A Budding Instructional Technology Specialist
Digital Signage
Northampton Area High School added a number of TV's around the school this year to present information to students and guests at the school. Termed digital signage, these are connected to a central computer hub that can be programed to show specific information at different times and locations. The digital signs have been running all over the high school so far this year. They show the same cycling information, tips, and announcements for the students all day on all screens. The digital signage is a new addition to the school, at present isn't being utilized to it's full potential. Each of the screens is capable of being programmed to show different information at different times. I met with the Athletic Director, Shaun Murray, and proposed that he take advantage of the screen at the rear of the school near the gym. During the winter athletic season there will be large numbers of community members and other spectators who will come in to watch the games, and the screen by the gym can be used to communicate information to all of these people very easily. Shaun liked the idea, and asked me to make five Google presentations that can be looped on the screen. I created presentations with the schedules for Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Wrestling, and Swimming/Diving. I also made a presentations with the Hall of Fame information to be used when the new nominees are inducted before a Boys Basketball game.
The digital signage is a great way to reach the students, and can be an effective way to provide information to the community. I think there are still ways for the administration and teachers to use the digital signage to promote things to the community. There are many uses for the screens that we are currently not taking advantage of, but I was happy to be able to persuade the Athletic Department to begin using the screen in their area. I have created a number of presentations using Google Slides, so making these was not difficult. The difference was that I had to present the information in a way where I would not be speaking or explaining. I worked to create a presentation that was easy to read from several feet away, and that the information on each slide could be read within the time it would be shown. To be most effective the presentations needed to grab interest quickly, and contain useful information.
I began by creating the title slide with silhouettes of all of the sports under the Athletic Department's administration. Placed at the beginning of all of the presentations for the signs, I was hoping to build recognition and spark interest in the following information. For the schedule presentations I kept the rest of the slides simple and clear, while for the Hall of Fame presentation I added a simple black and orange background to distinguish it from the standard schedule presentations. Shaun was very happy with the work I did, and all five of them will be in use this winter. He plans to update them each year with new information, and continue using them.