Education in schools


today will have


changed, by the time students graduate and enter the world of work. Procurement decisions therefore need to be driven by meeting the needs of teachers and learners today, rather than trying to standardise for what they might use later in life.” Many cloud derived apps in- cur expenses that come under criticism from educationalists, how are edtech providers allevi- ating these challenges? Over the past four years, the Promethean State of Technol- ogy in Education Report has highlighted the budgetary pres- sures schools are facing. When schools make large invest- ments in technology it is im- portant that suppliers provide free tools, apps and resources as part of packages.


Ongoing costs


Then there is the question of the recurring costs of commer- cial software. With the difficul- ties associated with teachers funding or recovering even small out-of-pocket expenses, the ongoing costs of any ed- tech


solution should always


be considered in the overall investment and the lifetime of the product. Where subscrip-


a significant value add for schools investing in technolo- gy that would not be available through corporate channels.


The education wish list


Promethean is increasingly seeing decision-makers exam- ine how touch screen manu- facturers can help schools to encourage better adoption of technologies. This is why Pro- methean has invested in video tutorials and launched the Pro- methean Academy - to provide teachers with valuable online resources free of charge. Schools are adopting a more holistic approach, no longer looking at the features and functionality of a touch screen in isolation but acknowledging what the manufacturer can of- fer as a long-term partner. Fi- nancial stability is another key driver. As touch screens are a major financial investment, schools need to have confi- dence that technology provid- ers will be stable in the long term, able to honour warranties if needed and to continue in- vesting in the development of solutions as needs evolve. This is also true of key soft- ware tools like ActivInspire - supplied as standard and free


facing teachers by offering more flexibility. As well as the Vellum wring surface, the ActivPanel Elements Series features, the latest version of the Promet- hean Instant Whiteboard App which with its infinite canvas and an array of teaching tools and templates to complement teaching. An all-new Unified Menu makes access to the most commonly used tools quick and


nent refreshes to their ranges. Delegates to distributor Saha- ra’s Partner Event were treated to the first VIP ‘sneak peek’ of the new Clevertouch touch- screens, the UX Pro and IM- PACT Series. Sahara Sales and Marketing Director, Shaun Mar- klew, explained that: “At Clev- ertouch, we’ve always led the touchscreen market through innovation and the new gener-


educators than ever are actively using technology to support the flipped classroom model, en- courage group discussions and offer more support for SEND pupils. Tony White, Country Head (UK & Ireland) at ViewSonic Europe explains that this evolving mar- ket presents new opportunities with appropriate technology and levels of commitment: “We


the new standard in educa- tion. The clarity offered by 4K screens is particularly benefi- cial when applied to science and design classrooms where students need to be able to experience and interact with diagrams and technical infor- mation clearly.


Screen size varies depending on the size of the classroom but on average, most schools with classes of around 30 stu- dents opt for interactive touch displays between 65-75 inch- es.


Software is a key area for schools. While many schools have integrated the Microsoft Office suite into their class- rooms, others have recently purchased tablet computers which run iOS or


Android. Promethean’s ActivPanel in a music lesson,


Tony White, Country Head (UK & Ireland) at ViewSonic Europe explains that: “All of our displays offer complimentary software as standard; so, no expensive licence fees are required.”


tion models are in place it can be easy to forget the on-going committed costs. To this end, Promethean has developed subscription-free classroom specific software such as lesson delivery plat- forms ActivInspire and cloud- based ClassFlow. Both are supplied free of charge with the


ActivPanel as standard,


giving peace of mind to schools that there won’t be ongoing costs of ownership or risks of unexpected price increases. The ActivPanel also includes pre-loaded tools such as the Promethean Whiteboard App, spinner and other teaching re- sources to enhance teaching and learning experiences. Regardless of the touch screen chosen, it is how it is used that makes the big differ- ence in the classroom. Promet- hean prioritises sharing best practice advice in orientation sessions and online tutorials which show schools how to ac- cess free materials. Developed specifically to meet the needs of schools, these elements are


of charge with the ActivPanel hardware, Promethean contin- ues to invest in and enhance the software, without charging customers for updates or ac- cess to the latest version.


Education specialists


Of those manufacturers spe- cialising in solutions vying for market leadership in education markets the last few months have seen the introduction of two new series of touchscreens specified and priced to suit ed- ucation buyers. At the annual Sahara Tech Showcase and partner event, Clevertouch the Impact Series and Promethean announced the ActivPanel Ele- ments Series.


The rationale supporting the Promethean product referenc- es the increasingly time pres- sured; workloads of educators and the pressures on budgets. Being close to education, Pro- methean has recognised that it is more important than ever before that edtech solutions al- leviate some of the challenges


P14 AV News November 2019


easy, allowing teachers to seam- lessly navigate and support learning and the Promethean Locker, the single ‘go to’ place for their favourite apps. Powered


by an Android 8


device, there is access to an abundance of educational apps through the app store as well as pre-loaded essentials on the ActivPanel such as a spinner, timer and annotation tools. Teachers are also supplied with award-winning lesson delivery software ActivInspire and cloud based ClassFlow as standard with the ActivPanel Elements Series.


The ActivPanel can be used in collaboration with a range of classroom devices such as tab- lets and laptops for functional- ity such as device mirroring or activities such as quizzes that require class participation.


Clevertouch makes an Impact


Both Promethean and Clever- touch consistently challenge for market leadership, with immi-


ation will certainly continue to disrupt the industry with new built in technology. We have improved connec- tivity with 3 x HDMI as stan- dard and also the first to add 2 x USB C connections allow- ing single cable connection for video, audio and touch. Clev- ertouch IMPACT series is now a truly integrated solution with the addition of built in proxim- ity sensors, near field commu- nication sensors, array micro- phone, Wi-Fi Bluetooth module access point, android module expansion slot and an embed- ded 4K User Interface.” The new software and firm- ware demonstrated at the Sa- hara event will be officially launched at Bett 2020 with a host of new features embedded in the UI and the launch of Lynx 7.0 and the new Clever- store 3 it will certainly be ex- citing times ahead with oppor- tunities to grow our businesses together. The new Impact se- ries will not be launched offi- cially to the rest of the market until early Q1, 2020.


Education contenders


The introduction of more acad- emies and independent free schools is changing the edu- cation landscape in the UK. These institutions tend to have unique requirements when it comes to EdTech – which differ from state schools – and often have their own teaching meth- ods and digital strategies which are built around technology in the classroom.


There is still a significant projector and interactive white- board presence in the UK mar- ket, so there is still a big need for retrofitting and replacing older models with new touch technologies. This is primarily being driven by the increased emphasis on collaboration and video assisted learning. More


have worked tirelessly in the last three years to grow our pres- ence in the UK education sector (ViewSonic is now recognised as one of the top 5 brands in the marketplace) and 2019 has been another strong year.” “Our revenues have signifi- cantly grown in 2019 which has allowed us to expand our UK EdTech sales team to eight people. Our ethos is centred on offering unlimited demo access and advice to teachers and IT staff during the pre-sales pro- cess, followed by dedicated UK- based after sales support which includes a complimentary train- ing programme.”


Reasons to be cheerful


While continues: “With technol- ogy now playing a much more prominent role in the learning process, our approach resonates with schools that need both teachers to be able to use prod- ucts intuitively and displays to be software agnostic. All of our displays offer complimentary software as standard; so, no expensive licence fees are re- quired, and teachers can simply concentrate on delivering engag- ing lesson plans - a win-win for both teachers and students.! “This was one of the main reasons why Ashford School in Kent, for example, chose to use ViewSonic to implement its new digital transformation strategy. Our interactive displays have im- proved student engagement with the curriculum and freed teach- ers up to offer a more tailored learning experience. Ashford is now recognised as one the UK’s Top 50 EdTech schools.”


What do buyers demand?


What do education buyers de- mand from the iFPDs? When it comes to screen size and reso- lution, 4K is quickly becoming


When the time comes to up- grade the main interactive dis- plays, they need screens that are compatible with all of the above – enabling teachers to continue to do what they do best, without having to learn how to operate or integrate various software platforms from scratch. With finite budgets, educa- tional institutions need to have confidence in the technology they use. ViewSonic offers a special five-year warranty for all education displays, includ- ing dedicated UK-based tech- nical support. Secondly, we offer com- plimentary software embed- ded into every display. Our myViewBoard software has been created by 75 developers in our Taiwanese R&D depart- ment to provide a host of im- portant functions for teachers and students, including: group annotation; screen mirroring; ability to source and use li- cence-free and age-appropri- ate video content in lesson plans; and remote access to teaching aids, which is great for SEND students and during revision periods.


As the myViewBoard soft- ware is developed in-house, it is future-proof and there- fore not dependent on Adobe Flash, which will be End-of- life (EOL) next year. Those AV display vendors reliant on Ado- be to offer their vast library of lesson plans will struggle and customers may find their dis- plays do not function as well as a result. Tony White concludes: “When you couple these two things with a competitive price point and our commitment to innovation (i.e. introducing In- Glass or Projected Capacitive (PCAP) touch technology to our displays) it is no surprise we are rapidly growing our market share in the UK.”


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