K-12 school administrators across the U.S. each have a hierarchical checklist for creating an affordable yet meaningful and engaging learning experience for their student body.
From sign-posting and information sharing to emergency notification, K- 12 digital signage can improve real-time communication between teachers, staff and students. Here are the Cliff Notes on what K-12 digital signage can do for your school.
What is K-12 digital signage and how can it be used in schools?
K-12 digital signage is an interactive display technology that can show multimedia to K-12 students across several screens and locations. Today’s K-12 students are often referred to as “digital natives”, and they aren’t as familiar with learning off of a chalkboard or with keeping up with endless reams of handouts as the generations before them.
K-12 digital signage solutions are a natural extension of how students want to learn — by engaging with videos, tutorials and countless other informational media to improve their understanding of any subject they’re studying. Its uses are widespread.
Use K-12 digital signage to share important information with students, staff, and parents
Consider the web of people in your school who need to be in the know about any number of things every school day. For instance, students require access to their schedules and requirements for their assignments.
Likewise, teachers need access to interactive resources to make information sharing more engaging and to create a more inclusive learning environment. As for parents, they’ll want to know about school closings, after-school events and fundraisers. The cafeteria needs ways to keep students in the know about daily menus and important allergy information. And of course, everyone on campus must know what to do in an emergency.
The best K-12 digital signage allows you to improve interpersonal communication with everyone by sharing important information and updating it in a split second.
Generate school spirit and a sense of community through K-12 digital signage
Does your school have a mascot? Do students sport their school colors on game days? Research shows that students with a strong sense of school spirit are happier, exhibit higher levels of engagement and perform better academically.
Rallying students and getting them in the school spirit doesn’t need to be complicated. K-12 digital signage makes it even easier. You can build a stronger community in your school with digital signage by:
- Displaying upcoming game days and after-school events in advance to build excitement.
- Awarding high-achieving and most-improved students with a digital spotlight.
- Keeping students informed about school-wide spirit events and other on-campus activities.
Make mobile wayfinding available with K-12 digital signage
Nothing can be more nerve-wracking for a new student than not knowing where their classroom is or, even worse, walking into class late. They should feel oriented as quickly as possible. Likewise, adults and visitors in the building should be able to find rooms and locations without wandering through halls. This not only keeps students and staff safe but minimizes the need for hallway roaming.
You can display school maps with K-12 digital signage or even use QR-code technology to put maps and classroom information in the palm of your students’ and visitors’ hands. Students can scan them and keep the logistics on their mobile devices accessible anytime.
Supplement learning spaces with digital content
Our K-12 teachers and librarians need far more resources than a 300-page textbook to engage their students.
K-12 digital signage enables your teachers to build more interactive learning environments with access to the latest news and resources available with just a click of a button.
Teachers can use digital signage solutions to:
- Show relevant videos, tutorials or gaming features to engage students.
- Display assignment guidelines so students know what to do and when to do it.
- Encourage collective input and group discussion with interactive writing prompts or math equations.
- Praise student or group performance and create teachable moments by showcasing exemplary student work.
- Play national and international newsreels to encourage students to understand their roles as global citizens.
Outfitting your school with indoor K-12 digital signage
With COVID-initiated federal aid due to sunset in 2024, research indicates that school-district leaders anticipate a “financial cliff.” School budgets are once again on the chopping block. Fortunately, you can outfit your schools with UPshow’s indoor digital signage solution by using the TVs and LCD screens you already have around campus—keeping your district’s budget on track.
Different K-12 digital signage options
If you’ve already started doing your homework to find the best digital signage solution for your school, you may have found that many options are available. The two main options are on-premise K-12 digital signage and cloud-based K-12 digital signage.
On-premise K-12 digital signage
- Hardware and software are located on-site.
- Content is stored in an on-premise server you build or outsource. A server comes at a substantial up-front cost.
- Requires an on-premise IT team for installation, infrastructure maintenance and more.
Cloud-based K-12 digital signage
- On-site servers are unnecessary, which makes cloud-based more affordable, especially in upfront costs and maintenance.
- Handle the Content Management System (CMS) and storage on the Internet via cloud-based technology.
- Scalable and easily accessible from any location, with implementation that is simple enough for anyone to do.
UPshow’s easy-to-use digital signage solution is an affordable, on-premise performance marketing cloud that can power your school’s digital screens—giving your students an engaging experience in the classroom and across your campus.
Creating K-12 digital signage content that captivates
Because UPshow uses cloud-based technology, you can give your curriculum support staff, teachers and anyone else the keys to easy content creation. UPshow’s Canva integration doesn’t add to anyone’s neverending to-do lists either. With education-focused templates, supplementing daily lessons or disseminating school-wide announcements has never been easier.
Scheduling and tracking the performance of your content
Teachers and school administrators are skilled planners, often mapping out their lesson plans, initiatives and to-do lists semester by semester or for the school year. Similarly, several schools in your district will all have unique needs. That’s where UPshow’s playlists can serve as a teacher’s aide or administrative assistant, allowing you to plan and control when content runs and which screens it should show up on.
Some content will engage the student body more than others. With UPshow’s insights and analytics, you’ll get a front-row seat with access to performance and engagement metrics you can download and analyze to optimize what you display at any time during the school year.
Transform the way you communicate with K-12 digital signage software
Teachers and school administrators shoulder significant responsibilities in keeping students safe, informed, engaged and prepared for the future. UPshow’s K-12 digital signage software can alleviate some of that pressure. Try a risk-free demo today, and witness how UPshow’s best-in-class digital signage solution can help your students reach their greatest potential.
