A 5-year project to modernise classrooms across the municipality of Bærum in Norway has recently aided remote learning for students in 49 schools throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Supported by a network of over 1,200 Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays and integrated iPads, teachers have been able to host virtual lessons and share content and presentations, while pupils submitted homework and connected with teachers through the tablets.

Background

Sony has been working with the municipality of Bærum since 2015 as part of an original initiative called Digital School Day that seeks to enhance the learning and educational development of students to digitally-equip them for the workplace. Over the last 5 years, this has evolved to supporting classroom upgrades across 49 schools, with support for up to 30 pupils per class.

Challenges

The Bærum municipality wanted to roll out a new interactive programme of educational content that mirrored the modern way students were consuming information outside of school. To do this, schools needed an automated solution that could standardise and improve on existing technology platforms across teaching spaces. Alongside new educational tools, this required integrating technology as a part of the lecture and classroom environment.

Where schools had previously relied on projectors and boards, there was an immediate need to find a modern and automated approach that was user-friendly. The solution required minimum 70-inch screens with matte surfaces and tablet compatibility, alongside auto-switching that would reduce start up time. Displays needed to provide easy connection to PCs through HDMI or VGA cables with support for varied streaming solutions.

The Sony solution

Sony was able to provide the optimal solution for integrated classroom technology with its range of Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays. In partnership with Evercom AS, an initial installation of 717 screens, later increasing to over 1,200 Professional Displays by 2020, took place across 49 schools throughout the municipality, providing a minimum of one screen per classroom.

The slim and energy-efficient Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays were provided in both full HD Colour LED and 4K versions with over 400 nits, providing bright, detail-packed pictures. Designed for simple installation, with flexible mounting and versatile control options, all screens also supported the visual legacy requirements of each school. While the product’s automated and easy-to-connect solution vastly reduced start up time, its easy setup also meant that Evercom AS could configure one screen, upload the required setup solution to a USB and copy the same set-up across all displays, producing a cost-efficient solution that saved time and resource.

Results to date

The installation of Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays significantly supported the region’s move to a digital future, and to be able to respond and adapt in a timely manner to the latest challenges that Covid-19 has presented. Throughout the pandemic, each of the 49 schools were able to continue their tutoring and studies remotely, without interruption. Now, as students return to school teachers have been using the Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays with Airplay and Apple TV to enable students to share screens and presentations, while pupils can link their iPads to share homework and connect with the class.

From an everyday perspective, working digitally in the classroom has promoted a much more interactive and enjoyable way to learn. Instead of being tied to desks, teachers can now walk around the classroom more frequently, interacting with students and enabling their learning with greater success. The new Displays also provide richer student engagement with four times the resolution of Full HD – so text, charts, diagrams and video look crisper and clearer, while content sharing from students’ laptops and mobile devices is simple.

"Education is one of focus areas at Sony Professional and we are very pleased to have been working with Bærum Kommune and Evercom since 2016, enabling a smarter and more seamless workflow for students and teachers. The collaboration has grown from being only primary schools to now encompassing the entire municipality of Bærum. With the lowest failure rate of any display brand, Bærum Kommune and Evercom know they can trust the Sony displays and avoid unnecessary interruptions." Marius Karthum, Nordics Account Manager at Sony Professional Europe commented.

The BRAVIA Professional Displays were installed to run online for 17-18 hours a day, but for the municipality of Bærum the displays have been approved for 24/7 use.

Product list

AV Integrator: Evercom AS

The Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays are designed to bring all visual communication to life in a broad array of spaces from boardrooms and offices, to retail venues and schools. For more information please visit: https://pro.sony/en_GB/products/professional-displays