Back in May we wrote about how Portsmouth College are using digital content to communicate across their campus. With some fantastic examples of how they’re utilising TrilbyTV to deliver an effective digital signage strategy we just had to ask Music Technology & Media Studies Teacher, also Digital Lead at Portsmouth College, Chris Wood, to do an Under the Hat session!
What’s the best thing about your job?
“Working with the amazing educators and students that I have the pleasure of working with day in, day out. They never cease to amaze me every single day and I’m always inspired by what they do, and some of the creative ideas that they come up with as well.”
Why is sharing and showcasing digital content important to you?
“So it’s incredibly important to showcase and share all of this amazing digital content that we create on our iPads, phones, Chromebooks, wherever it is. TrilbyTV allows us to do that so simply. We had all these iPads and all these students were creating these amazing pieces of work, but they were staying on the iPads. TrilbyTV opened up the door to us, and it allowed us to showcase that work on all of the screens throughout the college and then we could share that creativity. We created this culture of sharing and this embracement of technology. It really inspired all of our learners to inspire our teachers, and things have just gone from strength to strength because of that experience.”
What three words would you use to describe TrilbyTV?
“Okay, so the three words that I use to describe TrilbyTV are simple, quick, and innovative.”
“Simple – because it is so simple to use and it’s really, really easy to upload content on there. It’s so easy for me to train new staff on it as well. That stuff can be up and running within a matter of minutes. It’s so intuitive as well, it’s very easy to see how to do things. I don’t need to spend hours and hours training someone. I can give someone a 10-15 minute training session over a lunch break and they’re up and running within seconds, it’s brilliant!”
“Quick – because it’s so simple and quick for us to get content up. Digital content can literally be out in seconds, from uploading it onto the screen to actually appearing on the screen. It’s just instant. It’s unbelievably easy to use. And so simple to set up.”
“Innovative – is what I really feel is the key to TrilbyTV because I have no problem just phoning up TrilbyTV and saying, hey, I’d love this feature and it’s listened to. The customer service is absolutely outstanding from TrilbyTV, they’re always thinking of new ideas and ways to use the platform. This is inspiring us as educators, as well as giving us new ideas, we can share our use of TrilbyTV with the developers as well. It’s a really great company to be involved with and such an amazing platform.”
What’s been your TrilbyTV eureka moment?
“Okay, so our eureka moment with TrilbyTV was when we had a 30-day trial installed. We had all this amazing work on our iPads that all the students had created. To see that displayed on screens and being able to showcase it around the college was absolutely a eureka moment.”
“It never ceases to amaze me every time that I walk through our canteen, and I see some of my student’s work playing. I watch other students looking at the screens and saying, wow, that’s an incredible piece of work. It’s really, really inspiring to see students respond to that, even when students see their own work up on the screen as well. It makes them proud to have created it and be part of the community. TrilbyTV has really allowed us to do that and really allowed us to develop and expand the way that we are sharing and showcasing our digital content.”
What are your future plans for growing your school’s digital content and signage?
“More screens and being able to section out screens and put different digital content across different screens. I’m hoping, in the next academic year, to develop some more resources through my Apple Ambassadors and they’ll be able to create content that can be shared on our screens. We already use the TrilbyTV screens outside, just day to day college life or in open events and open evenings, showcasing all of the digital content. It’s an incredibly powerful platform and every day we learn something new from it. We take that idea, we develop it further and that’s the real joy of TrilbyTV.”
What advice would you give to someone that’s thinking of signing up for a free trial?
“Just do it, have your eureka moment like we did! Take all of that amazing work that students are creating digitally and showcase it around the school.”
“Watch the culture change, how both students and teachers are inspired. See the difference that it makes. It’s a ‘no-brainer’, get that trial in and get some training.”
“It’s really simple, really easy to do it. Change the way that you think about showcasing digital content and sharing all that amazing student work that’s created all the time.”
What tips would you leave Under the Hat for other TrilbyTV users?
“Get students uploading their own digital content, it isn’t about the staff or IT team taking control of it. This is massively empowering and it’s bringing that sense of responsibility and also that pride in their work. They’re showing all their friends and showcasing it across the school. This, in turn, will bring this culture of sharing and creativity. It showcases all of that passion that students put into their work, day in day out. Amazing!”