If you’re incorporating interactive technology into your classrooms, you've probably heard of Google EDLA. With other displays, you can expect a stock Google EDLA experience. At SMART, we've taken it one step further to save teachers and senior management time in the classroom, with better ease of use, flexibility, security, and personalisation.
When selecting interactive technology, it’s important to understand all your options and which features are going to best support your educators.
Our goal is simple: to empower educators and fuel student engagement, creating an environment ripe for dynamic learning experiences. And both Google and Microsoft users can benefit from a display with Google EDLA. Keep reading to find out how Google EDLA can support your users and organisation.
What is Google EDLA?
The Android EDLA (Enterprise Device Licence Agreement) administered by Google allows tech providers (like SMART!) to offer technology solutions with built-in Google Mobile Services.
Unlike uncertified displays, this provides the most seamless and secure functionality for Android apps and cloud services, and access to the Google Play store. It provides seamless integration with Google and Microsoft Office 365 apps and tools, and unparalleled flexibility and accessibility. Bringing these capabilities into the classroom is an obvious choice when prioritising ease of use and teaching pedagogy.
Empowering educators with easy user profiles
For schools and educators, enabling Google EDLA on SMART interactive displays unlocks boundless possibilities. Individual user profiles enable teachers to change the display from the default setup to exactly how they need it, just like you’d set up your phone or tablet. Launch a lesson from the Google Drive widget with one click, view your Outlook calendar from your home screen, get your students moving with the Spotify widget, share lessons via email and cloud storage, and more. Secure sign-on ensures that sensitive student data remains protected, fostering a secure digital environment conducive to learning.
Profiles use teachers' existing Google or Microsoft credentials, saving time for administrators. This also means that authentication is handled by the school's trusted identity provider and utilises security features like multi-factor authentication to secure other organisational information.
With four easy ways to sign in (NFC card, QR code, web authorisation code or regular password input), teachers can securely access their unique profiles exactly how they’ve set them up, ready to teach – no matter who else is using the SMART Board.
Experience the ease with which educators can collaborate, create, and present on SMART Boards with this quick demo of SMART iQ:
Your education apps are cooler on a SMART Board
Whether you use Google or Microsoft, official access to the Google Play Store allows you to seamlessly use all your Android tools and apps natively, including Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365.
SMART’s proprietary, designed-for-the-classroom annotation tool makes teaching with Android apps easier than any other display on the market. Just pick up a pen and mark up apps and web pages while using them, without freezing the screen, then save and share it to students. Unlike other displays, you can still interact with the app while annotating, making it easy to model learning without frustrating tech interruptions.
Installing popular apps like Minecraft Education, Classdojo, Khan Academy, or even Duolingo directly onto the display gives educators a wealth of content to captivate student interest and accommodate diverse learning styles – and it looks cool, too!
Enhanced device security and flexibility
Keeping student and teacher data safe is paramount. SMART has always prioritised safety and security, and Google EDLA offers another layer of enhanced protection. Regular Android updates and proactive monitoring provide additional protections against app vulnerabilities through Google Play Protect.
SMART provides schools with the ability to use device profiles that utilise your existing Google and Microsoft credentials and security features, adding key security features like multi-factor authentication to your display profile sign-in.
SMART also includes tools for easy administration. Admins can easily lock down device settings and Google Play store access, manage app installations at scale, set up and update multiple displays at once, and assist teachers with troubleshooting using SMART Remote Management software, included with your warranty.
How to unlock Google EDLA for new and existing SMART Boards
We offer multiple ways to bring Google EDLA into your classrooms. Invest in one of our iQ-enabled displays to gain access to the Google Play Store, SMART Ink, iQ 4, and numerous teacher tools automatically. Unlike solutions that force you to buy a new IFP to get Google EDLA, SMART Boards delivered as early as 2016 can experience the same benefits by upgrading with a SMART computing model – keeping your display in the classroom longer and out of the landfill.
So why choose SMART?
As we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of interactive displays on the market that are doing this. Google EDLA offers easy access to the Chrome browser, Google Play, and increased security for the OS and apps. However, SMART takes it a step further with:
- Continued integration: Leading iQ whiteboard and one-touch collaboration workflows using mobile devices.
- Leading interoperability: Use interactive features and annotations with any app, seamlessly.
- Teacher-centred customisation: Simplified and easy-to-adopt home screen experience.
- Easy, secure user profiles: Self-serve profile setup, per-teacher personalisation and security features.
- Platform optimisations: Integration of Lumio content and simplified file management directly from iQ.
A future-proof partner in SMART
All these benefits come in addition to the features SMART already provides for education users, including teaching and learning workflows, easy interaction with multi-page PDFs, and access to a growing library of educational tools such as unique digital manipulatives, graphic organisers, widgets, and much more.
So when you want upgradeable technology, SMART is the best choice for the classroom. Google EDLA with SMART interactive displays elevates the educational experience, offering secure access, seamless integration, and unparalleled flexibility. It empowers educators to create immersive and engaging learning environments, unlocking new possibilities for both teachers and students.
Learn more about Google EDLA and how to implement it in your organisation with a customised demo from a SMART expert: