As Schools Prepare to Reopen, Visual Communication Will be Critical – Part 3

As Schools Prepare to Reopen, Visual Communication Will be Critical – Part 3

 

By Victoria Sanville
Senior Manager, Vertical Sales – Public Sector
LG Electronics USA

 

Mobile, reconfigurable health protocol signage solutions allow schools to position their messages in high-traffic locations and then move them as necessary. Smart displays usually form the basis of the solution, attached to a portable mount or a rolling base.*

A built-in operating system and digital signage software allow staff to tailor messages from day-to-day and place digital signs at entrances in lobbies and learning spaces that don’t currently include digital signage. Various portable health protocol signage solutions even come with batteries and high-brightness displays so they can be placed curbside, for example, where people can read them in daylight and the school doesn’t have to run power cords to them.

 

Occupancy Management Systems

Many schools’ health protocols will include limiting the number of people in a building, lecture hall or other large space, similar to how retail stores and restaurants count and limit patrons to allow for social distancing. Occupancy management solutions for education can help automate an important health protocol while also providing digital signage messaging.

Using sensors integrated with a smart digital display and a media player, schools can track and count students and faculty as they enter and exit a space. So there’s no need for staff to risk their own health manually counting people. The system would display current occupancy levels versus school-determined maximums and alert people with ‘enter’ or ‘wait’ messaging. Such systems can usually be attached to a school’s IT network so that staff automatically receive alerts when spaces are at full occupancy and staff can then make arrangements to accommodate waiting visitors.

Such occupancy management systems can also be used on campus for very specific purposes. Increasingly, transportation hubs, corporate sites and other facilities are using smart restroom solutions to monitor restroom occupancy and alert custodial services when they may need to be cleaned. The same solutions, which typically would include a small display that tells people when it is safe to enter, can be used in schools and college buildings.

 

Safe Interactive Displays

Advanced technology has even made it so that interactive solutions, such as touch-enabled wayfinding displays, can be deployed safely by schools, whether for existing applications or to convey health safety-specific information, like the safest, one-way route to a room or location in a building.

As schools navigate safe reopening during the pandemic, interactive touch technology can actually be “contact-less.” The touch functionality will still be there in the future, but for now interactivity can be accomplished by QR code scanners or voice control integrated with new and existing systems. For example, a campus visitor wants to find the student center but doesn’t want to touch an interactive display. By scanning a QR code with her smartphone, an interactive map is replicated on her device and she can safely navigate routes and other information on her smartphone screen. Or she can speak to the interactive display and using artificial intelligence and voice recognition, the display can show her information the way today’s smart speakers do.

Ultimately, many of the features and functions of health protocol display solutions will have a useful life well beyond the current public health challenge. Schools that already have robust digital signage programs can easily see the value of added visual communication in reopening during the pandemic. And those just starting out can quickly adopt new health protocol solutions today and use them as the foundation of future digital signage applications. Technology companies have been recommitting their expertise to helping educational institutions operate safely. As they say, we’re all in this together.

 

*LG provides the displays utilized within healthcare protocol solution products developed and offered by a number of third party manufacturers.

As Schools Prepare to Reopen, Visual Communication Will be Critical – Part 2

As Schools Prepare to Reopen, Visual Communication Will be Critical – Part 2

 

By Victoria Sanville
Senior Manager, Vertical Sales – Public Sector
LG Electronics USA

To give school administrators the tools they need to keep students and staff informed, technology providers have started to develop a new category of turnkey digital health safety protocol solutions that combine video displays with software, sensors and more. The new class of health protocol display solutions available to higher education and K-12 school districts range from wellness kiosks to reconfigurable solutions to occupancy management systems.*

 

Wellness Kiosks

For staff, students and parents entering a school, campus building or other educational facility, many institutions will choose to screen individuals for possible infection. New all-in-one wellness kiosks are easy to setup at key entry points and don’t require staff to constantly monitor their operation. They typically include a smart display with a built-in operating system for processing and presenting information, as well as an integrated thermal scanner for quickly taking people’s temperature.

Multipurpose wellness kiosks not only take temperature readings, they can show health safety video content or important messages about the school’s protocols and plans. And many include built-in features such as motion-activated hand sanitizer dispensers and containers for offering masks or gloves. Some of the more advanced kiosks can automatically track hand sanitizer usage, so schools know not only that visitors are taking the important step of protecting themselves and others, but also when it’s time to refill the dispenser.

 

Reconfigurable Health Protocol Signage Solutions

Many educational institutions already have digital signage displays mounted throughout their facilities for school messages, sports highlights, event schedules, cafeteria menus and more. Clearly, existing signage can be repurposed to communicate important health information as schools reopen. But more visual communication may be needed, especially in locations not currently served by existing digital signage.

Mobile, reconfigurable health protocol signage solutions allow schools to position their messages in high-traffic locations and then move them as necessary. Smart displays usually form the basis of the solution, attached to a portable mount or a rolling stand.

Our next post will cover occupancy management systems and safe interactive displays, plus closing thoughts.

*LG provides the displays utilized within healthcare protocol solution products developed and offered by a number of third party manufacturers.

As Schools Prepare to Reopen, Visual Communication Will be Critical – Part 1

As Schools Prepare to Reopen, Visual Communication Will be Critical – Part 1

 

By Victoria Sanville
Senior Manager, Vertical Sales – Public Sector
LG Electronics USA

As colleges and K-12 schools plan for classes this fall — online, in classrooms, or a hybrid of both — those that opt for some form of in-person instruction will need to deliver it safely, ever-mindful of the coronavirus that’s still present. In order to open their doors and welcome students and faculty, educational institutions will need to follow health guidelines and be able to communicate information effectively, whether it is to observe social distancing practices, monitor and report the number of people occupying a room, or publish staggered class schedules to minimize potential exposures. Digital display technology can play an important role.

During the best of times, display technology — in the form of digital signage, video display kiosks and interactive wayfinding systems — is critical to informing and engaging people as they navigate public and private spaces. It can take on new importance now as schools across the country prepare to operate safely during the pandemic.

Visual communication is persistent and self-reinforcing. In K-12 schools, continual visual messaging, supported by creative, compelling digital content, plays an important role in promoting healthy habits that will serve schools well even when the current pandemic subsides, practices such as washing hands or staying home when students feel sick. At a time when circumstances evolve quickly and up-to-date information is critical, digital signage, which can be changed at a moment’s notice, gives school administrators the tools they need to keep students and staff informed.

Technology providers have started to develop a new category of turnkey digital health safety protocol solutions that combine video displays with software, sensors and more. But they are not necessarily one-trick ponies. At their core, these solutions include the kind of digital signage technology that supports visual communication in retail, hospitality, corporate and — increasingly — education applications. So, after helping schools confront the challenges posed by the pandemic, these health safety protocol solutions can be redeployed for other ongoing communication initiatives, from mass security notifications to information about school events.

Stay tuned. Next time we’ll get into the new class of health protocol display solutions available to higher education and K-12 school districts.

Every Space Is a Learning Space with LG’s K-12 Digital Experience

Every Space Is a Learning Space with LG’s K-12 Digital Experience

 

K-12 education is no longer a model where “teacher speaks, students listen.” Rather, it is about connectivity, collaboration and competition. And with the current situation in 2020 it continues to evolve, redefining learning spaces both in and out of the classroom.

LG Business Solutions USA is empowering today’s K-12 education needs with a diverse suite of commercial display technologies. It’s being showcased online at the LG K-12 Digital Experience, where you can watch videos, read case studies, learn about the products, download a datasheet package, and more. Areas covered include:

Active Learning Classrooms – Discover a diverse collection of technology that meets various budgets and can help increase teacher and student engagement. Pairs with 1:1 devices, i.e., mobile-computing devices that are used in the teaching as tools for learning, and collaboration software for blended learning.

Esports Learning Spaces – Through esports, students can learn digital citizenship, team building, leadership and life skills aligned with academic areas.* LG solutions support an esports club or team, plus spectators.

Collaboration Learning Areas – For the auditorium, lobby, hallways for experiential learning, huddle spaces, library and cafeteria. Leverage LG technology to enhance the learning environment and encourage spontaneous collaboration in virtually any transition space on school grounds.

Integrated Outdoor Learning and Connection – LG technology can complement the expansion of plans on school grounds for outdoor learning, club activities and athletic events, and safety announcements including health protocol information and PPE supplies.

Learn more at the LG K-12 Digital Experience today.

* https://www.nasef.org/news/blog/why-should-educators-embrace-esports/

LG OLED TVs, OLED Wallpaper, Pro:Idiom and HVAC System Outfit Smart Hotel

What uses 164 OLED hotel TVs, 15 OLED Wallpaper displays, Pro:Idiom® digital rights management in smart mirrors and an LG HVAC system to enhance the guest experience?

The answer is Marriott’s newest Autograph Collection property, The Sinclair in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Sinclair is the world’s first hotel to run almost entirely on Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), and is an early adopter of LG OLED hotel TV display technology, with a 55-inch model in every room. LG OLED technology harnesses the capability to dazzle guests – the TVs are renowned for superior picture quality with perfect black, infinite contrast, intense color, wide viewing angle and groundbreaking design. And the razor-thin 65-inch LG OLED 4K UHD Wallpaper displays are perfect for public spaces because of that wide viewing angle – regardless of where you’re sitting in the room, the display turns virtually any blank space into a new canvas for digital art or engaging content.

The LG OLED hotel TVs and Wallpaper displays also offer the ability to perform basic maintenance and update procedures for all the TVs/displays remotely, and simple connection to guests’ personal streaming service accounts.

During these challenging times, the hospitality industry is seeking effective and efficient ways to promote guest safety and keep visitors informed during their stays, while also maintaining brand luxury standards and improving the overall guest experience to remain competitive. With the OLED TVs in every guest room and OLED Wallpaper displays around the property, The Sinclair is both raising the standard of in-room entertainment and providing a captivating solution to clearly communicate safety protocols protecting guests and staff.

In the guest room bathrooms are 21-inch models of the touchscreen Savvy SmartMirror from Electric Mirror, integrated with LG’s Pro:Idiom digital rights management technology. Pro:Idiom unlocks access to premium HDTV content from cable, satellite or video on demand (VOD) services. The smart mirrors deliver TV programming and custom hotel content.

The hotel also required individual control of its HVAC system throughout the 164 guestrooms (featuring 50 different room types) and heating and cooling for the lobby bar, reception area and large basement restaurant. The hotel management team identified LG as a company that was able to fulfill myriad HVAC needs, and create a full building ecosystem with its range of cutting-edge technologies across an expansive portfolio. LG’s award-winning Multi V IV Heat Recovery Units were selected for their ability to provide individual room comfort for each space within the larger property. The Multi V IV also contributes to the building’s energy efficiency, high performance and flexibility in design and installation options.

Check out The Sinclair Hotel video case study.