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10 Things Every Touchscreen Buyer Should Know

10 Things Every Touchscreen Buyer Should Know

via @iBoardTouch:

Just like with purchasing a house, buying a touchscreen can be a daunting task for first time buyers. Buyers do not necessarily know the right questions to ask, which is why we have broken down 10 things every touchscreen buyer should know.

1. Do your prep

It pays to think about what you need before you start researching potential solutions. The choice of models, feature-sets and specifications can be overwhelming if you don’t have an idea of what you need. Ask yourself questions about the spaces in which the screens will be used. How many classrooms or other spaces require screens? What is the size of each room? How many students per class? Do you need some to be mobile? If so, where will they be used? And what will they need to connect to?

2. Evaluate the technology

You will be able to get plenty of information from brochures and spec sheets, but nothing beats seeing products in action. Watch demo video clips or even get hands-on – download trial software. Take the time to try it out yourself.  Why not take some teachers and students along to your supplier’s demo centre to assess the model or request the product is brought to you.

3. Screen size

You want all content displayed on the screen to be clear and legible to all your class wherever they’re sitting so it’s essential to have the right size of screen for the size of space. Touch screens are available up to 105-inch in size so there’s going to be a size to suit all spaces. Don’t be afraid to ask a trusted supplier to advise you on the optimal size for your room. Remember, touch screens can easily be moved when mounted on a trolley and are bright enough to be used in a variety of spaces such as libraries, staff rooms or the assembly hall.

4. Not all panels are equal

While touch screens may look similar, the panel inside varies hugely in terms of quality and reliability so be sure to ask: ‘What is the panel grade?’ and ‘What is the panel failure rate?’

There are different grades of panel from B to A++ with A++ the best quality. To achieve top grade, the panel should have virtually no flaws such as dark or light spots, light leakage round the edges or other blemishes, which affect the quality and uniformity of the image reproduction. The lower the grade, the more flaws are permitted. The highest-grade panels tend to be more reliable and have lower failure rates. Less than 1% failure rate is very low so ideal; 2-4% is mid and 5-9% is high and 10% and above is a very high failure rate.

5. Display quality

Other factors affect how well content displays including the resolution of the screen. The higher the resolution, the more detail can be displayed, which helps to ensure even tiny text and numbers, minute details and subtleties in colour and shade are clear. Full HD or 1080p is sufficient for screens up to 65-inch while 4K is ideal for anything above this. A key component for computers with a 4K Screen within a classroom are graphics card – look for these bundled with the screen. With content likely to become more high resolution over the long life of your screen, it makes sense to future-proof (see 10 below) so opt for 4K now.

6. Multi-touch interaction

Touch screen models use a variety of touch technologies. Most now support multi-touch of 2, 4, 6, 10 or 32 simultaneous touches. Two is the minimum needed to pinch, zoom, double-tap etc. – the touch gestures we’re all used to from our smartphones and tablets. Four is the minimum you’ll need if two people are to use the screen at the same time. If your screen will be used as a touch table, opt for as many touches as possible so students can work together in groups around the device. Multi-touch is not the same as multi-user so ensure you test this in a demo. Don’t forget, there are also other ways to interact with your touch display from tablets or laptops using software like DigiClass to connect up to 40 iOS, Android and Windows devices wirelessly. 

7. Connectivity

Remember, when connecting the screen with tablets, you want bi-directional connection so you can not only share the contents of the tablet on the big screen, but also have the students see what’s on the large screen on their tablet, annotate it and save it. Apple TV won’t do this with iPads, but software like DigiClass will and depending on your bundle may be free with your screen.

Another key aspect to look for is built-in WiFi. The ability for the screen to act as a WiFi hotspot and an Ethernet hard-wired connection (RJ45) if your WiFi isn’t that great, as well as ports for USB, HDMI, microphones and RS232 if you have a room control system.

 8. Software

You want to be free to use the software of your choosing in your school, college, university or office so make sure there is nothing to restrict that choice. You will however, definitely need tools that provide flawless whiteboarding and the ability to annotate and connect to tablets and use them as voting handsets or as cameras/visualisers. School users will also be glad of tools that make your lives easier, like the ability to open native Smart and Promethean files so there’s no need to recreate all those lessons you’ve accumulated.

Software can sound good but be disappointing in use so the best way to assess the software provided is to download a trail version and try it out yourself.

9. Features that support your method of teaching and presenting

Video-conferencing and screen recording are fantastic tools for connecting to other schools and organisations, enabling students or teachers to connect in from home, another classroom, school or anywhere they happen to be. iBT’s screen record built-in to IWBpro is also a great way to create revision resources for your students and prepare materials for use in flipped and active learning. A long cabled webcam can also be invaluable for use as a standard video camera which can be incorporated with our ‘visualizer tool’ to project the image from the camera on the screen.

10. Future proofing

Your new touch screen will have a much longer life than your old projector and whiteboard. Today’s touch screens will typically still be working at full brightness in ten years time so it makes sense to not only consider what you need today, but what your teachers and students will need in the future. Choosing a solution with MS windows compatibility and Android will be vital. Get the best of both worlds with quick access to apps for use on the screen at the click of a button. Apps will become an important tool in the digital classroom of the (near) future so ensure your front-of-class screen has Android for complete versatility.

In the end purchasing a touch screen is like making any other big purchase. It requires research and thought. Whether you are a first time buyer or looking to upgrade your exisiting touchscreen, make sure you take in to account the 10 Things Every Touchscreen Buyer Should Know.

Introducing ‘Flip': Samsung’s Giant Digital Whiteboard

Introducing ‘Flip': Samsung’s Giant Digital Whiteboard

via @Gizmodo:

Samsung has a vision for a “workplace of the future” – and it includes a giant, rotating, digital whiteboard that can screen mirror your phone and have four people writing on it at the same time.

Samsung calls the Flip WM55H “an upgrade on both standard paper flip charts and analog boards” – basically packing a host of digital features into what aims to still feel like a traditional whiteboard.

“However, unlike its predecessors,” Samsung says, “Samsung Flip allows easy sharing, annotation, movement and even searching, as well as the ability for multiple users to create content at once.”

The Flip is on wheels, is height adjustable and can also be wall mounted either horizontally or vertically.

“The often-flawed logistics of the modern meeting make it easy for participants to feel disengaged and for vital ideas and discoveries to become lost,” said Seog-gi Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

“Today’s workers require more powerful and flexible technologies, and we truly believe that our new Samsung Flip display offers endless possibilities for driving impactful collaboration. We are excited to debut the Samsung Flip at CES 2018, and we look forward to building upon this technology to help businesses work better, smarter and faster.”

Up to four people can use their fingers or a special dual-sided pen (one side is a highlighter, which is very cool) in unique writing styles, sizes and colours so you can tell them apart.

But it’s not just the pen or your finger (your palm acts as an eraser), you can add content via wireless connectivity, USB, PC, mobile ports and NFC.

There are 20 “pages” of space on the Flip, and each can be searched. Once you’re done with your meeting/session, the content is stored in a central database behind a password lock. When you log back in, you can download and share the content through email, save it to a USB or external hard drive – or you can even print it, if you’re old school.

Welcome Aboard Kevin Allen!

Welcome Aboard Kevin Allen!

It might seem as if we’ve exhausted the collective AV prowess out of New Zealand but Kevin Allen is here to prove us all wrong! Kevin – who I’m sure some of you may have already met – joins the team with a wealth of experience in both AV and IT.

Kevin is the ultimate utility. You can find him on the tools, offering support or on the road, dropping in to say g’day. He’ll also try to convince you that he’s probably the coolest Kiwi on the team (and he’s probably right!).

6 New Technology in the Classroom Tricks

6 New Technology in the Classroom Tricks

As we’re well into the 21st century, we have witnessed an unprecedented upheaval in the nature of learning and communicating. Current and upcoming instances of technology in the classroom have laid the groundwork for innovative new ways to interact with students while allowing them to create products all their own amongst a global network of peers. If you’re serious about exploiting these never-before-seen opportunities, then try out some of the following 21st-century technology in the classroom tricks.

Technology in the Classroom: Use a Twitter Hashtag

More teens have steadily flocked to Twitter, and they consider it an increasingly important social media tool. Teachers, too, have been leveraging Twitter to enhance their professional development. Since this platform is so universally accepted, you might consider utilizing Twitter within your own classroom to connect with students. An easy way to start is to create a unique hashtag just for your class, like #CatapanoEnglish or #MrsGrowlinTeaches. You can use Twitter to post updates or reminders, provide links to helpful supplements for assignments, and even provide test hints or homework answers. No matter how you use Twitter, it is a great way to interact with students in and out of the classroom without much direct attention or pressure on them.

Create an Infographic

You can bring student comprehension to a whole new level by introducing the infographic as an integral part of your instruction—especially for lessons that warrant some extra explanation. They say “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and this is especially true for sharp, lucid infographics. By nature, these visuals display complex information and processes within an easily digestible format. Websites like piktochart.com are helpful—they have an impressive series of templates that you can customize to suit your needs. Post infographics around your room, your school, your website, your blog, your Twitter, or any other locations where students will see them!

If you’ve got some talented graphic artists in the classroom, you can easily turn infographics into a collaborative classroom activity. First, let your class get into groups and talk about how they’d present the information graphically. Once everything has been decided, let your artists work their Photoshop magic! Later in the week, have your groups present their work to the class—it’ll showcase how student groupings think differently while providing a unique shareable for parents and fellow teachers.

App Smash

If you’re unfamiliar with the terminology, an app smash is largely like what it sounds: You’re using multiple apps together to create one product. While you might adeptly app smash already, try to intentionally integrate the practice into certain activities or projects. For example, you might require students to make a video that combines Hyperlapse with iMovie, an original soundtrack from Garageband, and a series of slides from Explain Everything. The more proficient students can become in flowing between apps to create their desired product, the better they will be in communicating, innovating, and manipulating information they receive beyond their school years.

Go Paperless (As Much As You Can)

It’s almost time to relegate the copy machine to the basement equipment archives— waiting in line to Xerox forms or handing out a set of textbooks to your class are almost ancient practices. While there are still virtues of tangible paper copies, there are increasingly greater virtues—namely permanent digital copies, environmental friendliness, and saved time—in transitioning to a paperless classroom. If you and your students have regular access to a Learning Management System (LMS) like Google Classroom or Schoology, you can easily supply your students with the information, texts, assignments, supplements, and materials they require on a normal basis. With the use of apps like Notability and Google Drive, students can even complete their work digitally and turn it in without needing a printer. Unless they also have a digital dog, you’ll hear far less about how their home companions ate their homework. Start slow with your transition, and see how much paper you won’t need to use by the end of the year!

Make Your Own Textbook

The rules of the textbook are being rewritten, and those bulky, back-breaking bundles will soon give way to digital, editable, fully interactive texts. Textbooks of yesteryear were written by experts who curated and cut content based on an esoteric set of values—not necessarily the ones relevant for your classroom. Technology gives more power to us teachers and students to create pertinent and up-to-date materials filled with their expertise. You can create a simple Livebinder to organize a rich set of ideas, or even use an easy app like Book Creator that allows you to input words, photos, videos, and links to create your own shareable textbook.

Introduce Augmented Reality into your Classroom

Google Glass personifies the beginning of the augmented reality revolution. Just like we’re able to manipulate objects on a tablet’s screen, augmented reality is the gateway to manipulating the real world in such a way as well. An app like Aurasma allows for you to create “triggers” in the real world that, when viewed through the app, initiate a specific response. Augmented reality allows you to transform students’ surroundings into an interactive, informative environment designed to stimulate and teach. Think of it as a digital makeover—morphing an otherwise pedestrian learning bubble into a space of exploration, discovery, and fun.

All of these techniques may be a bit intimidating I know, but try not to think of it in terms of teaching an old dog a few new tricks—we’re all learning new ways to hone our craft. Although many veteran teachers consider themselves to be “digital immigrants” amongst younger “digital natives,” the young minds in front of us are all the same age and we should work together to transition smoothly into this new age of tech-supplemented instruction. Take on at least one of these 21st century challenges this year and see how it changes your classroom!

Five Strategies for EdTech Success During the School Year

Five Strategies for EdTech Success During the School Year

Before your students even enter the classroom, here are five strategies you can implement make your students’ educational aspirations a very real, practical and achievable daily/weekly goal.

1. Inform Everyone of Your Edtech Goals and Practices

Tell administrators, colleagues, students, and parents what you’re planning. In addition to scholarly databases and university websites, you and your students will need access to social networks like YouTube and Twitter. In order to consult evidence, experts, and to truly investigate any topic, the Internet cannot be subject to excessive school district censorship. Get the required permissions signed and get the nod of approval. But, no matter what, be determined to be the teacher that opens up the world for your students. I mean it. Stop at nothing.

2. Give Students the Gift of a Research Toolbox

Let’s be real. Students go to Google and YouTube first when searching for answers. They have access to amazing video tutorials and academic articles right along with ridiculous falsehoods. So, let’s bolster up the classroom research!

First, show them the right way to find the answers. Google provides the tools needed atGoogle a Day. In addition to providing your students with an online adventure that you could turn into a classroom competition, Google a Day has hints on how to really use search engines to find right and true information.

But finding an answer is only the beginning. Students need to know how to evaluate the source of their information. There are a few sites, like All About Explorers and one website dedicated to saving the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, that look superficially legitimate, but are designed for students to investigate deeper for authenticity, reliability, and accuracy. With a few clicks, students will find false and even silly claims that will make them laugh while also teaching them a lesson about website evaluation.

Want to know even more about the history of a website’s development? Show your students the Wayback Machine. It is a digital archive with snapshots of websites from throughout their history. What did YouTube looked like in 2005? Just enter the URL and click Go. If we teach our students to be smart about how they learn online, our schools won’t need to put up excessive blocks on Internet accessibility in school.

3. Harness the Power of Social Networks

Students create clever videos appealing to celebrities, and can even inspire others with a simple Twitter account. Why not use that power to extend the academic discussion from your classroom?

Create a hashtag for your class–after all, hashtags can be used on a number of networks, from Twitter to Facebook to Instagram. You can share resources you happen across and your students can share their own experiences from your classroom. Use Instagram to capture moments of discovery in your classroom. If you use a hashtag and keep at it, you’ll find your students doing the same soon enough. On  Facebook, create private groups for clubs you advise or teams you coach. You and your students can communicate and share resources without accessing one another’s personal Facebook profiles and posts outside of the group.

4. Learn from Your Students

The truth is, educators don’t always perform flawlessly for their students every single day of the school year. It is a teacher’s duty to model learning and communicating as much as it is their duty to teach the content and skills that you are charged with teaching.

But when your students arrive in the classroom with their own ideas about how to collaborate and create, talk it out with them. If it is exciting enough for them to bring to you, it is exciting enough to give it a shot.

When students have a voice in how to use edtech to learn together, they are more invested in the academic experience.

5. Publish, Publish, Publish Student Work

It is essential that your students publish their work right at the beginning of the year. Their first creation could be simple: a written reflection of holiday-period learning, a photo essay, or a list of goals for the year. The point is to get them used to putting their creations out there for others to see and react to.

For example, students may each have their own blog, and by the end of the year, they have a fantastic digital portfolio of their work. To encourage them to really do their best work, tweet out links to excellent pieces to a PLN (professional learning network) or write about them on your own professional blog. Kids love to watch their site visits go up as a reward for their hard work. They can look back at their growth, and parents and other teachers can see evidence of student work, as well.

Let it be known: the most important strategy that should be employed throughout your edtech preparation is communication. Be open with your students, their families, your colleagues, and administrators.

Not everything will go smoothly, but as long as you are open to ideas and maintain theright mindset, this year will be the year.

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