We’ve already looked at the many different considerations that one should think about when choosing the right Interactive LED for your school or District. What we are going to look at in this blog post are 5 must have features. 5 features for your interactive LED that you absolutely need for your school or district.
On Board Android
Why do I need onboard Android I hear you ask yourselves. Firstly, you should check whether it is actually on board and integrated into the LED or a separate box. The two are very different as a separate box does not give you full integration to be able to control things like on screen menus etc. So the first reason that you need onboard android is for control of your LED. You must be able to adjust the volume. The user absolutely should be able to change the brightness. You should also be able to change the Chanel. All of this at the touch of a finger without the need to use buttons or the remote control. This is the first thing reason for the for Android.
The second reason why you need on board android is for PC-Free operation. This means that if you don’t have a computer connected to the LED then you can still make use of the LED. This is important in the classroom.
The third reason for using On Board Android is of course Apps. Apps are our source of content and material to use on the LED. Whether they are games, illustrations or practical activities, they are interactive content that can be used on the LED. This means that the LED should also have access to an App Store. Preferably, the App Store should be totally free and also not require a credit card on file as this can be difficult in a school An App Store like the TouchIT App Store is perfect for this.
Lastly, Android should also give you the option of installing widgets onto your LED. Countdown times, stopwatches, news feeds – all are popular in the classroom.
Multi-touch
It goes without saying that you should be looking for a multi-touch capable device. It is quite common that multi-touch exists on Windows and Chrome, MAC is something of a strange beast as most Interactive LEDs are actually only single touch or single touch with MAC gesturing. We all have the big “A” to thank for this as they really don’t like to play well with 3rd party hardware. In our opinion, anything more than 2 point touch is not really needed. Anything you can do with two point touch you can still do if you have 10, 20 or even 32 point. It is just marketing.
Plug and Play Driverless Operation and Calibration Free
Drivers and Calibration have been the bane of our lives for many years with Interactive Whiteboard. Luckily, many of the Interactive LED manufacturers have opted, as TouchIT Technologies have, for driverless operation. This means that the hardware makes use normally of the HID (Human Input Device) driver that resides on the operating system. Plug in the cables and off you go. This is truly plug and play operation and makes for a great user experience.
Collaboration Software
Having the Interactive LED is just the start. What are you going to run on it? If you are part of the 50%+ School Districts that are Chrome and Google Classroom users, you are going to want to connect your devices. You need a piece of software to do this and in a perfect world, you don’t want to pay for it. If you haven’t already, check out Contribute Cloud. Having the ability to collaborate with Students on their devices is a must in the modern classroom.
On Site Warranty Support and Professional Development
So you have the Interactive LEDs. They are installed on your walls. You have returned after your Summer break and now what? How do you use them? It is essential that you have some form of Professional Development from the manufacturer so that the Teachers can learn to get the most out of the LEDs. What if there is a problem. How are you going to get it fixed? What is the down time? How long is this going to mean that my Interactive LED is out of action? These are all questions that can be answered with On Site technical support. This is a MUST and something that you absolutely should look for in a manufacturer.
It is probably also worth checking out where the manufacturer is actually located. If you are in the US, you want a US-based company. If you are outside of the US, then you need to understand what the protocol is for the warranty and support.
5 Simple things perhaps, but definitely things you MUST be looking for in an Interactive LED. Don’t worry, we have you covered, check out the Y Series from TouchIT Technologies.
