PWD and the Samsung WAF Series AI Screen
Words by Pete Forbes (Marketing Manager)
Having spent just under 15 years working in a secondary school and across a multi-academy trust, I’ve seen first-hand the challenges teachers face when it comes to technology. My role was always about making systems work better — removing the barriers that stopped staff from doing what they do best: teaching. I’ve supported teachers in the classroom, listened to frustrations, and witnessed how clunky or unreliable tech can sap confidence and disengage students.
That’s why I’m genuinely excited about the new partnership between Samsung and PWD and what it means for schools. Together, we’re not just delivering hardware; we’re making sure it’s installed, supported, and embedded in a way that actually makes a difference to classroom life.
Who are Samsung & PWD, and why it matters
Samsung is hardly a newcomer to educational tech. They’ve been at the leading edge of displays, interactive panels, learning tools. What makes this moment special is the way they’re working with PWD Supplies. PWD is deeply familiar with what schools need—installation, support, training, integration. They bridge the gap between shiny tech in press releases and the messy reality of everyday classrooms: budgets, schedules, differing teacher confidence with tech, unreliable infrastructure, etc.
By partnering, Samsung and PWD are acknowledging that technology by itself isn’t enough. It’s the ecosystem—hardware + support + training + local knowledge—that turns capability into real learning.
What’s new: the WAF AI Interactive Screen
Here’s where the future starts to feel real.
Some of the standout features of the WAF series (especially in its UK and US roll-outs) are:
- Split Note Mode / Annotation On: Teachers and students can write anywhere on screen, even over videos. Up to four students can simultaneously work in their own split zones.
- EDLA Certification with Google integration: Access to Google Classroom, Google Drive, the Play Store, etc. The screen comes with Android OS.
- Powerful hardware to match ambitions: 65-, 75-, 86-inch sizes; multi-touch, high resolution; robust chipsets to handle multitasking, split windows, multimedia lessons.
- Connectivity & user-friendly tools: USB-C ports, mirroring many device types, front-panel controls, durable design (anti-glare glass, etc.).
What makes it feel more than just incremental upgrade is how the features are aimed at everyday teaching: capturing spontaneity (annotate over video), letting students share work easily, saving time and confusion.
Imagining the Future Classroom
Thinking about how this might reshape learning, especially from a teacher/student perspective, I see several big shifts:
- More inclusive & flexible learning Different students learn differently. Some need hands-on work, some visual aids, some quiet reflection. The WAF screen’s split-zone note mode, combined with multimedia capture and tools like annotation, means a lesson can flex mid-stream. For example: while a teacher is delivering content, one group can work on problems, another annotate, a third reflect. Everyone is active.
- Teacher time freed up for what matters Tech too often adds admin. But these tools (quick annotations, front-panel controls, cloud sharing, auto saving) can reclaim time. Less time spent preparing slides, photocopying, fighting with IT, and more time for planning discussion, mentoring, individual feedback.
- Engagement & collaboration as norms, not extras With multiple students able to interact, contributions become more democratic. Shy students can annotate quietly, fast learners can explore beyond the core group. Peer learning becomes easier: one student’s zone can act as example for another, ideas can be compared live.
- Bridging remote / hybrid learning seamlessly The WAF’s connectivity means sharing across devices, possibly pairing with remote learners or flipped classroom models. If paired with video conferencing, recordings, live transcripts (which I believe are features of Samsung’s AI-assistant in some models), this can make hybrid learning less of a second-class version of in-person. Samsung Newsroom+1
- Continuous evolution instead of tech obsolescence One of the things I worry about when tech is introduced into schools is: will it still be useful in 2-3 years? Samsung seems aware: commitment to backwards compatibility, regular OS updates, and building in hardware headroom. With strong local support (via PWD), schools are more likely to maintain, upgrade, and derive value long term.
The Day After Tomorrow
What I’d love to see is how this tech empowers creativity:
- Drama teachers using the screen as virtual backgrounds or set simulations.
- Science classes doing augmented reality overlays.
- Languages classes having global pen pals annotate live.
- Students building portfolios over years, revisiting old work, reflecting on progress.
And beyond that: how this might shift what we expect education to be. Perhaps in five years we won’t think of “interactive boards” as special—they’ll be just classroom norm. What we’ll expect is that lessons adapt in real time, feedback loops are built in, students are creators not just consumers.
Personal Reflection
This partnership (Samsung + PWD) and the WAF displays are giving schools the chance to move from “tech-enabled classroom” to “tech-transformed classroom.” That is, classrooms where technology doesn’t just help, but reshapes possibilities.
When I think back to the teachers I’ve worked with, I know many would have loved a tool like this. Instead of wrestling with unreliable kit, they could have focused on creativity and connection. Furthermore, I think, back when I was in class, a screen like this would have changed who spoke up, how lessons moved, how curious I felt in a subject. I’d have liked a tool that could capture my handwritten note, clean it up, share with me after class. I’d have liked to annotate over a video instead of waiting for a teacher to pause.That’s why I believe this partnership between Samsung and PWD is so important — because it’s not just about selling screens. It’s about helping schools take the next step into a more engaging, flexible, and student-centred future.
For me, the WAF AI interactive screen represents more than innovation. It represents opportunity — for teachers to feel supported, for students to feel inspired, and for classrooms to become spaces where technology genuinely enhances learning.
Conclusion
Technology isn’t magic. It doesn’t replace teaching. But when done right—with intention, support, durability, and with features that match the real pace and mess of classroom life—it absolutely can unlock things that were once dreams.
Samsung’s WAF, with support from PWD, is one of those moments. It asks: what if the classroom were as flexible, creative, and collaborative as home gaming or content creation setups we’re used to? And I believe it’s one big step toward answering: yes, it can be.
Did You Know?
PWD have an introductory offer on the new Samsung WAF AI Screen…
£1,200 per screen (subject to successful deal registration)
£50 Amazon voucher with every screen
Plus a set of Samsung Microphones
Contact your Account Manager or a member of our IT Sales Team today to learn more about the screen.
Tel: 0800 999 5683
Email: info@pwdsupplies.co.uk
