While the students of today are deprived of the opportunity to walk through hallowed halls, following in the paths of those whose discoveries have shaped the world in which they live, technology has stepped in to ensure that they can still tread in those footsteps from afar. Technology has enabled the learned voices of knowledge to continue to speak to inquiring minds. Technology has enabled the visions of history’s greatest thinkers to continue to be shared with those that will grasp the thoughts of the past and seize the opportunities of the future.
Evolving to blended learning
With the lockdown necessity of distance learning likely to evolve into the long-term normality of blended learning, the Clevertouch ecosystem of interconnected technologies will help to ensure that everyone – whether in the lecture theatre or sitting on their sofa – can be involved and feel a part of the university experience, whilst delivering a smooth workflow process for academics delivering their sessions.
Since we launched Clevertouch – the original large format interactive display for higher and further education – over a decade ago, our mission has been to help educators deliver the best possible learning experiences to everyone, everywhere. Over the last year, we are proud to have played our part in setting the stage for those that stand at the front of the room to continue to communicate with those that cannot be on site, helping to maintain the continuity of on-campus life, off-campus.
When the days of social distancing become little more than a distant memory, the societal shift that they set in motion will surely lead to a permanent change across the education landscape. This vibrant future landscape will see students and lecturers brought together from across the world, morphing the lecture into a collaborative student ‘bubble’ that stimulates ideas and understanding and increases information sharing.
Technology solutions
We have developed Clevertouch to be at the centre of the Blended Learning future. We have always believed that technology is there to support educators, assisting them to do what they do best and giving them the confidence that everyone is seeing, hearing, experiencing and collaborating.
Walk into the room and Clevertouch powers up. Tap the DisplayNote Launcher App and Clevertouch connects to a personal Calendar. When ready to start the next scheduled lecture, Clevertouch streams from any chosen video conferencing platform. Choose ‘Spotlight’ camera mode and Clevertouch can switch between showing the lecturer and sharing the screen. Deliver the lecture using the Clevertouch touchscreen interface – with or without PPE gloves – or connect and control from any device with Clevershare. Clevertouch will work side by side with your main projection screen and allow for interactivity from lecturers to create active and engaged learners.
Outside of the lecture, in breakout areas across campus, a mobile Clevertouch solution with a wipe clean display brings smaller groups of students together to focus on a shared screen, revisit recorded lectures and discuss the views expressed. These ‘bubbles’ enable questions to be raised and ideas to be floated informally among friends and colleagues at universities and colleges across the world. We have always understood that this social collaboration is intrinsic to campus life, turning individual goals of academic achievement into shared life affirming experiences. That’s why we’ve developed Clevertouch as a truly Unified Communications platform, open to connect with the operating systems and cloud-based services of choice.
Embracing digital change
Technology opens a digital window onto a wider world and provides a collegiate experience for all. As the months of enforced digital communication leads to a future that embraces digital transformation, we will continue to put the needs of educators and students first. We will always listen to educators, understand the challenges they face and innovate to deliver best-in-class, location-neutral learning technologies that empower them to enlighten a generation without boundaries.
