Abdulnassir Ali, Sales Manager – Visual Imaging Solutions. Epson Middle East, explains how Interactive solutions can make lessons more inclusive, collaborative, and memorable.
As educational institutions across the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East allow for a return of in-person learning, in line with government guidelines, education leaders have turned their thinking to how they can use projectors and document cameras to safely bring people back together and maintain social distancing in what are typically crowded environments.
Within many classrooms, moving people apart by two meters raises the significant challenge of ensuring that all children in the class, can adequately see the lesson visuals being shown or presented at the front of the room.
Flat panels, which are commonly used in many of these environments, offer little flexibility and have no scope for increasing the screen size. Given that around 58% of students claim they can’t read all content on a 70-inch flat panel at the best of times, further distancing poses a serious concern.
One solution available is a projector. Again, commonly used already in these environments, they offer a far more flexible solution. By scaling screen sizes up (with Epson products up to 155 inches in full HD) the screen becomes accessible to everyone in the room.
Lessons can therefore be more inclusive, collaborative, and memorable. And what’s more, unlike with their flat panel counterparts, there are no visible finger marks left on screen if touched. When using Epson displays with anti-bacterial whiteboard surfaces, it eradicates any breeding ground for bacteria and viruses.
In the United Arab Emirates, parents can choose between distance learning or face-to-face learning, with the latter seeing classrooms meeting social distancing requirements. In Saudi Arabia, the first seven weeks of the fall term for schools will be online, when the government will examine the situation.
Scalable screen sizes and portable solutions offer increased flexibility and visibility
Providing bright, scalable screen sizes up to 350 inches at an affordable price point, Epson’s new entry-level display solutions for education (EB-E20, EB-X49, EB-W49, EB-982W, EB-992F, and EB-FH52) are set to support the return to the workplace, aiding social distancing.
Unlike their flat panel counterparts, Epson’s new display solutions offer flexibility and scalable screen sizes up to 350 inches, making them adaptable and suitable for multiple settings, enabling clear content delivery and visibility – even from the back of classrooms.
Similarly, the Epson EB-1400 series of ultra-short-throw projectors can combine the benefits of interactive projection, white boards, and flip charts in one multi-purpose, integrated device, for more flexible and interactive lessons. The projectors are perfect for brainstorming and presentations, with a large screen size of up to 120 inches, along with the latest features and connectivity. Students can get a perfect view from anywhere in the classroom, make on-screen contributions, and take part from their own smart devices.
Overall, Epson’s interactive display solutions can give teachers the freedom to create digital learning experiences that meet the expectations of today’s technologically aware teachers and students and promote participation and effective learning.
Ensuring collaboration and inclusion
The use of collaborative solutions, such as interactive projectors, means that not only those in the room can be involved in the lesson, but also those at home. And not only can everyone see the content, they can also annotate on it, share ideas, add to group work, and remain included in the process. Multiple devices can project simultaneously and well as share content between them.
Visualizers, or document cameras, also offer an ideal opportunity to share a projected live view of 3D objects. Large groups of people, both in and outside of the physical room, can share a detailed, close-up view of an item without crowding around and without having to pass the object between them.
Middle East educational institutions that already have projectors and document cameras are in a great position to realize their full potential. Those that don’t, but are investing, would make a wise decision in selecting them.
