Digital signage in education has emerged as a powerful potential tool for enhancing communication and student engagement within every school and campus.
As school administrators, teaching staff, and IT specialists seek innovative ways to improve the educational experience, understanding how to effectively utilize digital signage is becoming increasingly crucial. This article explores seven impactful ways digital signage can be applied in educational institutions, answering the key question: What can digital signage do for your school, college, or university?
The power of screens in modern education
Screens dominate our daily visual experiences; just consider the significant portion of our day that we spend engaged with digital displays. For the younger generation, this engagement is even more prominent. Research from the United States suggests that teenagers can spend up to nine hours per day consuming content. This growing trend is swiftly becoming the norm across various aspects of life with screens occupying a significantly increasing part of our attention.
In response to this shift, various sectors, including retail and hospitality, have already embraced digital signage for its effectiveness in advertising and information dissemination. Now, educational institutions are recognizing the potential of this technology too. Schools, colleges, and university campuses are increasingly betting on the power of a digital signage solution. This aims to leverage its potent ability to capture and maintain the attention of students, particularly those from the millennial and Gen Z cohorts and younger.
The widespread adoption of digital signage in education is reshaping communication and engagement strategies within educational settings, making school digital signage a key player in the modern educational landscape. This is mainly thanks to lower barriers of entry and initial investment for procuring and deploying a digital signage system, with prices for both a digital sign and a media player being more accessible; even an interactive display is today much more affordable today.
At the same time, digital signage software has become more powerful, user-friendly and secure, while digital signage content creation tools make it simpler to create and edit a digital display from any location at any point in time.
With this understanding of the central role a display now plays, let’s explore six innovative ways that such a solution can be utilized in education to enhance communication, learning, and community involvement.
Great digital signage solutions for schools and universities
If you’re still not quite sure why you should dabble with digital signage, here are a few great reasons:
1. Campus-wide announcements
Digital signage serves as an ideal platform for broadcasting campus-wide announcements and important information. With customizable digital displays positioned throughout school premises, from hallways to the cafeterias and libraries, important messages and dynamic content regarding schedule changes, events, or emergencies can reach the entire student body and staff instantly.
Unlike traditional methods of communication, such as PA systems or bulletin boards, a digital screen can capture attention with vivid on-brand graphics and animated content, ensuring that important information is noticed, relevant, and always up-to-date. The deployment of a digital bulletin board can also ease the workload of admin staff, as it simplifies and centralizes content management in a single dashboard, instead of having to rely on traditional printing methods and manual posting.
2. Event promotion and scheduling
School events happen regularly throughout the academic year. They include sports competitions, theater productions, parent-teacher conferences and even live events that bring together a host of participants and audiences. Digital signage can play a crucial role in promoting these events by showcasing important announcements, vibrant advertisements and detailed schedules directly to the school community.
By integrating digital signage software, video walls, and even social media feeds, schools can not only promote upcoming events but easily update event details in real time while they are happening. Digital signage screens can also include user-generated content, and ensure that everyone on campus has relevant information about upcoming activities and any last-minute adjustments.
3. Save time and money, boost sales, go green
Digital menu boards in cafeterias and dynamic displays in common areas are transforming how educational institutions handle information dissemination. The shift away from traditional methods like printed menus and large display boards not only saves time and reduces expenses but also aligns with the eco-friendly push toward reducing paper waste. In today’s educational environment, the concept of generating revenue is increasingly accepted, and rightly so. Striking visuals and special offers displayed on screens can encourage spending among students, teachers, and visitors, enhancing the cafeteria experience and boosting school spirit.
Furthermore, digital signage offers valuable opportunities for collaboration with business partners. By featuring advertising from local or international brands, schools can tap into new revenue streams that support educational programs and campus improvements. This strategy not only maximizes the return on investment in digital signage systems but also connects students and the broader school community with relevant external entities, enriching the educational ecosystem.
4. Wayfinding on large campuses
Large educational institutions, such as universities and sprawling school districts, can benefit immensely from digital signage by using it for wayfinding. Strategically placed directional signage helps students, staff, and visitors navigate complex campus layouts with interactive maps and clear directions. This thoughtful application does more than just improve the campus experience by reducing confusion and travel time; it also enhances safety by efficiently guiding crowds during emergencies.
Additionally, these intuitive signs can serve as welcoming beacons to newcomers, easing their anxiety and helping them feel more connected to the campus environment. This thoughtful integration of technology makes the vast educational spaces more accessible and user-friendly, truly transforming the way individuals interact with their surroundings.
5. Mr. Motivator or ‘How to highlight student achievement and activity’
Celebrating student success is essential for fostering a positive school culture. Campus digital signage offers schools a vibrant platform to showcase student achievements, extracurricular activities, and contributions from notable alumni through high-quality visuals and captivating narratives. This dynamic form of recognition not only boosts student morale but also strengthens a sense of community and pride across the campus.
By regularly updating the content, schools can keep these displays fresh and engaging, ensuring they continually captivate the student body. This ongoing celebration of accomplishments creates an environment where students feel valued and deeply connected, enhancing their emotional and social well-being. It also encourages a spirit of healthy competition and aspiration among students, as they see the tangible acknowledgments of their peers’ efforts and are inspired to achieve their own potential.
6. Educational content and classroom integration
Digital signage in education isn’t just for hallways and common areas; it can also transform the learning experience and classrooms. Teachers can use digital displays to present educational content, including videos and real-time data, making classes more engaging and dynamic.
This technology allows for the seamless integration of multimedia resources, which can cater to various learning styles and enhance students’ understanding of complex subjects. By leveraging interactive learning and engaging content, school digital signage can transform the learning experience for everyone involved.
7. Cafeteria menus and nutritional information
School cafeterias can harness digital signage software and use screens to display daily menus, nutritional facts, and meal schedules. This application has already established strong best practices in restaurant digital signage and is now expanding to other dining spaces like the ones of schools and colleges.
A digital menu board not only streamlines the dining experience for students but also promotes healthy eating habits by providing transparent information about food choices. Digital displays can be updated instantly to reflect menu changes or highlight special diet options, catering to the diverse needs of the student population.
What are you waiting for?
School digital signage offers a multitude of benefits for any educational institution, from improving communication to enhancing the learning experience and promoting an upcoming event. By adopting digital signage, schools can create a more informed, engaged, and cohesive community.
Whether it’s through a vibrant digital signage display of student achievements, interactive educational content, or essential campus-wide announcements, digital signage in education stands out as a modern solution to many traditional challenges. School administrators, IT specialists, and educators should consider these applications to maximize the impact of digital signs on their campuses.
With the increasing integration of technology in education, digital signage is not just a tool but a necessity for modernizing and improving the way educational institutions operate. As we move forward, the innovative use of digital displays will undoubtedly continue to evolve and play a crucial role in shaping the educational landscapes of the future.