We look at the latest developments in audiovisual technology for the learning environment and the possibilities for the educators of today and tomorrow
Changing focus
The focus for educators is starting to change following the continuous development of audiovisual technology. With projectors and screens now a fixture in the large majority of learning spaces, technology has become a central part of classroom-based learning.
“What we’re seeing is more interest in the solutions that link the display device to the devices that hold the content,” says David Zrihen, sales director, EMEA at Vivitek.
“Many students will have their class notes, homework or coursework stored on their phone, tablet or laptop. The challenge has always been how to seamlessly and quickly transfer content from their devices to the display; compounding this challenge has been the issue of security and preventing viruses being shared between devices. Also, it’s important that the teacher or lecturer can maintain control over the type of content that’s displayed, ensuring that it is relevant to the lesson or subject.”
“As the need for content sharing and streaming increases,” adds Thomas Vertommen, European product manager for projectors at Panasonic Visual System Solutions, “we’re seeing a strong trend – especially in higher education – towards networking AV solutions, like lecture capture systems, to allow students and teachers to be instantly able to stream and share content on multiple devices, across multiple locations.”
Where once classrooms and lecture theatres could be seen as islands of technology, that’s no longer the case.
“Technologies that bring about a more connected online environment are now at the forefront for investment in today’s higher education,” says Jon Garaway, education account manager at NEC Display Solutions. “Many universities are moving to a completely digitised infrastructure using AV over IP to network resources and enable real-time access.”
Taking a broader view
Increasingly, schools and universities are embracing the products and technologies widely implemented across a broad range of industries beyond education – which means that taking a broader view of advances in audiovisual solutions has become essential. Education-focused exhibitions such as Bett, FETC and Learning Technologies unquestionably have a valuable place – but Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the world’s largest audiovisual trade show, offers something more: the opportunity to see, touch and discuss the latest developments not only in education, but more widely.
“As universities forge greater links with business as they prepare their students for the next stage in their journey, it is essential that the tools students are utilising in the learning environment mirror those used in the workplace,” says NEC’s Garaway. “By visiting ISE, visitors from the educational sphere can see the latest technology and ensure they are keeping in line with developments – thus offering the best possible experience for their students.”
“Networking continues to be a big draw for visitors to ISE,” he adds, “discussing ideas and sharing success stories. Education users can learn a lot from vendors and from other pioneering AV users.”
ISE has a long history of being the venue for audiovisual manufacturers to make key product announcements, launching leading-edge solutions that will be key to their business during the coming year. Others, like Vivitek, use it as the opportunity to demonstrate their range of capabilities.
“Given that education is a key market for Vivitek, we’ll use our presence at ISE 2020 to show our range of high- performance solutions that help educators and students to connect, engage and
learn, while aiding collaboration and encouraging interactive learning at education institutions all of sizes,” says Zrihen.
Learning opportunities
The show also has a long history of placing training at its heart, with industry organisations Avixa and Cedia – who co- own ISE – providing a broad range of formal and less formal learning opportunities.
“ISE is the ideal occasion to learn more about the future of technology and to discover the latest solutions,” echoes Nic Milani, executive director, commercial product marketing at Crestron. “It offers visitors the ultimate opportunity to see all the technologies currently available – as well as still in development – in one place. And because of the more technical background and requirements of the education market, the many training sessions on offer can provide real value.”
ISE takes place 11–14 February 2020, at the RAI conference centre in Amsterdam. As the largest AV and systems integration event in the world, ISE is the perfect place for those responsible for specifying, implementing and using school and university technology to stay ahead of the latest developments.
