Although most K-12 meetings continue to be held in person, some of these meetings will be held remotely for learning or administrative purposes. To ensure seamless collaboration in these settings, K-12 administrators, teachers, students, and even parents will need the right combination of tools.
As schools look to update their technology stack for collaboration, they will want to focus on audio-visual tools that can serve dual purposes, flexible phone systems, and even hardware and software to facilitate clear communication. Here are some tools to consider.
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How Digital Whiteboards Facilitate Teamwork and Engagement
Digital whiteboards can be extremely versatile in the K-12 space and are well known for supporting teamwork and engagement. Schools use various brands to signagedistance and face-to-face teaching, and even for large-scale meetings.
Teachers and school IT teams tend to like ActivPanel Promethean. After juggling a combination of outdated audiovisual technologies, the Californian company Fresno Unified School District recently installed ActivPanel screens in its 4,000 classrooms to ensure digital equity for teachers and students.
A year after installation, Fresno leaders reported that the Promethean upgrade resulted in higher engagement and better understanding among students. Watch this video to learn more about the district’s experience with Promethean boards and the accessories that added flexibility for teachers.
Schools should also consider the Samsung Interactive Display WAD series with AI Class Assistant, which comes with built-in labor-saving tools for teachers. This digital whiteboard has thoughtful features that make collaboration between teachers and students easier. AI helps teachers with practical tasks, such as generating lesson summaries and live quizzes, and provides interactive content to students. Learn more about posting here.
Dig Deeper: Determine the needs of your K-12 district in an interactive display.
Software and hardware support Excellent audio and video
The right meeting software and hardware are essential for schools supporting remote or hybrid learning.
Adobe Connect is a fully customizable platform that teachers can use to configure virtual classrooms to meet their needs. They can even change things on the fly to shift the focus of a lesson or keep everyone engaged. The platform is accessible or controllable by any device with a web browser that can connect using the HTTPS protocol, which is pretty much all of them. Read our full product review for more information.
For K-12 administrative staff conducting hybrid meetings, having quality audio is important. And video that makes everyone feel like they’re in the same space.
This is where the Poly Studio X50 video barcan help. The device is compatible with several video collaboration software platforms, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams And Google Dating. This ensures that all teachers and administrators can easily connect and collaborate using their favorite platforms. The tool also has AI features to improve audio and video. Read our full product review for more information.
In the classroom, students who struggle academically may have difficulty hearing their teachers. After all, classrooms are noisy!
Speed of lightit’s all in one Redcat audio system with Flexmike cuts the noise. This increases the volume and intelligibility of the teacher’s voice, making them less tired because they don’t need to constantly raise their voice to be heard. Read our full product review for more information.
RELATED: Here are three things to know about audio in K-12 classrooms.
Modern IP Phones Provide Seamless Connections
VoIP Phones are often equipped with features that make these devices more like computers than simple telephone systems. Users can choose between physical handsets or laptops to make phone calls without being tied to a school building or giving out their home phone number.
The Cisco IP Phone 8865, featuring a video display, is ideal for deployment in locations such as K-12 schools that do not have sufficient IT staff to manage these devices, nor for highly technical teachers and administrators to get the most out of their features. Learn more here.