With Apple TV you can always count on quality and safety.
Step 2: the software check-list
Choosing the right digital signage software for teaching is crucial. You need to look for a company that invests heavily in design, as you will be displaying heaps of information. To keep the students engaged an interested, your soft has to offer beautiful clean engaging templates. The process of creating your own digital signage should be intuitive and easy even for beginners. You need to be able to upload any data, infographics, images, videos or interactive content. DS soft has to support main media formats, it must be safe and secure. You should be able to integrate other technology to carry out testing and add more advanced options to your teaching process like gamification or augmented reality, both highly beneficial for the learning process.
As for our soft recommendation: for those operating with Apple TV, the choice is pretty obvious –Kit Cast TV. Kit Cast cooperation with Jamf turned Apple TV into a plug-and-play digital signage device powered by the most effective software on the market.
FYI: the ability to introduce virtual or augmented reality into the learning proses is becoming almost necessary to engage and interest the audience. VR and AR are widely used to create a realistic environment and make the education process enjoyable and memorable. If you are teaching a class to students with special needs, virtual simulations are perfect for painting a realistic picture of the world. There are now VR university programs that take students deep into the ocean for underwater exploration, simulations that build a realistic experience on Mars, or teach people how to react in an emergency. Digital signage is hands-down the best thing that happened to education.
Step 3: the power check
A rather simple and obvious, though unavoidable step: before you make plans to set up a classroom anywhere – locate and check the power connections.
Step 4: Wi-Fi check
High-speed internet connection should be a given for any effective classroom. Most of the media players and DS software require a good internet connection to pull their content from the Cloud. Since it is really unacceptable to impose on the student’s time to deal with slow internet speed, high-speed internet check is a must.
Note: best bet for portable classrooms is a cloud-based DS soft. Most of us use public and private clouds to share and store information. Immediate access to the cloud storage for anyone setting up a portable classroom is a necessity, so always check the internet connection before committing to any facility.
Step 5: the set-up
We have arrived at our favorite step – the set-up. Depending on the digital signage soft you’ve chosen this can be the easiest thing to do or maybe resemble an IKEA furniture assembly. Our provider – Kitcast TV – is a godsend: they have managed to downsize the whole process to just four easy steps.
ONE: Start by connecting your Apple TV, Android or Amazon media player
TWO: Download the Kitcast application from the app store
THREE: Link your device via the dashboard
FOUR: Create stunning digital signage content!