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These 10 Content Ideas Help Schools Get the Most out of Digital Signage

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Do you have trouble conveying crucial information to your students on campus? If so, it’s time to put digital signage to work.

While most schools have some form of digital signage in place – they aren’t leveraging the technology to its fullest potential.

In the past, digital signage could only provide static images and text scrolls. Today, you can use animations, videos, and even touchscreens to connect with your audience.

What does this mean for you?

It means there are numerous ways to use digital signage to increase engagement and get important messages across to your students, teachers, and staff.

To help you get started, here are our top 10 school digital signage ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

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Cut Through the Noise with These 10 School Digital Signage Ideas

If you’re fresh out of innovative ideas for your digital signage, it’s time to start thinking beyond the basics because you’re missing out on so much when using this powerful tool only for static displays of general information.

There’s no limit to what you can do with a digital signage screen.

Looking for some out-of-the-box use cases to connect with your students and staff on a deeper level? Check out these 10 content ideas to help you develop new ways to use digital signage in the education sector.

1. Display Social Media Walls With Your Latest Posts

Social media icons on a digital screen

Could your school’s social media presence use a boost? Digital signage grants you the ability to do that easily. Set up all your digital screens across campus to display your latest social media posts.

That includes everything from your Twitter feed and Facebook updates to Instagram photos of students and graduates.

If you want to take it a step further, include tagged posts, mentions, and hashtags. Not only is social media content relevant to students, but also it helps fill in the content gaps.

Pepper in some funny memes and social media posts to keep things light between school bulletins and events.

Want to know another perk?

Modern digital signage software enables your signs to automatically show your latest posts.

That will keep your content fresh with minimal work on your part.

2. Welcome New Students, Teachers, or Staff Members

A chalkboard displaying a teacher biography for Mr. Smith

Starting at a new school can be nerve-wracking for new instructors and students. Displaying a hearty welcome for them via digital signage is a great way to break the ice. Including a short biography will help everyone get to know them straight away.

Digital welcome screens also help students remember the names of everyone new.

That’s a great way to get the ball rolling in the classroom as a new teacher won’t have to waste much time on an introduction.

3. Provide Easy Navigation and Wayfinding for Visitors

A man touches an interactive map kiosk

Schools are extensive facilities that can be tricky to navigate – especially for new students and teachers. With a modern digital signage platform, you can create interactive maps for your school to provide wayfinding information that can’t be effectively conveyed with physical signs.

That will allow students to quickly and easily identify where they need to go during the day.

A digital screen displaying an interactive map of your school will help reduce tardiness. Since students will have detailed instructions on navigating the facility, they won’t get lost and show up late. The same rings true for new teachers or administration members wanting to know the location of classrooms and meeting rooms.

Want to point out unique areas to your campus or emergency exits?

That’s no problem with a modern digital signage platform. You can program your maps to highlight points of interest and all emergency exits.

4. Showcase Relevant Regulations and School Policies

A stack of policies with a gavel

Bulletin boards look sloppy and don’t encourage engagement from students. If you’re relying on notice boards or bulletin boards to get the word out about new policies – chances are, they’re mainly getting ignored.

If that’s the case, it’s time to put the thumbtacks away and develop a new strategy.

A digital screen will always look more appealing than a wooden notice board, and they’re great for increasing engagement.

Clever digital signage can make new school policies enticing to read. Try using appealing themes, images, and videos to liven up the information.

5. Announce Events, Functions, or Emergency Alerts

An emergency alert system


Making emergency alerts more visible is a challenge for every campus.

This is where digital signage comes into play, helping deliver emergency messages to the entire campus within seconds. Beyond warning students, digital signage can alert students and faculty of:

  • Upcoming events or assemblies
  • Sporting events
  • Prom, dances, and other parties
  • Faculty meetings
  • Visiting speakers
  • Times when the school shuts down

These are only a few ways you can use digital signs to notify students and faculty of events.

6. Broadcast Exam Schedules

A hand filling in a question on a multiple-choice exam

Not knowing when an exam is can be a significant cause of stress for your students. You can use digital signage to broadcast the exam schedules across the school to remedy this.

To make sure students take note of these schedules, strive to make them visually appealing.

Include more than just the dates for the exam – students will want to know when the exam starts and at which building. With a platform like Wallboard, teachers can insert QR codes to display on screen. That enables students to pull up the exam schedules on their phones.

7. Motivate and Inspire Students

A child looking up at a message that says ‘believe in yourself"

Sometimes all a student needs is a boost in morale. If you want to inspire your students to give it their all – digital signage is your secret weapon.

Quotes from successful leaders and motivational memes make great content, motivating students to go the extra mile.

Sprinkle in some much-needed inspiration between exam schedules and bulletins to keep student morale high.

8. Acknowledge the Creativity and Achievements of Your Students

A Student of the Month graphic highlighting Kara Fisher from Grade 6

Getting an education can be a tough job at times. That’s why it’s crucial to acknowledge students when they knock it out of the park.

Using digital signage to give a student a shout-out for a great job will make them feel special, appreciated, and encourage your other students to try harder.

9. Broadcast Lost Item Announcements

A lost and found sign in the middle of the desert

Digital signage grants you the ability to digitize your lost and found box. So instead of letting lost items gather dust in a crate somewhere, use your digital screens to get the word out.

Your students will appreciate being able to check the screens for information about their lost hats, bags, or gadgets.

10. Display Weather Forecasts

Is it going to pour rain on exam day? Then your students would definitely like to know. Your digital signage is the perfect place to broadcast weather forecasts.

With regular forecasts in place, students and teachers will know if they need a jacket or umbrella on their way out. To draw more attention to these broadcasts, try animating the clouds, sun, and rain.

Read More: The 5 Most Important Benefits of Digital Signage

4 Tips to Help You Make Your School Digital Signage Impactful

Your digital signage won’t mean much if it doesn’t make an impact. The goal for any digital sign should be to draw attention and inform compellingly. How do you do that? Check out these expert tips to find out.

1. Understand Your Audience to Tailor Your Messaging

A group of college students at a concert

If you want students to listen to what you have to say, you need to understand them. The more you know your students, the easier it will be to speak their language and tailor your digital signage content to their needs and interests.

It’s not enough to only grab their attention for a second, either.

You’ll need to hold their attention long enough for them to absorb your message. That takes an intimate understanding of how they speak, what they like, and what they need from you.

2. Use Dynamic Content to Improve Engagement

A woman interacts with digital signage

Modern digital signage grants you the opportunity to use dynamic content. Instead of using static imagery, dynamic digital signs offer a much more engaging way to reach your audience.

You have the freedom to use animated transitions, videos, and interactive features – touchscreens even offer a way for users to engage with the signage physically.

An example would be an interactive map of a school with touch-buttons to display each floor and an accompanying video. This type of dynamic content makes your signage far more engaging.

3. Know Your Ratios and Plan for the Resolutions

A chalkboard showing a completely symmetrical Fibonacci sequence

It’s imperative to know your digital signage software inside and out. Digital signs require precise design ratios and display resolutions.

To do things right, you’ll need to plan these out beforehand carefully. That way, you’ll have symmetrical designs with razor-sharp resolutions for every sign.

4. Use Analytics Tools to Continuously Improve Your Content

A tablet showing analytics along with some papers

If you use a tool like Wallboard, you’ll gain access to cutting-edge analytics tools to track your success as you try out new content.

Pay close attention to the content that gets the most engagement. As long as you keep up with your analytics, you’ll stay on an upward spiral of improvement.

Final Thoughts: These 10 Content Ideas Help Schools Get the Most out of Digital Signage

Digital signage is a must for any school or college campus that wants to stay relevant in the digital age.

If you’re going to cut through the noise of smartphones and social media, you’ll need to find a way to grab students’ attention.

With all its recent developments, digital signage is the best method for drawing in the eyes of everyone nearby.

Are you interested in learning more about leveraging this tool to make your school a lot more effective? Reach out to our team today to schedule a free consultation.

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