In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the combination of technology and communication plays a pivotal role in shaping the learning environment. American Heritage Charter School, nestled on the outskirts of Idaho Falls, embarked on a journey to enhance safety and streamline communication channels within its three buildings.
Embracing the potential of digital signage, the school's Director of Technology, Josh Siqueiros, found Rise Vision. This case study is all about the challenges American Heritage faced, what makes their situation special, and how Rise Vision became the key to meeting its goals.
Meet Josh Siqueiros
Meet Josh Siqueiros, the Director of Technology at American Heritage Charter School. Transitioning from the corporate realm into the world of education, Josh brought a fresh perspective and a determination to overcome communication challenges he noticed within the school. His background as an IT administrator in the business sector equipped him with the skills to navigate the hurdles of implementing new technologies in the educational domain. 
What Problem Were They Looking to Solve?
Upon joining American Heritage Charter School, Josh Siquerios identified two major challenges he wanted to tackle:
- Effective communication
- Increase safety
How Are They Using Rise Vision to Solve Their Problem?
To address the communication and safety challenges, Josh explored various solutions. Josh remarked, “Before Rise Vision, [the school] had one TV in a secondary building doing basically a PowerPoint. They weren't even using that when I got here. They were trying to use freeware… but it was a struggle with compatibility issues.”
Rise Vision caught his attention due to its digital signage capabilities and the potential to enhance communication and safety throughout the school.
Coming from the business world with his fresh perspective, Josh commented, "Safety messaging was the big thing. We could do better, improve communication, and enhance safety to a higher level than before. Rise Vision was a key part of that goal."
Improving Safety Communication
One of the primary goals for Josh was to enhance safety communication within the school. Rise Vision's capability for emergency messaging, such as weather warnings and lockdown alerts, was a key feature. Rise Vision’s ability to integrate with CAP alerts was another check mark on the pros list too.
Given the school's location in Idaho, known for extreme weather conditions and potential wildlife encounters, emphasized the importance of effective safety communication. While it is rare, there have been reports of moose wandering into the area near Idaho Falls (and even attacking).
With safety at the forefront of the school’s priorities, the district invested in Rise Vision as a foundational step toward improving overall safety communication.
Enhancing General Communication
Addressing the broader communication issues, Rise Vision was implemented to replace outdated methods like Google Docs, emails, and paper flyers. These kinds of communication methods are easy to miss or ignore when you’re constantly bombarded with information every day. The average teacher receives up to 100 emails a day - so it’s not surprising when one gets missed.
The school had limited communication tools, relying on a single TV in a secondary building showing basic PowerPoint presentations. Upgrading to digital signage updated their communication method and made information more accessible.
Rise Vision also allowed them to segment communication, providing different messages for the high school, middle school, and elementary school buildings. The selection of 550+ templates makes sharing relevant information easy for non-technical staff as well.
Josh also mentioned that the addition of multiple TV locations in the new school building indicated a strategic move to leverage Rise Vision for improved daily communication in the years to come.
What Can Readers Learn from This?
For schools that are interested in digital signage, there are a couple of lessons to be learned from the case study of American Heritage Charter School.
Effective Communication in School Settings
Lesson: It’s been shown that digital signage is an excellent way to effectively communicate in school and professional settings. Students are digital natives and familiar with technology, so it makes sense to speak to them in a way that’s easy for them to process and that matches their preferences.
For teachers and staff, digital signage is a great way to get easy to digest information in front of them without being discarded in their overflowing inbox.
Maximizing Safety Measures Through Technology
Lesson: School safety is a priority no matter the location. Whether it’s severe weather, wildlife, potential intruders, or worse, school safety can be maximized through technology. Digital signage is just one layer of a school’s safety program and is there to supplement and enhance other components like an intercom system, alarms, or locking doors. For a truly robust system, having your digital signage integrate with CAP alerts just makes sense.
Flexibility and Adaptability in Educational IT
Lesson: Like Josh, K-12 IT professionals are often overwhelmed with tasks. Adding digital signage management to that workload can feel like an impossible task. However, with an easy-to-use interface like Rise Vision, IT professionals like Josh can delegate the day to day management to someone else. This delegation also invites collaboration and fresh content from a variety of sources throughout the school.
American Heritage Charter School Enhances Communication and Safety with Rise Vision
In conclusion, American Heritage Charter School's journey with Rise Vision showcases the impact of digital signage on communication and safety in an educational setting. Despite facing challenges, the school's strategic implementation and commitment to leveraging Rise Vision for both safety and general communication provide valuable insights for other educational institutions considering similar solutions.
