Boosting your remote education with technology

Sharp is an awarded supplier on our MFD and Audio Visual frameworks.

The challenge of keeping pupils stimulated and engaged in lessons is a very real one, and absolutely essential to their learning. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to have an impact on physical attendance, and blended learning still a reality for the foreseeable future, how can you reduce the disruption and soften the impact on pupils’ learning?

Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can make use of technology to promote connected social distancing and deliver lessons to students at home and in class simultaneously, without having to worry about actively managing technical systems during lessons. Below are just four solutions you could consider:

1. Enable children at home to connect remotely into the class all day long
   Through integrating your digital interactive whiteboard with video conferencing solutions, students who are self-isolating at home can connect virtually into the classroom all day, eliminating the need for separate lessons or learning materials and maintaining that vital communication and interaction with teachers and peers. You could even add a second, smaller screen for managing online chats, keeping one-to-one conversations away from the rest of the class and providing essential lines of communication with those not able to be there in person.
2. Integrate technologies for increased interaction and focus on teaching not tech
   Although it may sound complicated, integrating different technologies can actually make lessons slicker and more collaborative, while allowing teachers to focus on what they do best. Applications such as Hive enable students to use their own tablets or laptops to wirelessly connect to a digital interactive whiteboard to increase interactivity and even share their content on the front-of-class screen for everyone to see. By connecting other technologies to your digital interactive whiteboard, such as printers, scanners or cloud-based storage, managing and sharing documents becomes effortless.
3. Maintain clear and timely communication with parents, staff and students
   One way to get around some of the social distancing implications for staff as well as reducing administration is to digitise your written communications. Hybrid mail solutions securely print, insert and post your letters and documents via the web, meaning that you never have to leave your desk (or sofa). For the many students without internet access, or those with Individual Education Plans, being able to send out personalised physical copies of learning resources could really make a difference to their learning experience, allowing them to continue their education at home.
4. Improve remote access to documents and automate workflows
   For staff who may need to work from home at short notice, accessing and sharing documents securely can be a real challenge and a drain of valuable time, particularly if hard copies are the norm for your school. With electronic document management, files such as academy trust finance information, HR documentation and pupil records can be located instantly and securely, reducing stress, printing costs, human error and removing the need for paper files. Such solutions can give staff back valuable time and make the transition from school to home seamless.

At Sharp, our experienced and innovative team of education consultants are here to offer advice and guidance on a range of options to suit all budgets, whether it’s enhancing your existing systems or exploring new and innovative solutions for your school. What’s more our solutions are available through DfE approved KCS frameworks. To discuss your remote learning challenges with our experts, please contact publicsectorsales@sharp.eu