Business opportunities


out the need to physically con- nect to an external computer.”


associated ActivInspire soft- ware has been designed will the latest advances in pedago- gy in mind. But the choice of teaching approach is left to the teacher:


Rahim Habib, SMART’s Product Marketing and Business Devel- opment Manager for EMEA: “We take a programmatic approach, based on our research and expe- rience, in designing our interac- tive displays and software - the connection between pedagogy and technology being key as op- posed to just a specification.”


Budgetary considerations


But limited budgets are limit- ed budgets, and some educa- tion buyers feel compelled to stretch their budgets by con- sidering lower-cost options. Hayward argues that this can be a false economy:


“Hardware is one part of a modern classroom, along- side pedagogy and space. But hardware is only ever a deliv- ery mechanism for content – whether that is software, edu- cational apps or simply video content. A school should always approach its investment in IF- PDs from a holistic perspec- tive. Cloud-based content with educational apps is noticeably on the rise, but as we’ve seen time-and-time again with Acad- emy Trusts upgrading their es- tates – there is still very high demand for ActivInspire.” Conceived as an integrated teaching solution, Hayward says that the ActivPanel and


“The advances in IFPD tech- nology over the past year alone have taken it light years ahead of where IWBs broke the in- teractive teaching ground. No longer a passive display device, IFPDs have become an intelli- gent display system which acts as a collaboration hub within the classroom.” He continues: “We’ve basical- ly put the freedom and control back in the hands of the teach- er. Teachers can choose what educational apps they want to use on it. Teacher can also choose how they want to use the technology to support teaching and learning – so for one, in- stant whiteboarding might be a key feature, while for another, being able to wirelessly mirror content from student devices to the front of class might be more of a prominent feature.” Habib also contends that SMART solutions have the ca- pability to support advances in pedagogy:


“Our end goal is to design and produce hardware and software solutions that are simple, natu- ral, easy-to-use as well as being bespoke and mobile-ready. We take a programmatic approach, based on our research and experience, in designing our interactive displays and soft- ware - the connection between pedagogy and technology being key as opposed to just a spec- ification.”


Software continuity


Hayward says that the impor- tance of software continuity should not be undervalued when transitioning a school to IFPDs and as such is an im- portant sales benefit: “Let’s not forget that the Ac- tivPanel is supplied with Ac-


CTOUCH Laser Air + is designed to meet all current requirements – BYOD, content sharing and even student performance assessment. The built-in Wi-Fi router of the CTOUCH Laser Air + can exchange data with up to 40 devices.


"For some schools, making the transition from IWBs to IFPDs is made more seamless by the availability of ActivInspire,"


cense terms which ultimately damages customer relation- ships for channel partners. If a school wishes to use ActivIn- spire on any other IFPD, they must purchase a license.” With the momentum in favour of change, some of the new vendors entering the education technology market are ques- tioning the value of sticking with the established software offerings. Clevertouch, for ex- ample, supports its users with a dedicated App Store. Avocor argues that teachers are just like the rest of us, using Mic- rosoft’s Office applications for developing and even present- ing teaching materials. So why not operate the IFPD within the Windows 10 environment? Furthermore,


if the ultimate


goal is to produce students to work in Microsoft and Google environments, why not teach them with software tools native to that environment?


Hayward believes that: “Again, this comes down to individual choice. With advances in IFPD technology, the school is free to choose exactly which software they wish to use – according to their own ICT strategy. This is


P10 AV News August 2016


“This is all done using student devices and while tracking con- tributions from each student. It means educators have insight into who is contributing and the type of content it is. For students, they experience col- laborating using devices in a Google environment. SMART amp is optimised for use with SMART interactive displays. It is important to emphasize that our software roadmap is dedi- cated to cloud computing for ubiquitous, anywhere/anytime access.”


Classroom hub


Hayward believes that compari- son with other solutions, based purely on the role of an IFPD as a front-of-class display, is to miss the point: “We need to move the con- versation


away from talking


about the IFPD as an isolated piece of kit. As an intelligent classroom system, it is much more than a display device. To achieve the maximum return on the investment made, the IFPD needs to be assessed in the classroom environment and school ICT infrastructure as a


tivInspire software. For some


schools, making the transition from IWBs to IFPDs is made more seamless by the avail- ability of ActivInspire, as it is a tried and tested teaching re- source. For others, who may be moving straight to IFPDs, the instant whiteboarding and third party connectivity might be the natural progression into teach- ing technology. “ “Importantly, end-users need to be aware that ActivInspire is supplied with a free license for use with the ActivPanel – so no annual renewal costs. In the past we’ve seen cases where


why our design philosophy has been to build products which mirror the way users consume and use content. For example, the ActivPanel has an open platform which means teachers can choose to use the in-built apps or access any app store of their choice, whether that’s Google or Microsoft.”


Habib underlines the open nature of SMART solutions: “SMART software, specifically SMART amp, leverages Goo- gle Apps for Education (GAFE) to take co-creation and stu- dent-led learning and collab- oration to a whole new level.


whole. For example, the Ac- tivPanel can act as a wireless hotspot for up to 5 student de- vices, which can translate into cost savings elsewhere in the ICT network.”


Whichever software environ- ment the customer chooses, it is important to make sure they are aware of the financial im- plications. Hayward explains: “Software licensing is also a major consideration. Buying an ActivPanel means the purchase of a one-time ActivInspire li- cense (supplied as part of the ActivPanel package) – so no an- nual renewal fees nor any plans


BVS ECOtouch interactive touchscreen offer a new low price point and compatibility with SMART and Promethean files through OKTOPUS software.


recently introduced ECOtouch range from BVS Touchscreens (an associate of Go Education company) includes an installa- tion kit, and so no extra costs. Hayward concurs, saying: “Es- sentially, we’re trying to edu- cate the market that cost of purchase is not just the cost of the IFPD itself. Factor in all of the seemingly peripheral elements because as a holistic package this is where the long term value lies.” Warranties and support ar- rangements can also be criti- cal, particularly when a school has limited access to tech sup- port. On changing its distribu- tor from Steljes Ltd to Midwich the new distributor both added to its credit facility for partners selling SMART (to the tune of some £30 million) and has set up a dedicated interactive team. Headed up by Richard Bovingdon, the new team will offer resellers dedicated prod- uct management and internal and external sales specialists. They will also support and work alongside SMART’s channel management team offering ad- ditional support and resource to all SMART customers and the wider AV/IT channel. Bovingdon explains: "As per our existing


interactive value


schools have been misled into thinking they can use existing ActivInspire software packages on other brands of IFPD. This is not the case; leading some schools to breach software li-


SMART amp brings the whole class, groups of students or in- dividuals together in a shared space in the cloud to work on projects, add multimedia con- tent and instant messaging.”


to monetise in the future. By choosing any other IFPD, the school would have to purchase a separate software license at an additional cost.”


Choosing a supplier


When customers put their faith in a particular brand of hard- ware or software, the quality and technology cannot be the only consideration: “Perhaps most important, is the finan- cial stability of the company. Long established in the edu- cation market, the Promethean brand brings proven pedigree and peace of mind that we’ll be here in the future should a warranty ever need to be called upon.”


Of similar importance, is un- derstanding true total cost of the chosen solution. A key part of the cost-justification of the CTOUCH solution is that the price includes the total pack- age, not just the IFPD. The


add, we will be able to offer demonstration services and actively work with SMART’s end-user team who are ex- tremely proactive in support- ing partners at end-user level. The team within SMART are from teaching and enterprise backgrounds and have a wealth of knowledge within their re- spective


verticals. The inter-


active team will shadow and offer additional support as we learn how SMART solutions are enabling better teaching and learning outcomes within edu- cation and improving business efficiencies within the corpo- rate space."


For Promethean users, Hay- ward explains: “We have ex- perience of the common pain points in the unfortunate event something does go wrong with the technology. We know that a warranty can’t just be a return to factory – schools need mini- mum downtime which dictates an on-site warranty. Again, the ActivPanel comes with an on- site warranty backed by a fi- nancially secure company who will be here to honour it in the future, should it be needed.”


Advice to end-users on making a wise choice


In what has the potential to become a bit of a minefield for schools, Alistair Hayward recommends a top line checklist for schools extending their investment in education technology:


• Verify the financial stability of the manufacturer – you need to be sure that a 7-year warranty can be honoured if it is needed in 7 years’ time.


• Understand the software licensing terms surrounding any software you wish to use on the IFPD. Software used on previ- ous IWBs does not necessarily transfer over to an investment in a new IFPD.


• Explore the longevity of the hardware investment. Check that it can keep pace with advances in computer processing power for at least the next 3 to 5 years.


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