Much like the enterprise space, digital revolution efforts within schools and further education establishments were kicked in the right direction by the pandemic.
Technology has already made its way into the classroom, with digital whiteboard installations and the use of tablets within lessons for example. But now the adoption of collaboration solutions comes with a wider adoption of technology to help teachers educate in a move effective way.
According to a Gallup report, nearly nine in 10 students say they use digital learning tools at least a few times a week, and 42% are crying out for more. This sentiment is shared by the majority of teachers, principals, and administrators, who all see value in digital learning tools.
At the heart of these digital tools are the UC&C solutions that tie the classroom together which, in theory at least, allow teachers to connect with students and staff efficiently, so they can focus on the main job of educating. It is no wonder therefore that an Intel-commissioned survey found that four out of five tech executives in education institutions rate UCC as critical or very important to their operations.
However, teachers don’t always get the solution they need, instead having to devote time to setting up and testing technology that is designed to work as standard. In fact, many teachers say their collaboration solutions are often an obstacle to teaching, with 51% of video conferencing users wasting over nine minutes on setting up, equating to 15% of a one-hour lesson.
The Solution
Being able to introduce a solution that will cater to educational institutions’ needs can be a tricky task, especially against the backdrop of continuing restrictions and potential lockdowns. However, there are key points that need to be hit:
- Open System – Within different schools, colleges and universities there are different policies as to who provides the technology, therefore the collaborative solution that is used needs to be accessible regardless of device type, operating systems, or end solution.
- Efficiency – Not just in the system itself, but in the way it is paid for. Budgets can be just as tight as teachers’ and pupils’ spare time, so any solution needs to have a short, intuitive set up, and work with each institution’s budget.
- Wireless – Each solution needs to enable teachers to teach rather than stay tethered to a desk. One of the problems with modern solutions are HDMI and VGA cables in laptops. By employing a wireless system, teachers can allow contributors quicker whilst being able to move around the class, checking in on pupils.
- Remote Control – Classroom and, in particular, group think sessions naturally mean that more than one person needs to be able to control what is displayed. However any solution needs to give one user the overarching authority to steer each session in the right direction.
- Secure – Being an environment where children are present, security is naturally of paramount concern for education providers. However, any measures should be able to work without getting in the way of the classroom, employing security tactics that still allow for multiple contributors and presentation leads.
Intel Unite
The Intel Unite® solution allows teachers and students to easily, wirelessly, and more securely share digital content to any display, inside or outside the classroom. It delivers more instructor control and a rich, immersive experience consistent across devices and across learning environments, whether remote, face-to-face, or a mix of both.
The Intel Unite solution creates a flexible, scalable, wireless collaboration platform that, out of the box, excels across use cases, but can also be quickly adapted to address changing needs and approaches to instruction and collaboration. A cost-effective, open-platform solution, it is designed to help deliver more security, manageability, and stability, as well as a potentially lower total cost of ownership.
