ViewSonic latest myViewBoard software is designed keeping teachers in mind. Driving innovation in the new normal education segment – myViewBoard software enables teachers to conduct online classes for distance education and allows real-time collaboration through audio-video conferencing, huddles and digital whiteboarding.
Eric Wei, Senior Sales Director Asia Pacific, ViewSonic speaks with Zia Askari from ChannelDrive.in about the company’s current focus and its future plans.
What are some of the big priorities for ViewSonic when it comes to myViewBoard today?
ViewSonic strives to provide quality products to its patrons and we are big supporters of digital and smart education. Hence, our first priority would be the digitisation of education in India. Especially since schools and universities have been closed across the country due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we are committed to bringing the classroom experience back to the students and teachers. Education shouldn’t have to wait.
We are soon launching the myViewBoard Classroom, which is an online browser-based education platform within the myViewBoard ecosystem. The myViewBoard Classroom is a purpose-built solution designed with the teacher in mind first, rather than technology lead philosophy to assist educators in this new era of hybrid learning.
The launch of myViewBoard Classroom comes as schools grapple with reopening and what the new reality will look like. Whether educators are in the classroom, teaching from home, or reaching students via a combination of both methods, hybrid learning techniques will continue to play an essential role given the “new normal” in the education sector.
The myViewBoard Classroom comes with the low bandwidth feature which works well on low internet connectivity as well. In a developing nation like India where low internet speeds could be a hindrance in conducting online classes, myViewBoard comes to the rescue.
ViewSonic’smyViewBoard software is designed keeping teachers in mind. myViewBoard enables teachers to conduct online classes for distance education and allows real-time collaboration through audio-video conferencing, huddles and digital whiteboarding. The software also gives teachers access to a huge database of study material which is the myViewBoard original content. Additionally, teachers can also create their own curriculum within the software and can store their files in the cloud-based storage system for easy access.
What kind of software and hardware requirements does it take to maximise experience from myViewBoard?
An Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD (Solid State Drive) is recommended for maximizing the efficiency of the software. However, the minimum requirements to run myViewBoard are- Intel Core i3 processor with 4GB RAM and 128GB SDD. SSDs aren’t necessary but are recommended as they deliver faster load times and enhances the overall experience.
Please share your go-to market strategy for this?
ViewSonic is one of the very few brands that provide a complete hardware + software solution in the form of Interactive Flat Panel, or IFP Displays bundled with the myViewBoard software. We constantly focus on providing our audience with up-to-date and secure.
myViewBoard is a dynamic platform that offers educators easy access to their tools, assignments, courses, and documents all in one place, with the added bonus of having an open, agnostic, and secure digital whiteboard at their fingertips. Having everything in one place is of tremendous value to educators as it lessens their need to access multiple platforms for teaching and assessment. The myViewBoard is a one-stop-shop for preparing, presenting, participating, and performance reviews.
ViewSonic has partnered with both Microsoft and Google for Education. As a result, offers myViewBoard whiteboard software which has been integrated with the Microsoft and Google for Education ecosystems to offer educators a seamless digital teaching experience. The myViewBoard for Windows is fully integrated with Bing Image Search, Text to Speech, Microsoft Office 365, OneDrive, and Skype for Business.
In addition, ViewSonic has also formed a strategic partnership with Boclips, a leading educational video content provider, to enhance the teaching experience through video-assisted learning with myViewBoard™ Clips. myViewBoard Clips allows educators to use the ViewSonic myViewBoard digital whiteboarding ecosystem to access more than 2 million licensed educational videos, free from advertising and inappropriate content and curated for specific subjects.
How is this solution going to be different or unique from what the schools are enabling with Zoom or other such solutions today?
One of the biggest advantages that myViewBoard offers users over other solutions is that we are providing ‘myViewBoard’ subscription free of cost to support distance learning during the pandemic. We have also incorporated LMS (Learning Management Systems) integration within the software, allowing users to link their Google Classroom accounts with myViewBoard.
While other solutions that schools are deploying are majorly video conferencing platforms, myViewBoard software is specifically designed for education. myViewBoard allows teachers to live stream their lectures on YouTube and Facebook where students can join in. For live streaming, there is no cap on the number of participants, which is especially useful for organizing sessions with a larger audience. Additionally, the time limit for sessions is 8 hours for web, and 4 hours for mobile. Other messaging apps like Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts can also be used to stream your myViewBoard session. The teacher’s screen can be shared for instructional purposes and students can record entire lessons which they can view at a later time for revision purpose. myViewBoard also has a Live Captions feature which is especially useful for students with hearing disabilities.
In terms of functionality, myViewBoard allows teachers to create pop quizzes which the students can answer in real-time, and can also host live Q&A sessions. myViewBoard comes with all the necessary annotation tools such as- geometric tools, maps, pen, pencil, brush, etc. Teachers can use any of these tools while teaching and efficiently explain each subject virtually.
We are also coming up with myViewBoard classroom app, which would allow teachers to control when students can ask questions, or make comments, as well as manage who may display their screens to the class for presentations. Student participation is encouraged via the Hand Raise push-to-talk feature and student access to remote writing tools. These features would minimize distractions during a session and ensure a positive and efficient learning environment.
How do you plan to make it popular among the schools in India?
In a show of support for schools during the initial outbreak, ViewSonic provided myViewBoard free-of-cost to schools, colleges, during the pandemic phase. After receiving positive feedback from schools and educators, ViewSonic decided to make myViewBoard Entity for education complimentary to all educational institutions permanently.
ViewSonic is also offering complimentary online demos for schools and educational institutes who have put in requests for the same in advance. We are constantly in touch with teachers and educators, providing them with the necessary know-how and tutorials of the software and encouraging them to use myViewBoard for studies. Additionally, we are also organizing webinars and giveaway contests on Facebook, with the aim of raising awareness about myViewBoard Classroom’s ease-of-use and interactivity, and are constantly working on bringing educators and ed-tech influencers on board.
Please share your future plans with regards to this solution?
We at ViewSonic aim to contribute as much as we can to the education sector in the country, providing teachers and students with a virtual space to keep going during the pandemic and to offer teachers the capability to continue teaching and inspiring their students to learn regardless of their location and the current situation. The education sector is one of the worst-hit sectors in this pandemic, and we are fully committed to ensuring that it is not further hampered because of it.
