Teaching and learning is constantly evolving, primarily in response to increased knowledge and better ways of delivering lessons but also because those being educated have embraced new technologies and are more savvy with it than they have ever been before.

Gone are the days of blackboards, text books and learning by rote, today’s pupils are downloading onto tablets, surfing the internet on their smart phones and using them all to interact and, more importantly, learn.

Educational establishments such as schools, colleges and universities need to move with the times and many of them now are. New multi-function printers which can push course material digitally onto a pupil’s laptop or handheld device are much more common than before. Tech is increasingly playing a major part in lessons, lectures and seminars making an increasingly immersive and versatile environment.

One tech giant that is moving into the world of education is Sharp who have a number of products that enhance classroom activity. This includes the multiple point touch screens that have replaced white boards and can be connected easily to the internet and provide instant access to course information.

Even traditional notice boards are being replaced by Sharp digital boards that pupils can touch, scroll and search for the information they need such as class timetables or upcoming events. It allows school offices to better centralise administration procedures rather than opting for an ad hoc approach. These kinds of devices can also be easily integrated with student’s email and calendars which means they have no more excuse for missing lessons.

With intelligent touch boards up to 80 inches in size, classrooms are looking more space age than ever. There are useful add-ins such as anti-glare screens that means you don’t get interference from outside light, 10 touch point interfaces and even an eraser tool. The boards have scratch resistant screens so schools don’t have to worry about the usual wear and tear. Connecting other devices to the intelligent touch board can either be done remotely by Wi-Fi or by the numerous ports that can support anything from HD video to a computer or external speakers.

The boards come with intelligent pens that act like a mouse and can be used to draw or write directly on the screen. Not only that, up to four people can write on an intelligent touch board at the same time making everything so much more interactive for teachers and students. The annotation software that comes from the Sharp camp enables you to split the screen and engage writing recognition algorithms that turn teacher’s scribbles into uniform text.

The board can also be controlled from mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets and you can send information direct from the screen to pupils if needed. They, in turn, can highlight areas on diagrams or images when they want to question something, just by using their own tablet or pc.

This immersive technology means a whole new range of possibilities open up for everyone, dictating how we teach and how students take on information. It’s a brave new world and one with some very exciting hi-tech possibilities.