Presenting the future: here's what's new, what's next, and what will change your campus presentations forever - Technology

University Business, May, 2003 by Tom Warger

Following the lead set in the world of business, faculty and students are enriching academic presentations with electronic media, and rapid improvements in technology (and falling prices) are bringing an impressive range of audio and video capabilities into classrooms. And while faculty and students now have computer-driven presentation tools in many traditional classrooms, a more progressive IHE classroom is also making its appearance with multiple, interactive, easy-to-use devices that are coming to market in a steady stream and finding rapid adoption. While PowerPoint, the warhorse of presentation software, still sets the standard for the look and feel of media-assisted instruction (a typical classroom setup includes a projector with a desktop computer, or a hookup for one), plasma display units are showing up in growing numbers as prices come down. Document cameras, too, are commonly part of more progressive kits, and electronic whiteboards, now beginning to deliver on their promise to blend prepared presentation with live improvisation, are coming into the mix.

THE OLD STANDBYS GET BETTER

Projectors. Updated models are coming from most makers, including NEC, Sony, Canon, InFocus, Barco, and Epson, and all have gotten better, lighter, and cheaper in each of the past few years. In the $10,000 range, the NEC MT1065 (www.necvisual.systems.com) can be networked either wired or wirelessly and can be placed almost anywhere in a room and still project an aligned image due to its 3D Reform graphics. At half the weight and price ($4,299 and 6 to 12 pounds), the InFocus LP650 (www.infocus.com) is easy to carry and set up, yet still throws an image in excess of 2,000 ANSI lumens. At the low end of the price range, the $1,099 Epson PowerLite 51c (www.projectors.epson.com) weighs a mere 6.8 pounds and manages a respectable 1,200 lumens at SVGA resolution--800 x 600 pixels. Most IHEs prefer 1,024 x 768 projectors from these and other companies for their media-enhanced classrooms, but are finding demand also for the more portable models.

Document cameras have followed a similar evolution in quality and economy. Elmo (www.elmo.com), whose HD 80XG model can be found for as low as $879, still appears to be the market leader in basic document cameras. Samsung's Video Presenter line, ranging upward from $1,800, has become a strong runner-up in the category.

Multimedia. Classrooms with built-in multimedia presentation equipment generally include a dedicated computer for the instructor (sometimes dual: PC and Mac), projector, document camera, and VCR. Cart-mounted systems often have the same equipment, though perhaps with a laptop or just interface cables ready for the instructor's laptop. These configurations have become the norm on campus and are used every day for PowerPoint and Web-driven presentations. According to Bruce Harrison, senior systems analyst at the University of Tennessee-Martin, "Our goal is to bring multimedia technology to the classroom as a teaching tool; our faculty will have the ability to display their own multimedia creations for use in the classroom."

ONE STEP AHEAD

So what's next for media-savvy collegiate presenters?

Hi-res images of 3-D objects. Wolfvision's Ceiling Visualizer VZ-C10 (www.wolfvision.com) uses a combination of lenses and mirrors and the company's unique "Synchronized Lightfield" to improve document-camera capabilities to include high-resolution images of three-dimensional objects, even from the distance of a ceiling mount. The Lightfield has the special advantage of showing precisely the pickup area of the camera, for easy positioning of objects. The camera, which came on the market in late 2002, has proven particularly useful for capturing large-format flat objects such as blueprints and X-ray prints, and in wet laboratories and pathology labs where the projection equipment needs to be kept at a safe distance. Early implementers include the University of North Carolina and the University of Madrid. The VZ-C10 lists for $9,860.

PDA as presenter. Margi System's $199 Presenter-to-Go (www.margi.com) consists of software and an adapter card that turns just about any PDA into a presentation source. The Margi Mirror software compresses PowerPoint presentations, downloading them from the PC to the PDA. The adapter has a cable that plugs into a normal monitor or a projector's standard VGA input. When running the device, the presenter sees speaker's notes on the handheld while projecting the regular slide. It's even possible to run color slides from a monochrome PDA. Presenter-to-Go does not support animations, transitions, or sound, and is limited in its ability to show "build" slides. But, computers can be left behind when making a presentation. Presenter-to-Go is in use at Tufts New England Medical Center (MA) and the University of Texas Health Center, allowing the PDAs that have already become indispensable to doctors to double as presentation devices. Faculty who do not have access to laptops also report Presenter-to-Go is an inexpensive and convenient way to add electronic presentations to teaching.