School departments are specialist areas managed by teaching professionals. Yes teachers, you are professionals and this should never be forgotten. In fact it should be shouted from the rooftops and shared with the students. There is no doubt a good number of young people studying in schools will train and become teaching professionals themselves. Or many will further study before carving out careers in these many specialist areas. Areas such as Science, Business, Sport and Food Technology.
Digital Signage in departmental areas gives schools an excellent opportunity to share their specialist skills, showcase what makes that subject so interesting as well as inspiring the students. From a student’s perspective, who are my teachers, what are their skill sets and what inspired them to teach in their chosen subject? Creating and publishing such content creates connection between teachers and their students. Teachers are experts with huge amounts of knowledge to share.
Promoting future career ideas
After education we all have our journeys into the world of work. I would have certainly appreciated more information about what exam results and skills were needed for areas of work I was interested in. Career advice back in the 1980’s was non-existent. I wanted to work with animals but was told if I gained high enough GCE results then perhaps I could find a job in the local computer factory. Not very helpful information and certainly not inspiring for a 15 year old to hear. What if schools had the ability to provide careers information and advice to young people everyday? What if we could inspire them to pursue their ideas of a chosen career path as soon as possible.
Digital signage certainly gives schools the platform to achieve this. My journey saw me running a recording studio in Birmingham’s Custard Factory for a number of years. So what would my journey look like if advertised to young people in a school? How could my journey inspire the next generation of music production professionals?
Book a TrilbyTV Demo
Book free DemoCreating the content isn’t a huge challenge and young people in schools could absolutely be helping with this. I’m a big train fan so I was interested to find out what it takes to become a train driver. A quick Google search brings up a wealth of information, including the National Careers Service which is part of the Government website.
Taking this information I’ve simply opened up the Apple application ‘Keynote’ on my laptop to quickly make an information slide. Using Google’s commercial & other licences filter I simply select an appropriate image and place it on one side of my Keynote slide. Then with slight adjustments I paste the text information on the opposite side. And bingo I have a ‘How to become a train driver’ slide ready to inspire the next generation.
Showcasing specialist areas
Departmental areas in schools are great spaces for creating a greater connection between teachers and students by showcasing knowledge and specialisms. They are also fantastic spaces for inspiring the next generation. Whether engineers, emergency services staff or logistics specialists our young people will be the next generation keeping the UK on its feet. So let’s help them find their journey as early as possible, over to Tom to present customer examples he has come across.
One of those key moments from school was the GCSE selection process. There were a handful of factors at play that would affect the decision of which subjects make the cut. Who is the teacher? Will my friends be in the class? What will we study? Will I be capable of achieving a good grade? Will it be exciting? Will it lead to a career I’m interested in? All logical questions to ask yourself.
However, unless you had an older sibling there was a good chance you’d have no idea what a subject would entail and no answers to the questions. You’d be dedicating three years of study in the hope that you’d enjoy it or with a particular career focus in mind.
Five considerations for digital signage
Download free PDFUsing digital signage as a means to showcase what is happening in the classroom, and what a subject covers, gives younger students a glimpse into the future and existing classes a moment to reflect and revise. Additional learning resources such as YouTube videos can sit alongside student made content, bringing the impossible into school grounds. As Neil highlighted earlier, staff can also use this space to include information about what got them interested in the subject and why they are the experts in that field.
This can happen in Primary as easily as it can in Secondary, all from a simple display in the corridor outside the classroom. The imagery can even be updated through a service like Google Slides if staff are limited in time to upload to TrilbyTV.
Paul Rickard, Head of Science at Woldingham School, is well aware of the engagement and excitement that science can hold, and uses their Science department display to showcase good examples of student work and share the experience of students.
Combined with the TrilbyTV Content Catalogue offerings from FuseSchool and Science Facts there’s a whole world of science being broadcast. Cheltenham College takes this a step further, using YouTube videos of their own recordings in line with additional resources to support learning. A fantastic way to get professionally made resources in front of students.
Just this brief snippet of information, scheduled to play throughout the term when decisions are being made, could prove all that’s needed to increase interest and in turn, see more students studying the subject.
A recent report showed that the number of female candidates taking Computing GCSE has dropped by half, with authors warning, “The lack of women in computing may lead to heightened vulnerabilities and the dominance of men in shaping the modern world.” What better time to sell the exciting possibilities of a career in computer science.
Whether using traditional tools, or using digital devices for creativity, art is a wonderfully visual subject with coursework being produced throughout the year. People pay hundreds, thousands, even millions for artwork on the walls of their properties. What a great saving using the students’ work!
