Putting interactive screens in your classroom
Ask any pupil or teacher what the focal point of the classroom is, and they’ll all tell you it’s the…
Ask any pupil or teacher what the focal point of the classroom is, and they’ll all tell you it’s the big screen at the front of the room. This is the main teaching aid and the place around which pupils gather to learn the principles of each subject before exploring it in more depth via practical exercises or individual study.
Once upon a time, this ‘screen’ was a humble chalkboard, but you’re unlikely to find any of these in classrooms nowadays. What you will still often find is a whiteboard, which is fine for writing notes, creating pictures, and rubbing out mistakes, but to really bring learning to life in the classroom, you should consider upgrading to an interactive screen.
How can my school afford interactive screens?
Of course, your first question will be “how can my school afford interactive screens?”, and that’s where Utility Rentals comes in.
We all know that schools are under more financial pressure now than ever before. Capital budgets are facing an unprecedented squeeze, which is why leasing – rather than buying – new equipment is exploding in popularity.
While there is no shortage of leasing companies out there, we pride ourselves on standing out from the crowd with our 30-year track record in specialist education finance, and our finely tuned system that makes it straightforward to acquire the kit you need on a compliant lease.
All state and private schools are pre-approved for our lease finance, and with your payments divided into regular, fixed amounts that cover the equipment rental and its maintenance, you never need to worry about unpredictable costs.
We are self-financed, with no third party involvement, meaning we have complete control over our rates and there are no expensive broker fees to pay.
And using our established links to key suppliers to the education sector and pre-negotiated education friendly rates on equipment, we’ve done all the hard work on behalf of our customers already.
Leasing high-value equipment like interactive screens is roughly three times as affordable as purchasing it outright.
Let’s say your school has nine classrooms. To equip all of them with a new interactive display screen, you could choose to purchase three screens a year for three years. But the cost to buy one screen can be similar to funding three. So, working with us, you could lease all nine screens at the same time. The table below shows at a glance how an operating lease from Utility Rentals really does add value.
What is an interactive screen and what does it do?
An interactive screen is an LCD or LED display that looks like a large TV. However, it is touch and pen-enabled, meaning you can use it like a large-scale tablet.
You can also connect it to a computer, which enables you to:
- Surf the web using a browser
- Stream videos from YouTube and other platforms
- Record sound and video
- Create interactive presentations and other content
- Live chat with classes/teachers in other locations
- Carry out live polls for assessments
You can also use screen mirroring capabilities to link your interactive screen to an iPad or tablet, enabling you to do all of the above from the palm of your hand!
Check out our handy list of clever lesson plan ideas you can get stuck right into with your interactive screen!
The benefits of interactive screens for schools
So, now you know what an interactive screen is, and you have an idea of what you can use it for, let’s look at why pupils and teachers have so much to gain from this technology:
Dynamic learning
Interactive screens enable children to take an active and participatory role in their learning, working with their teachers and the technology to develop their skills. It’s easy for pupils and teachers to collaborate using a broader range of sources, including online resources, annotated diagrams and more. Pupils can present their work to the class with the ability to highlight key points as they go along. They can also add video or audio clips to help illustrate their ideas.
Improved engagement
The versatility of interactive screens helps prevent pupils from “tuning out” what they’re being taught. The full-colour, video-enabled screen display captures their attention and helps them retain new information. Teachers can connect computers, cameras, microscopes and a huge range of other devices, to add new dimensions to the material they’re teaching. Pupils can play educational games on the big screen, give presentations, and become immersed in their schooling in ways that just aren’t possible without this technology.
SEN inclusion
Interactive screens can also help pupils with special educational needs (SEN) feel more included, especially through features such as text-to-speech software.
In fact, all pupils can benefit from the different learning styles that interactive screens facilitate. For example, visual learners can connect with video clips and multimedia, and kinesthetic learners can enjoy getting up out of their seats and moving around as directed by the exercise the teacher has designed for them.
Concept visualisation
Traditional teaching methods sometimes struggle when it comes to explaining complex topics to children. Interactive screens are a fantastic way to bring learning to life using virtual reality and video.
Interactive screens: the options
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty: how do you choose the right interactive screen for your classroom?
At Utility Rentals, we provide market-leading rental packages for interactive screens, including all of the following:
- Screen
- Wall mount – options for solid or hollow walls
- Cables and mounting plates for tidy installation
- Professional installation
- Onsite warranty for the duration of the rental
- Optional removal and disposal of old kit
If you’ve already chosen the screen you would like, but your capital budget won’t stretch to it, we can work with your supplier to arrange compliant lease finance.
If you haven’t chosen a screen yet, we can recommend the range from our partner Newline.
Their gorgeous range of Lyra screens come with:
- Enhanced Wifi 6 & Bluetooth 5.0
- 65 W Powered USB Type-C
- Secure Multi User Profiles
- Broad OS Compatibility
- High Quality Sound System
Newline’s screens come in a wide range of sizes, to suit any classroom: 55″/65”/75”/86”/98”.
Whichever screen you choose will come with an intuitive user interface that makes it easy for teachers and students to operate. Any teacher that is used to operating projectors and whiteboards will recognise a lot of the same benefits – and many more!
If you’re interested in finding out more about interactive screens for your school, talk to our friendly team.
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