An education in AV technology: the annual EduComm conference covered podcasting, distance learning, and classroom planning

University Business, August, 2006 by Jean Marie Angelo, Tim Goral, Ann McClure

After leaving his full-time job at Apple in 1985, Wozniak became a philanthropist, an entrepreneur, and technology developer, and champion of education. "For eight years I taught students," he told the crowd at EduComm. He eventually started "teaching the teachers," who, he joked, "learn much slower than the kids."

Designing the Classroom

There were other AV/IT higher ed professionals on hand at EduComm to walk attendees through the "how-los" of purchasing and using presentation technology. Danny Johnson, IT purchasing agent for Central Florida Community College, recommended taking simple approach in his session on planning, buying, and integrating classroom technologies.

"Know your classrooms," he advised. "You don't want to dump a lot of money into something that isn't going to be used very often."

In 2001 he began researching the costs and equipment needed to upgrade the college's presentation technology. By 2004, he had opened a new building with 20 fully-integrated classrooms. Today, the community college has 153 AV-equipped classrooms. "It was quite an undertaking," he said.

Johnson came up with a three-tier plan. Some classrooms have the works, including room control systems that can monitor the equipment in use and help with remote trouble shooting. Others have interactive whiteboards and projectors. Some have even simpler setups. The average cost to outfit a room is running at about $8,000, down from $12,000 when he started the upgrades. "The prices for projectors and other equipment have come down," he explained.

He enlisted faculty opinions early in the process. Since faculty members are the people who will be using the technology, these are the people whose buy-in is paramount.

"Once you get the faculty on your side, you can bring on other committees," he observed. After sorting through what educators wanted in the classroom, Johnson turned his attention to procuring the right equipment. Research included internet searches, poring over business and professional magazines, and asking vendors for cases studies. The best approach, though, was making contacts at other schools. When it comes to purchasing, it is best to have a skeptical outlook. "The product with the lowest price might not be the best choice," he told attendees. A projector company that guarantees additional lamp life may be hiding the fact that its product "eats lamps."

"Try to stay ahead of the curve," he suggested. Knowing what other AV/IT education professionals are researching helps in the decision-making. Where are we going? Will the future be wireless in every classroom? Will professors want video on demand? Having answers to these types of questions will ensure that the right equipment--which may need to be modular or easily upgraded--gets installed in the first place.

Most manufacturers do not do direct installations, which means that resellers and integrators must do this work. "This eliminates a lot of the planning headaches," Johnson said. But while these middlemen help with the designing and planning, they are not the best for training. The vendors are best at this, he said. "Get manufacturers' representatives on campus. They can do demonstrations and answer questions," he insisted.