The ideal K-12 classroom: it has as much to do with the mindset of the education professionals as the available equipment or technology

University Business, Sept, 2004 by Ben Pfeffer

Ten years ago, as AV technology was emerging, there weren't too many educators willing to lake a chance on expensive equipment that wasn't proven.

Today the mood and the technology--as well as the costs--have changed. Today, schools plan the technology into budgets and are requiring teachers to learn how to use it. It also helps that today's AV equipment is easier to use, is reliable, and as prices continue to drop, it's now possible to have all (or nearly all) the classrooms equipped with the "right stuff."

First, some assumptions I'm going to design a classroom only with AV equipment that is available today (though not necessarily commonly used in the classroom environment); only equipment that has proven reliable and easy to use; and equipment that is affordable.

So let's start My ideal classroom has either a high-definition plasma display or a rear projection system. The rear projection solution gives us whatever size screen we need while the plasma screen is limited to about 61-inches (give or take an inch or two). I particularly like the plasma setup because as the teacher walks in front of the images he isn't blinded by the lamp from the ceiling projector hung in the center of the room. In my ideal system, the front image has touch screen capability so I can control all computer functions (mouse, left/right click) with the touch of my hand. I'd like to annotate on the image as well, and be able to save it and send it to all my students, who are equipped with wireless laptops, through a wireless access point within each classroom and lecture hall.

In this classroom, the teacher has the option of presenting from her computer or from any of the students' laptops (no surreptitious Web surfing here!). Integrated DVD and satellite programs are selectable from the teacher's laptop control system, as well as audio volume. Of course there's the requisite document camera for showing 3-D images to the class.

So where does all this equipment come from and how much is it going to cost? My advice to anyone who wants to plan the technology into a room is to hire a good AV consultant or good AV design/build firm. For a fee they will design the room and specify the technology for you, based on your requirements and budget. A good AV designer will produce a detailed document telling you what he/she heard you say and what you need the system to do. Buy the technology you need, not the technology that's for sale.

In the case of paying for a consultant, for smaller projects--anything under $25,000 falls into that category--a design/build firm will typically build its fee into the pricing. If the project is going to go out for bid, again, typical for most education work, someone will need to prepare an equipment list, and some rudimentary drawings so the companies that are bidding on the project can do so intelligently. Anticipate a $1,500-$3,500 consultant's fee based on time and meetings attended.

For large work, consultants can ask for a percentage of the total project, typically in the 10%-20% range. That will give you all documentation (drawings and schematics) from the AV side and coordination with the AV contractor. The consultant should be expected to prepare all bid documents, and after client review, send them out, with drawings, receive them, level the bids and submit to the client the list of credible respondents. Typically the client will look to the consultant to make sure that the lowest bidder is capable of doing the work. In any event, the consultant maintains relationships with numerous qualified AV contractors so he will always have a supply of people to send bids to.

It's important to understand that much of what you're paying for is a technician's ability to simplify complex technology and put the content up on the screen.

For control, the choices are wide and include handhelds and touch-screens that can not only control one room, but can monitor all your rooms and be programmed to turn projectors off when not in use (saving that valuable lamp from burning out). For a simple control system with basic control, add $2,000. For a full-blown control system, you could add up to $5,000-$10,000 between hardware and programming. It's hard to overestimate the value of a top-rate control system: It makes the entire audiovisual system easier to use and cuts down on not only training time but the frustration level of not having the system perform as you'd expect.

Prices of displays are dropping almost daily. Currently, a plasma display runs between $3,000 and $12,000, depending on size and resolution. Remember, with a plasma monitor, you don't need a separate screen, replacement lamps, or filters. But what you sacrifice, in addition to budget considerations, is image size.

A good projector will run upward of $1,000 with standard lensing. With a projector you are paying for three things: brightness, resolution and size. (The current rule of thumb: The more compact the projector, the more it will cost.) And you will likely need to factor in additional dollars for an adequate sound system because, typically, speakers in the projectors just aren't adequate for groups of over 10 people.