While the school year may be coming to a close, many facilities will be finalizing their budgets and planning their strategy for the next school year. Of course, no strategy is complete without a well-integrated, education-based digital signage plan! Digital signage has long played a vital role in many education institutions across the country, often encouraging students to take an active role in their learning. Whether getting students pumped up for a pep rally or promoting club sign-ups, digital signage is effective at engaging students at crucial touchpoints. When digital signage is successfully deployed across educational campuses, it inspires active learning, collaborative work, and builds a strong sense of community. Once you seamlessly combine software, hardware, and effective content, your signage solution will truly come alive.
However, it is not enough to simply install a screen and post static images on it. Effective signage requires strategic use of the variety of apps and integrations on offer. These apps can add more utility to your displays, allowing students to perform certain actions or utilize your signage in unique ways. These tools also give a reason for students to return to your displays, allowing you to continually update them with more school-related content. Such tools can also go on to assist other visitors, such as parents, other family members, or rival schools during sporting events. Each tool works together to provide a cohesive communication experience that maintains consistent branding across campus. In this article, we will detail how these apps come together to engage students on a deeper level.
SEE DIGITAL SIGNAGE IN ACTION
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THE APPS YOU’LL UTILIZE
When you partner with REACH, you also gain access to a wide selection of apps and integrations that can change the way you use your displays. These apps can do anything from playing specific content back-to-back, to letting you pull in third-party content. Each app has a unique function that will allow you to engage students differently. For example, playlists are the most common app we see across all signage layouts.
Playlists let you take assets and play them back-to-back, almost like a slideshow or PowerPoint. These are popular due to their flexibility, as they allow you to showcase as much content as you want, and even incorporate dynamic elements such as HD videos or animated gifs.
Other apps such as calendars can queue students and staff in on important deadlines or upcoming events. News applications can inform students on national or local news, which can lead to discussion within the classroom. School social media integrations can expand your facility’s digital footprint, allowing you to share more information or get in on trends you wouldn’t be able to otherwise.
Even more advanced integrations such as radar apps can help students observe abstract concepts through weather patterns or traffic routes. While each app has its purpose, you will only engage students if you use them to their fullest potential. The following tips should give you a solid baseline to begin creating digital signage content.
3 WAYS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS THROUGH DIGITAL SIGNAGE
ENCOURAGING SIGN-UPS ALONGSIDE PROMOTIONS
As stated above, playlists and calendars are some of the most common apps we see utilized in layouts. Not only that, they are often placed alongside one another within the displays. This is because their respective content often goes hand-in-hand. Whatever is promoted within your playlist can be followed through to the calendar. For example, say the track team is about to have sign ups. In the playlist, you could have a sign promoting kids to sign up and go to try outs. Then right next to the playlist you can place the calendar, where they can look to see what date registration ends.
Having crucial information more readily accessible informs students on the options available to them so they can better utilize their resources. Naturally, this leads to higher registration numbers for clubs as students are more aware they exist in the first place. Not only that, but it can help students and their families plan week-to-week schedules. For example, a school can post their entire football schedule if they have a team. This informs team members what days or weekends they need to be ready to compete, and can help them plan out their studying or training habits. In this way, schools are encouraging students to take an active role in planning their education. It also has the added benefit of teaching them lifelong time management skills.
You can even take a further step by integrating QR codes somewhere within your layout. This would allow students to register for events the moment they are made aware of them. When these two apps work together to inspire action, the overall community of the school is strengthened through involved students and staff!
HIGHLIGHTING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
In a recent study, 71% of participants stated that digital signage sticks out more to them than traditional advertising means. With such a strong command of attention, digital signage presents opportunities to give others the spotlight and highlight some overachievers. In fact, REACH even has templates ready to go that you can inject your own photos, graphics, and color schemes into.
Recognizing student achievements or outstanding performances can inspire other kids to reach the same level of success. Not only that, but it makes the students being recognized feel meaningful and important to their community. This will create a routine effect of students working harder and encouraging one another to achieve their dreams. This can result in higher grades, better performances, and more competitive sports teams. In this way, digital signage directly encourages students to be the best version of themselves, showing them they will be rewarded if they do. Recognition can extend beyond the school and be shared on social media pages as well. These can then be integrated within facility layouts so students can directly witness the impact and reach their achievements can have!
HOSTING STUDENT SURVEYS & CONTESTS
One of the best ways you can get students engaged is to give them the tools they need to make a direct impact on the school. As mentioned previously, QR codes placed on screen can redirect students to landing pages that encourage some sort of action. While this can be used to push registration forms, it can also be used to gauge student attitudes and wants. Creating a survey form or other info-gathering document and linking it through a QR code can make students feel more involved in their school.
Asking questions that they can respond to can make them feel as though their opinions and wants are important, and can help steer the school in positive directions. These questions can range from wanted school amenities, average homework hours, overall attitudes, and so on. This gives students a chance to feel heard and for the administration a chance to address certain concerns!
HOW TO GET STARTED
Before you get into the weeds of digital signage, there are some things you should be aware of when starting your digital signage initiative. Before ordering anything, you should decide how many displays you will need and where they will be located. Typically, we recommend placing your signage in high-traffic areas so they get the most viewership possible. In schools, we often see this in cafeterias, main hallways, front offices, and gymnasiums! However, this can also be dependent on the purpose of your displays. For instance, if you are trying to improve your internal communication, that display would likely perform best in the teacher’s lounge. Alternatively, if you are trying to promote new cafeteria items or healthy alternatives, then putting displays in the cafeteria would make the most sense.
Once you have an outline of your signage plan, it’s time to begin hunting down hardware and software. In terms of hardware, you will need a screen and a media player. For screens it’s recommended you get at least an LCD screen that’s about 42-50 inches depending on your space and needs. LCDs are cost effective and the size is great for wall-mounted displays that you will reach multiple people with.
As for media players, our software is hardware agnostic, meaning if you have a device like a Google Play or Fire TV, you can run REACH off of it! However, for more advanced solutions, we recommend getting a dedicated media player. We usually recommend BrightSign for their reliability and functionality. However, we also have our own REACH Media Player that boasts many advanced features at an affordable price!
As for software, you’re already in the right place! REACH has an extremely flexible signage software solution that is perfect for any industry. With over 100 apps and integrations, our software can help you achieve any objective. When you join the REACH family, you also gain access to 24/7 support as well as free, creative design services.
We’ll work with you to create a layout that meets your needs while also aligning with your branding standards. Got an integration that isn’t included in our list? We will work with you to scope out a potential plan for integration with that solution.
READY TO START YOUR DIGITAL JOURNEY?
Discover how digital signage can transform your school. Reach out to REACH Media Network today to learn more about our solutions, explore custom integrations, and see how we can help you connect with your students in meaningful ways.
