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Multimedia Platforms: Top Picks for Converged Networking
9/23/2005
Integrated control system manufacturers have long targeted the higher education market as an ideal place to sell large numbers of control processors and expensive touch panels. Several manufacturers have now focused on providing cost-effective solutions to the lowercost segment of the market, which has resulted in control solutions for well under $1,000 per classroom. The user interface can be a set of physical buttons, or can be integrated through the instructor’s PC and monitor, providing a touch-panel-like interface that d'esn’t add costly equipment (or extra footprint) to the teaching lectern.
These are considered converged network systems, rather than merely additional stand-alone products. Using a Web page in place of a touch panel is a cost-effective use of network bandwidth and existing PC infrastructure, and classrooms can be connected back to a central point, and integrated into...
AV resource management systems. Every campus technology department has examples of instructors being unable to use the technology-enabled teaching tools that have been provided for them. Many times, this means dispatching a technician to fix the problem, which occasionally is caused by equipment failure, but more often is the result of user error. Since lost class time is not replaceable, the ability to monitor and prevent equipment failure and to fix user-error problems in real time is extremely valuable.
An AV resource management system ties data from each individual classroom’s control system back to an administrative software tool. The following are some examples of how such a tool can be used:
· Real-time status of all classrooms can be monitored, showing rack power, projector on/off, current selected source, room lighting, and projector lamp hours for each room.
· With such tools, technicians have the ability to change any of these parameters directly over the converged network from a help desk position, without the technician needing to be dispatched to the room.
· User activity can be logged, so that IT/AV staffers can determine whether people actually use (for example), document cameras, and can see how often they are used (and which instructors and departments use them). Log information helps direct better decisions regarding purchase of new or replacement equipment, since priorities can reflect actual usage patterns.
Examples of classroom integratedtechnology systems that tie back to an AV resource management system include AMX (www.amx.com), Crestron (www.crestron.com), Dukane (www.mediaconva.com), Extron (www.extron.com), and SP Controls (www.spcontrols.com).
Classroom video streaming. Storing and distributing video and audio from classrooms can be an effective way to reach students not able to attend in person, and to provide a handy means to review lectures and class sessions. Camera servers permit the transport of video from a classroom to a control room, where video can be monitored and recorded, cameras controlled, and titles added.
Recommended Reading
- Tiffin U's New Online College to Use Pearson's eCollege for Course Management
Beginning this fall, students in Tiffin University's newest online program, Ivy Bridge College, will use eCollege, a course management system from Pearson, for all of their online courses. The 2,350-student Tiffin U is located in Tiffin, OH and offers both on-campus and online classes. Since 2005, those online courses have been managed through Jenzabar Internet Campus Solution.
- California Community Colleges Adopt SunGard Banner Software
California's Rio Hondo College and Sierra College have selected software from the Banner Unified Digital Campus and other solutions from SunGard Higher Education to help address their growing enrollments and to help improve student retention and services.
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Luidia has released a new version its eBeam software for use with classroom-based interactive projection environments. eBeam Interact 2.1 offers both new and upgraded features, including enhanced screen recording and a comprehensive online image gallery, as well as the company's Scrapbook Image Writer feature.
- McGill U Library Scanning Rare Books with Kirtas
McGill University Library in Montreal will be using a Kirtas Technologies APT BookScan 2400RA to digitize its collections. The company says that the 2400RA is capable of acquiring page images at the rate of 2,400 pages per hour. The library will be working with Ristech, a Canadian reseller, to implement the digitization solution.
- Ball State U Web Sites Now Managed with Sitecore
Ball State University in Muncie, IN has gone public regarding its deployment of a Web site content management system from Sitecore. Ball State chose Sitecore's software to revamp its 220-plus sites, integrating common new media applications and garnering a next-generation user experience that has won several awards from education and new media marketing organizations. Now, Ball State maintains uniformity across all university Web sites and said it has enhanced its recruiting efforts through the site's new look and interface.
- Bio-Key Launches Emergency Alert Platforms for Schools
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