These Modern Technology Tools Support Seamless Collaboration in K–12

How Digital Whiteboards Facilitate Teamwork and Engagement

Digital whiteboards can be extremely versatile in the K–12 space and are well known for supporting teamwork and engagement. Schools use a variety of brands for signage, remote and in-person teaching, and even for large-scale meetings.

Teachers and school IT teams tend to love the Promethean ActivPanel. After juggling a combination of dated audiovisual technology, California’s Fresno Unified School District recently installed ActivPanel displays in all 4,000 of its classrooms to ensure digital equity for teachers and students.

A year after the installation, Fresno’s leaders reported that the Promethean upgrade resulted in higher engagement and better understanding among students. Watch this video to learn more about the district’s experience with Promethean boards and about the accessories that added flexibility for teachers.

Schools should also consider the Samsung Interactive Display WAD series with AI Class Assistant, which comes with built-in labor-saving tools for teachers. This digital whiteboard has thoughtful features that make it easy for teachers and students to collaborate. The AI helps teachers with practical tasks, such as generating class summaries and live quizzes, and provides interactive content for students. Learn more about the display here.

DIG DEEPER: Determine what your K–12 district needs in an interactive display.

Software and Hardware Support Excellent Audio and Video

The right meeting software and hardware are essential for schools that support remote or hybrid learning.

Adobe Connect is a fully customizable platform that educators can use to configure virtual classrooms to meet their needs. They can even change things up on the fly to shift the focus of a lesson or keep everyone engaged. The platform can be accessed or driven by any device with a web browser that can connect using the HTTPS protocol, which is just about all of them. Read our full product review for more information.

For K–12 administrative staffers that run hybrid meetings, it’s important to have great audio and video that makes everyone feel as if they are in the same space.

This is where the Poly Studio X50 video bar, can help. The device is compatible with multiple video collaboration software  platforms, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. This ensures that all teachers and administrators can easily connect and collaborate using their preferred platforms. The tool also boasts AI features to enhance sound and video. Read our full product review  for more information.

Inside the classroom, students who struggle academically may be having trouble hearing their teachers. After all, classrooms are noisy!

Lightspeed's all-in-one Redcat Audio System with Flexmike cuts through the noise. It increases the volume and intelligibility of a teacher’s voice, leaving the teacher less fatigued because she doesn’t have to constantly raise her voice to be heard. Read our full product review for more information.

RELATED: Here are three things to know about audio in the K–12 classroom.

Modern IP Phones Offer Seamless Connections

VoIP phones often come with features that make those devices more akin to computers than simple phone systems. Users can chose between physical handsets or laptops to make phone calls without being tied to a school building or giving out their personal phone numbers.

The Cisco IP Phone 8865, which comes with a video screen, is great for deployment in places such as K–12 schools that have neither sufficient IT staff to manage these devices nor highly technical teachers and administrators to make the best use of their features. Learn more about it here.