Displays and software · For principals, activities directors and communications staff
Interactive digital signage for schools that lets visitors choose the story
Most school signage plays slides in a loop: lunch menu, game times, a birthday. Interactive signage works differently. A visitor walks up, taps the hall of fame, finds a name and reads the whole story.
No account needed to start. Free to use. No payment details required.
What is interactive digital signage for schools?
Interactive digital signage for schools is a screen that responds to touch, letting students and visitors choose what to open instead of watching slides rotate on a timer, and it is often placed in hallways, gym lobbies and front offices. HistoryShowcase is software for the recognition and history side: visitors browse collections, search names, filter by sport or year and open full profiles.
Updated
- Made for
- Principals, activities directors and communications staff
- Where schools put it
- Main hallway, Gym lobby, Front office
- Layouts
- Portrait gallery, Pennant, Photo gallery, Timeline
- Visitors can filter by
- Sport, Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
Slides talk at people. A touchscreen lets them ask.
Traditional digital signage is one-way. A screen rotates through slides on a timer, and the visitor gets whatever happens to be showing. That works for announcements, but not for history. A ten-second slide can’t hold a hall of fame biography, and nobody waits through forty slides hoping their grandfather’s team comes around.
Interactive signage turns the screen around. Visitors choose a collection, filter by sport or year, search for a name and open a full profile with photos. The alum looking for their class photo and the freshman curious about a record both find what they came for. Keep your announcement screens for announcements, and give your stories a screen people can explore.
How does interactive digital signage for schools compare with rotating slides?
| What matters | Rotating digital signage | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| Who chooses the content | The slide schedule | The visitor, with a tap |
| Time per item | A few seconds per slide | As long as the visitor likes |
| Best use | Lunch menus, game times, notices | Halls of fame, records and history |
| Reusing existing slides | Already in the loop | Export as a PDF for Smart Add to suggest stories |
| Viewing from home | Usually only on the screen | Same site at its own web address |
Rotating signage compared with an interactive display
Timed slides or visitor choice
Rotating slides show whatever is next in the loop. On an interactive display, the visitor picks what to open and stays as long as they like.
A headline or the whole story
A slide fits a name and a year. A profile holds a summary, a biography and up to 100 photos or media files.
Waiting or searching
Instead of waiting for a name to come around, visitors type it and go straight to the profile.
One order or many paths
Collections, folders and filters such as sport and year let each visitor take their own route.
Announcements still belong on signage
Lunch menus and game times suit a rotating screen. Interactive displays suit history and recognition.
Turning slides into collections
Look at the recognition slides you already rotate and turn each theme into a collection visitors can open.
Your siteChoose a Story
- Hall of FamePortrait gallery
What used to be one slide per inductee becomes a full profile.
- State TitlesPennant
Every championship season as a banner, opening the roster and photos.
- Class PhotosPhoto gallery
Composites by graduating class.
- School HistoryTimeline
Milestones in order, from opening day to the newest addition.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Sport
- Year
How do you set up interactive digital signage for schools?
Collect your recognition slides
Export the slides you rotate now as a PDF, upload it, and let Smart Add suggest stories with their sources for you to review.
Give each slide room to grow
Turn each one into a profile with a biography and more photos than a slide ever held, all in a private draft.
Put the stories on a touchscreen
Publish, open the site full screen on a touchscreen, and keep your rotating screens for daily announcements.
Where should interactive signage go in a school?
- Main hallwayWhere students stop between classes to look up an older sibling.
- Gym lobbyFans look up past teams before tip-off.
- Front officeA screen visitors can use while they wait, next to the one showing announcements.
Interactive signage questions
Can it also rotate announcements?
It isn’t built for rotating announcements. It’s an interactive experience for recognition and history. Many schools keep a separate screen for the daily bulletin.
Will people actually touch it?
People touch screens that look worth exploring. A clear home screen with a few well-named collections, a search and strong photos gives them a reason to try.
Do we need special signage players?
No. It runs in a web browser. Open your published site full screen on the touchscreen, or run it as an installed app.
Can we reuse our existing slides?
Yes, as a starting point. Export them as a PDF and Smart Add suggests stories for you to review and accept before anything is added.
