American Time Blog

Like many districts, the Ackley-Geneva-Wellsburg-Steamboat Rock (AGWSR) School District in central Iowa faces some of the common issues arising from buildings starting to show their age.  For example:

From the time they wake up to the time they fall asleep, children and adults alike are bombarded with information coming from dozens of different sources competing for their attention.

You may have heard TV chef Alton Brown criticize "unitaskers" -- tools in the kitchen that take up space but only perform one specific task -- in favor of "multitaskers" which can suit a variety of purposes just as well as a dedicated tool. 

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy (TPAA) lives and breathes technology.

Founded in 2012, the school serves California's Antelope Valley community -- an area 40 miles north of Los Angeles nicknamed "Aerospace Valley" due to the aerospace industry's long-standing presence. TPAA is a STEM-focused K-12 school with the express intention of supporting the highly technical needs of its neighboring industries.

Ten years later, the school educates over 2500 students. As enrollment grew, so did the challenges. Steel-framed buildings made it difficult for their classroom atomic clocks to synchronize. They had an emergency alert system, but it wasn't integrated with any other systems. Despite being spread across two buildings with a number of outdoor campus facilities, there was no bell system. More students meant more systems to manage.

American Time's EverAlert system changed all that and, in the process, changed their culture.

Accurate, synchronized clocks in your building, school or facility are more than a convenience. When clocks display the wrong time or different times from each other, major disruptions and even risks can happen, such as….

• Meetings, classes or shifts start and end at different times, causing confusion and inefficiency
• Wages or compensation are disputed
• Critical tasks like surgeries, food prep or manufacturing processes aren’t tracked or reported accurately
• Maintenance staff spend too much time on clock repairs and adjustments

When you’re searching for new technology to help students learn better or for a school to run more efficiently, there are countless options. Which technology will live up to its promises? How does a school evaluate differences?

In a recent informative report by Campus Safety, the importance of installing multiple emergency notification systems is loud and clear: Different systems fill in the inevitable gaps of any single technology; they ensure redundancy and clearer communications during a crisis; and multiple systems are needed to alert different audiences in an emergency, such as students, law enforcement, parents, neighbors, etc.

A student is called to the office but the PA system disrupts the entire school to make the announcement. A student has a medical emergency in a hallway but there’s no way to communicate with nearby classrooms. Instructions for fire, lockdown and tornado drills aren’t clear or specific to each area of a building.

No single emergency notification system can cover every scenario and communicate in every way possible, as explained in a recent survey and report by Campus Safety: “… several mass notification systems should be deployed so that the weaknesses of one solution can be compensated for by other so­lutions.” In fact, most K-12 and higher ed survey respondents use multiple systems to ensure that emergency communication is clear, redundant and reliable.

As manufacturers race to stay competitive in an uncertain market, the importance of using digital technology to support efficient operations and engaged employees becomes more urgent. According to Manufacturing Global, “Many CIOs in the manufacturing sector view increasing operational efficiency and transforming the business as imperative to driving technology investments. With this in mind, IT platforms should provide the integration and coordination required for success.”

When someone walks into a building, their experience is essential. Occupants and visitors should feel safe and secure. Technology should support efficient work and precise, real-time communications.

Digital communication and signage in a building is an effective way to achieve this. In addition to sharing important daily news and messaging capabilities, modern communication platforms can deliver emergency alerts and clear instructions for keeping individuals safe and secure. In other words, a communication platform is most valuable when it can be used for both routine daily messaging and to bolster and reinforce critical emergency alerts. Let’s look at a few specific examples.