PPDS launches Philips Genius educational software at InfoComm

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays, has launched its new Philips Genius educational software at InfoComm 2024 in Las Vegas. The technology-agnostic platform aims to facilitate unrestricted collaborative teaching and learning experiences across classrooms on any interactive display.

Developed over the past year, Philips Genius is the first in-house educational software from PPDS. The GDPR-compliant platform brings together various tools and capabilities that enable educators to create and deliver professional, engaging, and intelligence-led lesson plans. The software is part of PPDS's broader strategy to provide comprehensive solutions for modern educational environments, comprising both hardware and software.

Frank Trossen, Global Business Development Director Education and Corporate at PPDS, stated, "Philips Genius makes the process of creating highly professional, engaging and feature-rich lesson planning – for all subjects – child's play. Tutors are unsung heroes, sacrificing many hours of their personal lives, including weekends, to plan, days and weeks ahead, to ensure their lessons are tailored to the needs of each class. A significant focus in developing Philips Genius is around helping to improve the work-life balance for tutors, without compromising on quality or performance."

Philips Genius is designed to support educators by providing a single, easy-to-access location for lesson planning, delivery, and classroom display activities. The software is compatible with any Android, Windows, and iOS device, ensuring that educators can create lesson plans either directly on an interactive display or remotely at their convenience, 24/7. All content is saved to a personal Philips Genius account/library and can be quickly retrieved and displayed on compatible interactive displays.

Regarding ease of use, Trossen added, "Philips Genius brings all the tools an educator could need for lesson planning, delivery, and classroom display activities, packaged together in one easy-to-access location."

One of Philips Genius's key features is its ability to energise lessons by integrating a wealth of applications and third-party premium content. Educators can easily embed YouTube videos, PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and more. The platform also seamlessly links to other sources and software, including Google Classroom, to enhance the breadth and depth of curricular activities.

Philips Genius also encourages collaboration in the classroom through its integration with Philips Collaboration 4152 and 3152 interactive displays. The software replicates the functionality of a traditional whiteboard, allowing students to share ideas and work directly on the screen or via their own devices. The platform includes digital tools such as a pencil/pen, highlighter, eraser, and geometric tools like a ruler and protractor. Additional features include a flashlight, calculator, voting application, and video conferencing capabilities.

For educators and students alike, Philips Genius offers the capability for instant screen sharing on students' devices, both in the classroom and for remote learning. Content displayed during lessons can be saved and shared via URL or email, enabling students to create clear subject notes for easy reference and revision.

Siddarth Gopal, Global Director of Software Solutions at PPDS, emphasised the platform's flexibility, stating, "We understand many schools, colleges, and universities have a mix of displays, rather than a consistent fleet from one manufacturer. Naturally, we would prefer them to use our Philips Collaboration Displays for Education, but our business is about being open and unrestrictive. For that reason, Philips Genius is available to provide the same functionality on other displays, as well as our own."

Philips Genius will be available worldwide, including in regions such as EMEA, North America, LATAM, APAC, and India, starting in Q3 of this year. It will come pre-installed on all new Philips Collaboration Displays for Education, and users of existing models can install it via the PPDS Wave ProStore.

Frank Trossen concluded, "When it comes to education, there is simply no room for error. As a leading provider of professional displays and dedicated software, we have a moral duty to support students and educators by developing best-in-class solutions that will help to maximise their potential. With Philips Genius, we have listened to the market to understand its frustrations and shortcomings and brought a more intuitive approach to lesson planning and delivery."