In the Indian subcontinent, projectors and display screens have become an integral part of every classroom. This often overlooked product is now beginning to be viewed with fresh perspective by education leaders. A perspective that acknowledges edtech hardware as partners in education, and not just mere machinery.

Due to this paradigm shift, education leaders require their projectors to have certain features that were previously inconceivable. Until recently, it was enough for a projector to just function and display multimedia files on a screen. Those days are long behind us and expectations of educators are now sky high.

So what are these features that every education leader wants their projectors to have?

Dustproof

How the dustproof magic can prevent dust from damaging your classroom projectors.

Air pollution in India has reached an alarming level so much so that Delhi, the capital of India, has won the dubious honour of having “The Worst Air Quality” out of 1600 world cities. There have been days when levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 particulate matter hit 650 and 880 micrograms per cubic metre, far surpassing the safe limits for those pollutants, which are 60 and 100 respectively.

With particulate matter pollution at an all time high, it has become a priority for education leaders to safeguard their edtech investment. Reliability has been taking a hit and in the Indian education scenario, it is now unacceptable for a projector to break down during a class.

Dustproof solutions offered by a few premier edtech companies guarantee that the product will not break down and remain safe even against PM 2.5 level particles. In India, where PM 2.5 and 10 are the major sources of pollutants not only for individuals, but also for machines, it is integral to have a dustproof projector.

Ultra Short Throw Capability

The days where students were required to give presentations while wincing against the harsh glare of a projector are over. Education leaders now want their projectors to be unobtrusive while allowing free collaboration within the classroom.

With classrooms that are rapidly getting more crowded with each passing year, it is now a prerequisite for projectors to be mounted just a few inches from the projection area. This ensures that excessive space isn’t occupied and all distractions of glares and shadows are eliminated.

Interaction on Any Surface

Education leaders in India are aware of the limited resources that are at their disposal. Hence, they are always looking for ways to cut costs where there are no negative repercussions for students.

There are multiple ways to achieve interactivity in the classroom ranging from a digital whiteboard to individual tablets. But the most cost efficient one is using an interactive projector. Interactive projectors allow any surface to become an interactive space where teachers and multiple students can collaborate. In our country where both space and money are constraints, it makes immense business sense to look for interactivity through a single device that is cost effective.

High Brightness

Remember when classrooms needed blackout blinds for a presentation? Education leaders are now looking to cut down on the time and money wasted on creating a pitch black classroom.

They now need their projectors to be extremely high lumen to ensure that all presentations are visible even in a cheerily lit classroom.

Wireless Usage

Projectors from the past required users to go to the podium of a classroom, connect their device to it and then present. In this age of wireless connectivity, education leaders want seamless connectivity and they want it now.

The emergence of BYOD and its popularity can be attributed to the fact that students and teachers prefer using their personal devices, whether these are laptops, smartphones or tablets, over organisation-provided presentation devices.It has also been noted that BYOD can bring significant benefits to the classroom. Sharing content across tablets, smartphones and personal devices makes these useful for many different classroom scenarios, ranging from student presentations to teacher training sessions.

Projectors are no longer optional in an Indian classroom and edtech companies are slowly realising the true power of this often overlooked piece of hardware. With education leaders seeking to invest in this avenue, it also makes financial sense.