Sunday, February 18, 2007
One of the uses for digital signage has been in the area of computer based training. Digital signage software solutions have been developed to allow training to take place at various monitors located in a training area or even at remote areas. The content sent to each monitor can be controlled separately allowing students to progress at their own speed and not have to wait for slower students. The applications of computer based training using digital signage solutions are actually mind boggling when considered from the standpoint of an instructor.
If students are taking a computer class, the instructor can freeze individual monitors and create various situations that must be handled separately at each station. Once the problem has been solved, that student can progress on to the next lesson or view the next training video while the rest of the class continues to work on the problem. The instructor can monitor the progress of each student from the central control station.
Computers have opened up possibilities in training from the time they became small enough to fit on a desktop. The use of training videos have also been a part of the basic training arsenal since videos were first developed. In the pre-video era movies were used and later closed circuit television systems. The use of images has been recognized by trainers from the very beginning and now digital signage solutions have brought this to its logical conclusion. The major savings have come in the all important area of time. Employees in need of training need not leave their workstations to go to a distant training classroom. It is not necessary to change tapes or rewind them. Also, faster students no longer have to sit and wait while slower students catch up. The savings in the valuable commodity of time will justify and recover the cost of the system.
One of the most critical areas that use computer based training today is training in computers themselves. The demand for certified IT techs is clearly outstripped the supply. Digital signage solutions have many applications in training IT techs. The ability to control the remote computer from a remote location makes possible valuable hands on training in computer trouble shooting. This is an area where amazing progress is expected in the coming years. Digital signage and computer based training are two ideas that go compliment each other almost perfectly.
Natalie Aranda writes about training and technology.
