Having two daughters make their way through the public school system here in North Carolina, it’s dawned on me a number of times — for various reasons like snowstorms, sick days, etc. — that with all the technology in schools today, how did the webcam get overlooked? I think nearly every classroom my daughters have […]

Boeckeler Instruments announced that the launch of its smallest annotation system yet and it will debut at ISE. Dubbed the Pointmaker CPN-5800, it’s a small live streaming annotation system designed installations. With two inputs and two outputs (VGA and HDMI), the CPN-5800 can be easily used in large installations as an input to (and output […]

Following a disruptive snow storm in the North East this week, students across the region (especially Long Island and New England) are home sledding, playing video games, drinking hot chocolate and doing everything but thinking about school. Many schools, however, are implementing continuity of learning plans that may require students to “attend class” during snow/ […]

On the heels of last week’s Microsoft Surface Hub 84-inch multi-touch collaboration board announcement, SMART Technologies has launched its own 84” product with the kapp 84. SMART is also announcing something called SMART kapp Premium Services, which enables SMART kapp app users to unlock a range of enhanced features to the already revolutionary SMART kapp […]

Several months ago, I watched a colleague present a webinar on D-Tools, a AV integration software package. I was interested in certain aspects of the software, particularly the integration with Visio and the project quoting, and paid minimal attention to all the other features. After working with my D-Tools rep, we decided to move forward […]

I recently had a faculty member ask about whether they could present their power point, and use the presenter tools. They had some notes they wanted to be able to read, and see their timing. Unfortunately, they were in a room with a dedicated computer. So, the computer went to a switcher and was distributed […]

CTS holders pride themselves in standing apart from the crowd. Keep your edge fresh. Carve out some time to stay on top of the industry trends. Your schedule is not a light one, so we collected resources that are important for you to know about. Here are a few topics that might interest you. Plus, […]

InFocus was the first projector company with a sub-$1000 4,000-lumen projector, now the company’s first sub-$2,000 65” touchscreen display company. The new 65-inch JTouch from InFocus is aimed at the K-12 education market. Like the rest of the native 1080p JTouch models, the 65-inch mirrors the content of a connected PC or Mac and makes […]

As I write this column, we are on the cusp of a new year. Many times, people will write about predictions for the new year, or their resolutions. I am writing to ask you to think about your resolution and make one with me. This request comes from a couple of recent articles that I […]

By Mario Porto Director of Strategic Accounts, HB Communications “THIS SYSTEM SUCKS! NOTHING WORKS!!!” How many times have you heard that comment? If you’re like most of the people I’ve spoken to over the years, you’ve heard it more times than any of us would have liked. I recall meeting an architect from a very […]

Thanks to my colleague Brett Tipton for his contribution to today’s blog post. Brett is a writer, teacher, and public speaker. He brings a great in-the-trenches perspective to the topic of higher education, how well it prepares students for the real world of corporate America, and how corporations themselves — and IT departments, in particular — […]

Thanks to my colleague Brett Tipton for his contribution to my first rAVe Pubs blog post. Brett is a writer, teacher and public speaker. He brings a great in-the-trenches perspective to the topic of higher education, how well it prepares students for the real world of corporate America, and how corporations themselves — and IT departments, in […]

A month or so ago, a participant in an upcoming article that I have written about Google Glass and wearables usage in higher education (coming in December) and I started another discussion, this one touching on beacon technology. I have to say that it was so enlightening, I decide that we should have a followup […]

AmpliVox Sound Systems has unveiled major upgrades to over 15 of its integrated multimedia lectern products, now equipping them with 150-watt digital amplifiers. An upgrade from the 50-watt amps in previous models, each lectern also includes new connectivity and control features. In addition, the lecterns are now integrated with Bluetooth audio streaming capability from a […]

The honest answer is “not exceptionally important.” The reason, however, may surprise you. Many schools have sustainability initiatives in place that cover a wide variety of campus life processes from printing and food services to facilities and grounds keeping. While technology is an obvious environmental concern, that concern is usually a result of the amount […]

The lofty halls and ivory towers of academia have been a cornerstone in the sustainability movement and continue to be a beacon for those looking to become learned students of sustainability. We see this in a rise in curricula, degree programs and students matriculating into careers in sustainability in a range of disciplines from business, […]

Extron has a new fiber extender line in the FOX USB Extender Plus, which extends signals from USB peripheral devices extreme distances over fiber optic cabling. The extender supports USB 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, and 1.0 devices with data rates up to 480 Mbps. Used in conjunction with an Extron FOX Series DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI or […]

For years, I have been touting the advantages of getting your AV equipment on the network. I think I was one of the first people to use RoomView, certainly one of the first amongst the colleagues I regularly speak with. Yet, all this time I was missing out on a huge benefit of RoomView and […]

If you’re using or spec’ing the Barco ClickShare or the Crestron AirMedia, you’re going to really like Extron’s ShareLink 200. Extron’s entry into the wireless presentation market is both a quad-screen (like most of the other systems), network-based presentation system AND a stand-alone wireless access point. Like most of the other systems out there, ShareLink […]

Visix’s new room sign line will display event schedules and room availability, but can also be used for mass alerts and interactive content. The signs are Microsoft Exchange compatible and are integrated with EMS by Dean Evans & Associates, Google Calendar, R25/25Live by CollegeNET and Delphi by Newmarket. Alternatively, you can use text file import […]

TECOM’s new TecPodium Presenter HD is ADA compliant and equipped with electronically controlled lift. It’s integrated with a 24” wide-screen HD monitor with multi-touch capabilities and a complete integrated stereo audio system. With a new HD switching and scaling system coupled with built-in projector control, the TecPodium Presenter HD is designed to be a complete […]

When thinking of selling digital signage to the K-12 market, many integrators would simply walk away. We all know the budget struggles of public schools, therefore we know that there is not excess money to spend on what may be seen as frivolous. Yet, there are some things you may not know, particularly if your […]

This month’s column is a little bit different from others in the past. I some ways, I am not ever writing about AV or education. Instead, I am writing about something that is near and dear to all tech manager’s hearts, and I am assuming everyone who does work of any type: management. How do […]

Clary Icon OneScreen users will have immediate access to live technical support via video. Once a user touches the Screen Skills Guru button, they are instantly connected to a live tech support person who can answer product usage questions, teach users new screen skills, or help diagnose any product issues. For teams and students working […]

Sharp’s new LL-S242A-W is a 24” LED-lit LCD touch screen that offers 1,920×1,080 resolution monitor with a viewing angle of 178 degrees, both horizontally and vertically. It includes 10-point multi-touch capability that also features handwriting support via a fine-tipped touch pen. One cool feature is that a palm cancelation function prioritizes pen recognition, so you […]

I tell this great story as if it was only yesterday. Back in my early days in AV integration sales in the late ’90s, within three months of being hired by the company, the owner comes into the sales cubicle area and a few of us turn to look at him as he starts speaking. He […]

By Len Scrogan Display Central Is the education market bouncing back after nearly a half-decade absence? Many existing companies and startups hope so. And if the recent ISTE conference—held this week in Atlanta—is any indicator, then the education market is indeed on the mend. ISTE 2014 is the largest ed-tech conference in the U.S., organized […]

Chief’s Extra-Large Fusion Mobile Cart was designed for extra-large and touch panel displays — including the SMART 8000 series — from 55″ to more than 100″ and up to 300 pounds (136 kg). It has space for internal storage, including hardware to vertically mount 2 RUs worth of AV gear. The Extra-Large Fusion Video Conferencing […]

As I sit down to write this column for July, I expected to be overflowing with excitement and interest from InfoComm. I am on a bit of an InfoComm hiatus, having not attended for three years. Yet, I am struck that there does not seem to be any HUGE news out of the show this […]

Hitachi America introduced two new interactive projector models, the Hitachi CP-TW3003 and CP-TW2503. Both are interactive models that feature an ultra-short throw design and are aimed at the K-12, higher education and corporate presentation markets. So-called “new generation interactive features” include multiple pen capability, auto-calibration, PC-less drawing, and multi-display interactive use. Additionally, a suite of […]

SMART Technologies used InfoComm to launch SMART kapp, a new digital capture board that has the easiness of a dry erase board combined with advanced collaboration features. While SMART claims that kapp is just as easy and intuitive to use as a dry-erase board, it allows users to write, draw, diagram and brainstorm using an […]

The global spend on education technology within classrooms reached US$13 billion last year, up 11 percent on 2012, according to a new market study from Futuresource Consulting, the leading provider of education technology research. The study explores mobile PC devices, classroom displays (such as projectors and interactive whiteboards) and complementary devices (visualisers, voting systems, voice […]