Start Here Before Purchasing Powered Towers, Furniture, or Electrical Drops

Updated May 19, 2023

Today, classrooms rely on technology to enhance learning in daily lesson plans and engage students. However, with the new growth of technology and devices in classrooms, it is crucial to take a deeper look at how the devices are charged and managed. In the search for solutions, it is important not to overlook the potential dangers and compliance challenges that can be present within charging setups. This blog post overviews some hidden hazards of classroom charging systems, setups, and locations. Read more to learn about caveats that can potentially risk the safety of students and teachers and discover alternative solutions that can solve 1:1 classroom charging problems. 

Start Here Before Purchasing Powered Towers, Furniture, or Electrical Drops

Ensuring Safe and Efficient Charging in Educational Environments.

Electrical Cord Drops

Electrical cord drops are charging cables that are dropped from the ceilings to provide additional outlets for charging electronic devices in classrooms. While at first, this may seem like an efficient way to provide more outlet availability to students, there are many hidden dangers and risks. One of the main concerns is the potential for electrical risks, safety issues, and improper use by students. Students may be able to grab the wires or attempt to hang from them, posing a significant danger to themselves and disruptions in the classroom. In addition, this solution is expensive, time-consuming, and does not allow for the rearrangement of desks. 

An ideal alternative to drop ceiling charging is the Adapt4 USB-C Charging Station with Active Charge Upgrade. It does not change infrastructure, is mobile and flexible for different classroom layouts, and eliminates trip hazards and health and safety violations, while providing at-the-desk charging. 

Built-In Charging Tables

When looking for a charging solution to accommodate a large number of devices in the classroom, you may come across built-in charging tables. It may seem ideal to have outlets integrated with the desks, but there are some downfalls that compromise safety and functionality in the classroom. One significant issue is the messy cable clutter. With multiple devices connected to the charging ports, the cables can quickly become tangled and disorganized, creating a messy and potentially hazardous environment. Students and staff navigating around the charging area can trip over loose cables, resulting in falls and injuries. Another common issue is when the prong on the power cable for the charging table gets broken from overuse or misuse, this causes the table to not function or charge devices at all. This will leave districts needing to find another charging solution yet again and can become costly.

As technology continues to advance and classrooms continue to rely heavily on technology in education, school districts' specific charging needs and challenges will change and evolve. Built-in charging tables, with fixed charging ports or limited capacity, can become outdated and unable to accommodate evolving technology. This can result in inefficient charging, increase classroom disruptions, and frustrations for students and staff. School districts should consider alternative charging solutions that are versatile, innovative, adaptable, and able to evolve with technology. Power banks are a great alternative to these charging tables. Power banks eliminate the possibility of trip hazards, provide at-the-desk charging, and are able to evolve with the ever-changing technological landscape. 

Charging Towers 

Charging towers are common solutions offered to solve the challenge associated with bringing power to students during class time. The solution promises to achieve active charging to ensure that students are able to charge their devices while they work. Charging towers consist of a number of outlets powered by one power cord that students can plug individual AC adapters into for supplemental charging. 

While this solution does bring power to students' desks, it does not address the issues of safety concerns and easy maneuverability in K-12 schools. With charging towers, trip hazards are still present as the power cord must be strung across classroom floors. In addition, it does not allow for flexible classroom layouts as it still relies heavily on outlet availability and students' desks to be positioned around the tower(s). This charging environment cultivates disruptions to learning and potential safety violations in classrooms. 

Alternative Charging Solutions 

While searching for charging solutions to accommodate a large fleet of devices, districts should consider alternatives to charging solutions such as drop ceiling charging or built-in charging tables. While these solutions may seem like the answer to charging challenges, there are better alternatives on the market that will not only solve these challenges but also ensure student and staff safety, while decreasing classroom disruptions. Explore the alternative solutions below that meet your district's needs. 

To alleviate the challenges associated with messy AC adapters, trip hazards, and fire safety concerns while adapting to flexible classroom layouts, learn more about the Adapt4 USB-C Charging Station with Active Charge Upgrade and the Library Check-Out Charging Solution for centralized check-out locations.