Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Twenty intriguing school AV products

Canon’s new EVERCAM XU-81 is a robotic, high-definition pan-tilt-zoom camera that is encased in a sturdy, weatherproof housing for indoor or outdoor use.

We recently published a report on three key developments in school AV technology, based on the news to come out of InfoComm 2013, the world’s largest audio-visual technology trade show.

Now, here are 20 more intriguing school AV products that we saw at InfoComm and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in San Antonio last month—including a portable audio system that can facilitate small-group instruction and an easy solution for “flipping” your classroom using any iOS device.

(Products are listed in alphabetical order by company name.)…Read More

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Three key developments in school AV technology

BenQ’s ‘SmartEco’ technology automatically adjusts a projector’s lamp settings based on the ambient lighting and the nature of the content being displayed.

The “bring your own device” (BYOD) phenomenon has exploded in popularity among K-12 schools, as educators look for cost-effective ways to leverage technology in the classroom.

Developers of audio-visual products are responding to this trend as well, making it easier for students and instructors to collaborate and share their presentations wirelessly from a wide range of mobile devices.

Support for BYOD initiatives was one of the key developments in school AV technology discussed at InfoComm 2013, the world’s largest AV trade show, held in Orlando earlier this month. Here’s more information about this development, as well as two other AV trends worth noting.…Read More

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TCEA 2013: New school AV and presentation tools

Epson’s BrightLink 436Wi ultra short-throw interactive projector can be mounted on a wall or used on a table. Users can interact with projected images from a variety of sources using two pens at a time, without having to be connected to a PC.

A document camera that streams live, annotatable video to iPads; a mobile device charging cart that can identify various devices and deliver just the right charge to each; and a voice-activated system that automates the recording and sharing of class presentations:

These were among the new audio-visual and presentation tools unveiled at the 2013 Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference in Austin this month.

Here’s a roundup of some of the latest school AV and presentation technologies announced at TCEA 2013.…Read More

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A growing trend in school AV solutions: Convergence

Interactive whiteboard makers are releasing projectors, and projector makers are releasing student response systems.

School audio-visual solutions seem to be converging, with major suppliers of AV products releasing their own versions of solutions offered by competitors in an effort to keep pace. Interactive whiteboard makers are releasing projectors, and projector makers are releasing student response systems—making nearly every supplier a one-stop shop for presentation tools.

For instance, ELMO USA now offers a student response system (SRS), which it demonstrated at the Florida Educational Technology Conference in January . Available in 24- or 32-unit bundles, ELMO’s SRS devices operate on the 2.4GHz radio frequency, with a range of about 50 feet. The software that drives the system works on Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers.

In another example of this convergence, Promethean unveiled its own version of an interactive tabletop surface at FETC, the ActivTable. Like other companies’ interactive tables, it’s aimed at elementary and special-needs students in particular—but it includes several unique features as well.…Read More

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