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When the COVID-19 pandemic began closing schools in the spring of 2020, Langston University quickly shifted its resources online to support a remote learning initiative. Although plans to upgrade their aging technology infrastructure were already in the works, the university was still working on defining their needs and creating timelines for implementation. That’s when Langston University turned to ImageNet Consulting for a consultation.

“We’ve worked with Langston for many years, providing a wide range of products and services,” said Ian Ramsey, ImageNet audio & video sales specialist. “Our senior solutions consultant for Langston, Monica Nichols, has built a great relationship with them.”

Thanks to funds from the CARES Act and additional grants, the university selected ImageNet as their partner to assess and solve their remote learning challenges. Langston’s dean of business, Joshua Snavely, and the President’s chief of staff, Theresa Powell, teamed up to spearhead the process within Langston. Working with key personnel throughout the university as well as university president Kent Smith, the team defined the project’s multiple goals:

• To install professional-grade technology that would enable instructors to connect via Zoom or other videoconferencing platforms.
• To enable teaching using an interactive touchscreen.
• To implement a new system without changing existing programs and platforms.
• To enable students to see both their instructors and content on the board.
• To implement a standardized solution that would be consistent across all classrooms.

Together the ImageNet and Langston teams walked through the main campus to assess the spaces.

Nichols and Ramsey quickly recognized some hurdles that would need to be addressed during installation. Due to the unusual configurations in many classrooms and variety in classroom shapes and sizes, a full teardown and installation would be difficult. And because there was no existing technology that could be integrated into a new solution, this would have to be a blank slate deployment.

The ImageNet AV team put their heads together and recalled a previous solution they had considered for another client – a basic conference room AV setup on a rolling cart. Langston wanted a system that delivered more complexity, including more robust functionality and longer-lasting professional-grade materials.

“We asked ourselves whether we could create a mobile rolling cart that would be everything they needed,” said Ramsey. “We had never done that but thought it was possible. The critical factor would be delivering an outstanding user experience and for that we would need the right equipment.

“With all the chaos going on with COVID, we didn’t have time to waste. It came down to our relationship with ViewSonic. We knew that they make a great product and our ViewSonic reps have always been great – their support has been second to none for us.”

This, he said, along with ViewSonic’s history of being on the mark with pricing and inventory, makes it easy to put the ViewSonic product line in front of clients.

The right product for Langston University, said Ramsey, turned out to be the ViewSonic® ViewBoard® IFP7550 75” 4K interactive flat panel display, combined with the ViewSonic VPC15-WP-4 Slot-In PC and a just-released beamforming microphone, mounted on a ViewSonic VB-STND-001 Mobile Trolley Cart.

Based on a wish list that the Langston University team had put together, the AV team built a proof-of-concept model and placed it in the president’s office. After testing and putting the demo unit through its paces, the trial run was deemed successful and the project was given the green light.

The trolley units were a success. Both teachers and students reported outstanding user experiences and the university was able to rapidly equip their learning spaces with a fully functional professional-grade solution at a very reasonable price point.

The university ordered 50 mobile cart solutions over the summer of 2020. By the end of October, they had ordered another 27, for a total of just over 75 solutions across three campuses.

“LU named them ‘CTUs’ for ‘Classroom Technology Unit,’” said Ramsey, adding that at ImageNet they like to think of them as Conference Technology Units for the broader possibilities. “It’s been an incredible solution for them.”

The units have met the critical need to connect remote students and gone beyond even that, noted chemistry professor Dr. Nisa Ganewatta, who uses the CTUs in all her classes:

“The CTUs are very useful in teaching subjects like chemistry and physical sciences, which have lots of calculations that need to be explained and worked out on the board to support student understanding of the materials. All the content, visualizations and videos are clearly visible and audible to both the students who join via Zoom and the students who attend classes in-person,” said Ganewatta, adding that “The myViewBoard app in these CTUs is tremendously helpful in the above tasks. Powerful speakers, microphones, and the camera in the unit completes its job!”

The university has so much faith in their ViewSonic-powered CTUs that they now use them for everything, including connecting remote participants for their Board of Regents meetings, said Nichols.

Department of English Professor, Wonderful Faison, points out the ViewSonic ViewBoard display’s central role in remote learning:

“The CTUs give instructors a more realistic face-to-face classroom feel during remote learning. The size of the display lets instructors see their entire class, which makes the lecture more organic. Other CTU functions also allow instructors to write notes and highlight specific material to focus student’s attention on specific ideas or concepts.”

Biology professor, Dr. Julia Reed, praised the ViewSonic CTUs for their ability to share lab class content with remote students.

“I use a CTU for every Human Anatomy class, and they’re critical for lab classes,” said Reed. “The wide-angle camera enables my virtual students to see the bones, models and other objects that I present to the students that are present in class. I can walk around the classroom and students at home can see exactly what I’m doing.”

Not only does the innovative solution meet and exceed instructor needs, but its unique form also allowed the university to deploy it in time for the freshman class re-entry for the 2020-2021 school year.

“If we had gone the traditional route of renovating and installing custom solutions for each type of classroom, we might still be in implementation stages,” said Nichols. “With this fully commercial-grade system on a cart, we were able to equip all 75 lecture halls and classrooms within 6 months. We are very grateful to President Smith, Mrs. Powell, and Dean Snavely for their hard work, diligent efforts and prowess – and most especially for their partnership and trust to award ImageNet such an exciting and monumental project!”

The only thing a room needs, added Ramsey, is a wall outlet and available Wi-Fi. Outside of that, the mobile cart is an entire professional, commercial-grade videoconferencing system on a rolling platform.

“We’re thrilled that Langston has been so happy with it,” said Nichols, noting that they’ve already had interest in the solution from other clients. “The ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP7550 75” 4K interactive flat panel display with slot-in PC alone gives clients an entire computer and with all the controls built-in on the cart.”

Despite the speed of deployment, Ramsey noted that this in no way represents a compromise in quality.

“There are some great ‘icing on the cake’ outcomes from this solution as well,” he said. “Langston University got all the upgraded professional-grade technology that they needed at an excellent price point. This increased the number of units they could place and assures them a long-term return on investment, with a high-quality product that will be long lasting and adaptable.”

What’s more, he added, these commercial-grade mobile technology units could be easily transformed into stationary, professional wall-mounted solutions at any time, for just the cost of additional labor.

“If Langston ever wants to create a clean, seamless, wall-mounted environment in any of the rooms, we can do that with a few ancillary parts,” said Ramsey. “On the other hand, the cart solution will never be useless. This solution represents a big value to all education sector clients with ‘technology on wheels.’”

In 2018, UNT became the first public university in the state to launch a varsity- level collegiate esports program. A year later the university became the first in the state to offer esports scholarships to current and incoming students. The program’s rapid growth resulted in the need for added facilities.

“When the program began, the university opened a practice space called The Nest inside the Media Library,” said Dylan Wray, Esports Coordinator. “It’s a great space, but it’s open to anyone who enjoys gaming, or who wants do game design, multimedia work or 3D immersion. It’s not dedicated for our use alone.”

For the program to continue to expand, it needed more space and leading technology to support its players.

With ongoing support from UNT President Neal Smatresk, the esports program was granted space within the University’s POHL Recreation Center to renovate and call its own. The build-out and hardware was funded by the UNT Esports operational budget, with added support from UNT Division of Student Affairs.

Opened in December 2019 and given the moniker “the Eyrie,” (definition: a large nest of a bird of prey, especially an eagle), the space provides a home to varsity esports members and coaches.

“Our collegiate spirit animal is an eagle, and we wanted to maintain the theme begun with the Nest facility” said Wray, “It’s a fantastic space – glass-enclosed, like a fishbowl, and located at the entrance of the Rec Center. We get visibility from thousands of visitors every day.”

Working with ViewSonic marketing manager for gaming, Jason Maryne, Wray outfitted the new facilities with 15 ViewSonic XG2530 25-inch Full HD gaming monitors.

“Right away we found these to be outstanding gaming-quality monitors,” said Wray. “Everything about them seemed ideal for our needs. The 240Hz refresh rate is incredible and the image quality is fantastic. Plus, the design includes great added features like a headphone hook, adjustable stand, cable management – the little things that make life easier.”

Now in its second competitive season, the UNT varsity esports program is going strong. More than 35 students participate on four teams, competing at Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch and Rocket League. The university offers 20k annually in scholarships to recruit and support high school esports athletes.

“It’s been a busy two years, taking over a club-level program and turning it into a winning varsity team,” said Wray. “Having a dedicated practice facility with leading gaming technology has played an important part in our success.”

The ViewSonic monitors help prepare players to be their best for competition, said Wray, noting that without exception the players are all big fans of the ViewSonic XG2530 gaming monitor’s 240Hz refresh rate.

“Immediately when they sit down to play, they notice the difference,” said Wray. “Even the monitors in the other facility don’t hold a candle to these.”

While there is no mandated standard for tournament play, most players agree that training on a high refresh rate boosts their competitive advantage.

“Training on the ViewSonic monitors absolutely gives us an advantage at tournaments,” said Wray. “At the competitions they usually have some form of gamer monitor. If players are used to being on a lower-grade set up, like they may have at their home, then when they go to a LAN experience, they’re at a disadvantage.”

As UNT Rocket League player Tristan King put it: “The 240-frame rate makes a massive difference in gameplay. Rocket League is a very fast-paced game, so it can be the difference between winning a challenge or getting beat.”

Fellow Rocket League player Dylan Windebank agrees.

“The higher refresh rate makes the game easier to process when I’m getting more information per second than if I was on a 144Hz monitor,” said Windebank. “It makes the game feel smoother and makes me play better. I don’t have the opportunity to play on a monitor this fast at home so being able to use a monitor that makes me play better at practices and CRL matches really improves my performance.”

The program’s content manager, Dylan Acrey is another of the many fans of the ViewSonic gaming monitors in the Eyrie practice facility.

“The monitor I use at home is only 75Hz,” said Acrey. “There’s a distinct advantage to using the ViewSonic XG2530, particularly in terms of player control and awareness of surroundings.”

Another big plus of the ViewSonic XG2530 gaming monitor is the swivel stand, said Wray, noting that it’s his staff’s favorite feature.

“It’s a great design. Picking it up and moving it is easy,” he said. “And to be able to flip it on the side, pull everything out and put it back together, without having to lift up the monitor is a huge help.”

Also charged with hauling and setting up monitors at events, Dylan Acrey couldn’t agree more.

“The stand/support system for the ViewSonic XG2530 monitor is great. My work program uses these monitors for public esports events and we often have to set up 20 to 30 of them at a time,” said Acrey. “Detaching and re-attaching screens from their stands is quick and easy, and is a lifesaver on the job.”

UNT varsity esports team members have noted many other positive features of the ViewSonic XG2530 monitors, said Wray. These include: the “exceptional build quality,” great visual clarity, easy height adjustability, tilting head and integrated USB connectivity. Many have commented on the slim, space-saving and attractive design.

“The 240Hz is by far my favorite thing about these ViewSonic monitors,” said League of Legends player Andrew Schmidhausler. “I also like the design, with the sparks of red with the black. It’s a great-looking monitor. A lot of people who make monitors just make them plain, when what many people are looking for is a nice monitor with a sleek look.”Himself a “laptop gamer,” Wray said his experience with the ViewSonic XG2530 gaming monitors has made him want to move up to big-screen gaming.

“These top-quality monitors definitely provide an edge over someone who doesn’t have a monitor like this,” he said. “It’s like in football, not all wide receivers use gloves, but gloves usually make it easier to catch so those who do use them have an edge over someone who doesn’t have them.”

Fresno Unified School District structures its administration around four key goals. The second of these states that “All students will engage in arts, activities, and athletics.” The growing popularity of esports presented a significant new opportunity to support Goal 2.

“The benefits of extracurricular involvement and a relationship with a coach to improve academics and social growth are well-documented,” said Joe DiFilippo, Vice Principal on Special Assignment. “From a Goal 2 point of view, esports offered a great opportunity to engage students who would typically hustle home to get on their computer and engage with friends online. We wanted to bring this to the high school campus, to get these students engaging face to face with their peers and an adult coach.”

The challenge was to develop a strong high school esports program at a time when few existed. Certain of the importance of the new activity (whether or not one agrees that it is truly a “sport”), the district was poised to be a trailblazer in this exciting new arena.

“We knew that developing an esports league would not only deliver all the benefits of extracurricular involvement,” said Don Soyinthisane, FUSD Director of Information Technology. “We also wanted to bring focus to a new lucrative and developing industry. We wanted our esports league to foster curiosity into technology and other STEM areas, as well as provide potential career paths to students.”

Goal 2 Administrator and Assistant Superintendent, Holland Locker, teamed up with the information technology department’s Chief Technology Officer, Kurt Madden, to tackle the task of developing a district-wide esports league. They chose to model their league after a traditional high school sport, which according to Soyinthisane, is somewhat unique among high school esports leagues.

“Our league operates at a district level, like traditional sports,” said Soyinthisane. “Students from each of our high schools can compete against teams from other schools, just like they would with tennis or baseball.”

Dubbed the Fresno Unified Esports League better known as FUeL, the fledgling program began in 2018 with members training and competing on Rocket League. Thirteen district high schools participate in the league, practicing weekly then competing across an 8-week season, at the end of which a final tournament determines the district champion.

The IT department handles arena set up and technology procurement and maintenance. The Goal 2 group develops the schedule, runs tournaments and reports stats. The Goal 2 group’s extensive experience managing other athletic teams made for an easy learning curve.

When it came to equipping the league with display technology, Soyinthisane turned to ViewSonic.

“We’re standardized on ViewSonic monitors across the district, with several models that we buy from CDW-G to equip classrooms, computer labs and administrative offices,” he said. “I was hopeful that they would have a gaming-quality option for us, which it turned out they definitely did.”

The IT Team selected the ViewSonic XG2402 24” gaming monitor with 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and AMD FreeSync™ technology to equip FUeL.

In a short period of time, FUeL has attracted a large participation base. Switching to the popular game League of Legends for their second year, increased membership to around 185 participants across 13 district high schools. The league’s size is matched by member diversity, which includes many female and special ed students as well as the traditional male esports athlete.“Our esports league is giving more students an outlet to participate, to feel
and to show school pride. They may not be kids who could make the soccer team, but they’re super stars at esports,” said Soyinthisane. “They have uniforms, just
like any other athlete, and they wear them with pride on game days. They take it very seriously.”

Seeing FUeL students represent their schools at tournaments exemplifies what the league’s founders hoped to accomplish. Another is a measurable increase in attendance. Among students at the district’s alternative education school, for example, a teacher reported that after joining FUeL student attendance rose from a discouragingly low 25% to around 92%.

“We’re definitely reaching more kids and getting more students to be more active in school,” said Soyinthisane. “These kids were probably gaming at home. Now they’re showcasing their skills to the school.”

The ViewSonic XG2402 24-inch gaming monitors have supported the league players well as they prepare for competition, said Soyinthisane.

“The ViewSonic monitors are great: a quality product at a price that is right for us. With the 144 Hz and 1ms refresh rate, the images constantly refresh. Everything is nice and clear. The students enjoy competing on them,” he said.

Team coaches have commented on the image quality as well, Soyinthisane added.

“Our coaches are a big part of the league success. They watch the students play. Rewind the game play and go over it with them – just like a traditional athletic coach would do after a game or training session.”

Soyinthisane and DiFilippo agree that their efforts to build the league have payed off beyond their initial expectations.

“The amount of engagement this program has created is incredible” said DiFilippo. “We’ve seen fantastic growth with these students in peer to peer interaction and school pride. Our eSports athletes wear their jerseys on Fridays with enthusiasm. The coaches are generally young – in their late 20s and early 30s – they are able to build a real connection with their students.”

Once they accomplish that, he added, everything else falls into place – greater focus in class, improved grades and better behavior – because just like with other school sports eligibility requirements apply.

Currently in the midst of its second year, FUeL has held two tournaments in each of the last two years. The Fall tournament is only open to Fresno Unified School District schools. The Spring tournament includes teams from other school districts that want to compete in a professional-level arena.

“The Fall tournament is huge,” said Soyinthisane. “We set up four arenas on a Saturday, equipped with gaming workstations and our ViewSonic monitors. We have ‘shout casters’ commenting throughout. We want to replicate all that in the Spring and just keep making the program bigger and better and involving more students.”

Beyond that, hopes for FUeL include building a dedicated esports arena and continuing to leverage the growth of the burgeoning industry to help students make the connection between their passion for gaming and real prospects for future career and college opportunities.

“There are more than 200 colleges and universities offering full ride scholarships for esports athletes. And there are opportunities beyond playing, such as coding, shout casting, the business aspects of gaming,” said DiFilippo. “We see parents connecting the dots and realizing that this activity can really point their kids on a path in life.”

Any expansion plans will most certainly involve ViewSonic gaming monitors, said Soyinthisane, who credits the monitor maker for a role in FUeL’s success.

“We have a great relationship with ViewSonic as a supplier and appreciate their support of the growth of our esports league,” he said. “They’re a very strategic partner. They deliver good quality product at a good price, and the support from our account manager Lena Cull has been truly awesome.”

In 2010, the historic Wright Leppien Opera House in Alma Michigan suffered massive interior damage in a fire. Efforts to renovate the space languished and Alma College took ownership of the space in 2017, investing two years of work to bring it up to code. The upper floors became apartments for Alma College students. The ground floor became home to six storefronts, which the university sought to lease to local businesses that would benefit students and the community.

During renovation, the college asked New Media Studies Professor Anthony Collamati for his thoughts on how to use one of the spaces. The result of that exchange gave birth to an exciting idea: Transform the space into an esports environment that would serve as a practice and competition space for the
Alma College varsity esports team.

“The college didn’t actually have an esports team at that point, but they recognized the value of providing this opportunity to students and plans were in the works,” said Collamati. “One of the biggest roadblocks was the lack of facilities for the team.”

Collamati teamed up with friend and local business owner Nick Lux and leased the space from the university. The plan quickly expanded beyond a simple practice facility.

“As we talked through the options, we realized that we wanted to create a place that lived up to the original historic mission of the building, which was to be a community gathering place for residents to enjoy what was the dominant medium of the time,” said Collamati. “We live in a small town and there aren’t that many places to gather and we wanted to create a space where everyone would feel comfortable and welcome.”

Today’s medium, of course, is gaming. Whereas gaming was seen as a niche hobby for nerds and teenagers two decades ago, today esports has become a multi-billion dollar industry that is still growing. Creating a space that facilitated practice, competition and casual enjoyment – along with comfortable companionship for non-gamers – was an entirely new business and entertainment model.

“We wanted to create a space that would be inviting to anyone who walked in, along with the serious gamers and the Alma esports team,” said Collamati. “The vision encompassed multiple areas designed for different types of game play, as well as areas for the spectating and dining-only crowd.”

A critical component, said Collamati, was a stage area that would replicate the high-level competitive esports experience, which typically takes place in large halls or stadiums, is broadcast live and includes play-by-play “shoutcasting.”

While there were some challenges related to building on a historic site, building a bar and dining tables proved to be the easy part. Mapping out the varied game spaces, individual team practice stations, a pro-level gaming stage and the AV needed to tie it all together into a vibrant environment was beyond Lux and Collamati’s experience. For this, they turned to Matt Smiley, owner and president
of CCS Presentation Systems of Michigan.

“Matt was tremendous at helping us think through ideas and finding pitfalls before we fell into them,” said Collamati. “Typically, to create the type of environment we sought would require a giant broadcast switcher that costs as much as a house and could run AV feeds from many PCs, along with a control booth, command center and a few producers and operators to manage it all.”

Constrained by costs and space, this full-on esports broadcast approach wasn’t an option, said Collamati. “Our daily team would need to be just a couple of people to edit the broadcast, and we could only afford a dozen AV inputs,” he added.

That’s where CSS presentation systems came in. CSS utilized a dynamic AV over IP solution that used network switching to transition between SDI and HDMI, creating an immersive environment at a budget-friendly price point.

“To do this, we needed monitors and large screen displays with the appropriate integrated connectivity options and Anthony wanted top-notch graphics and color,” said AV pro Matt Smiley. “I’ve worked with ViewSonic for years and they’ve been my go-to monitor brand for some time now. Their products are very dependable, and every client we’ve sold ViewSonic displays to tells us they’re great.”

CCS suggested several ViewSonic® monitors and large screen displays to meet the varied requirements of the installation. Not only were the ViewSonic graphics displays beautiful and the gaming monitor specs up to par, said Collamati, the display’s enabled CCS to bring the entrepreneurs’ vision to life.
“ViewSonic did a great job of sending us demo equipment and helping us pick the right monitors and displays for each area,” said Smiley. “They went above and beyond and together we determined the displays that fit the budget and had the specs Anthony needed.

“A critical feature of the game displays was the refresh rate,” added Smiley.
“And ViewSonic had great monitors specifically for the gaming market.”
Before committing, Collamati put the ViewSonic gaming monitors to the test, determined to make sure that the technology was a good fit for the serious gamers.

“The ViewSonic gaming monitors had great specs, but just to make sure we brought in coaches and members of the Alma College Overwatch and League of Legends teams,” said Collamati. “We did a brand-blind comparison with competitive products. It was incredible --- each and every one of them picked the 24-inch ViewSonic models.”

Ultimately, the CCS and Collamati chose the following ViewSonic products to outfit Block House Esports:

• 12 ViewSonic 24” LCD Gaming Monitors with ELITE RGB Technology, 1920x1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, rapid response time (Model XG240R)

• 13 ViewSonic 24” Gaming LED monitors, 1920x1080 resolution, 144Hz ultra-fast refresh rate, 1ms response time (Model XG2401)

• 2 ViewSonic 65” 4K Ultra HD Commercial Displays (Model CDE6510)

• 4 ViewSonic 50” 4K Ultra HD Commercial Displays, 3840x2160 resolution, 350nits, built-in multi-core media player with 8gb storage
(Model CDE5010)

• 1 ViewSonic 75” 4K UHD Commercial Display (Model CDE7500)

• 1 ViewSonic 86” 4K Ultra HD Commercial Display (Model CDE8600)

• 1 ViewSonic 27” 4K UHD Monitor with SuperClear IPS Technology, 3840x2160 resolution (Model VX2776-4K-MHD)

• 1 ViewSonic 35” 1440p Ultra-Wide Gaming Monitor with ELITE RGB Technology, 3440x1440 resolution, 100Hz refresh rate (Model XG350R-C)

Despite delays and constraints related to the coronavirus pandemic, Block House officially opened on October 4, 2020. The response has been even better than he could have dreamed of, says Collamati.

“We host the Alma varsity team practices and competitions, just like a hockey team rents ice time at a rink,” he said. “Beyond this, the response from the community has been overwhelming. Whenever pandemic conditions have allowed us to serve them, we have people here enjoying the food or the bar, or gaming – or all three.”

The crowd ranges from families and groups of kids to couples on dates, said Collamati, who says he’s thrilled to be helping esports come out of the basement and become a social activity.

The space roughly breaks out into three activity-based areas: The bar/dining tables; gaming stations; and competitive streaming stage. To keep track of the large screen displays and facilitate easier communication and programming (while having fun to boot), Collamati and his team named the large ViewSonic commercial displays after the Greek Gods.

Upon entering the Block House, just inside the doorway, Hades, the massive 86” 4K Ultra HD commercial display greets visitors, provides a family- and group-friendly game zone, and captures the attention of passersby. To the left, drinking, dining and spectating visitors can choose from a bar, four-top tables and a large community high-top.

Two-person gaming nooks with ViewSonic XG2401 24” gaming monitors line the wall with larger ViewSonic 50” displays above that showcase the action to spectators. Venture further into the Block House and you’ll find more game stations nestled against historic bare brick walls and situated throughout open spaces. Couches in front of two pairs of ViewSonic 50” 4K Ultra HD Commercial Displays (Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo and Artemis) invite visitors to get comfortable and grab a controller.

The stage area comes to life with 12 ViewSonic 24” LCD gaming monitors with ELITE RGB Technology, which can be configured for a variety of live competitions ranging from 1v1 to 6v6. “These ViewSonic Elite RGB monitors are really terrific,” said Collamati. “We can program them to use our brand colors or can color code the teams so it’s easy to tell who’s home and who’s away.”

Above the stage and along the back wall of the Block House, Zeus, a ViewSonic 75” 4K UHD commercial display is flanked by Poseidon and Hera, ViewSonic’s 65” 4K Ultra HD commercial displays. Transmitters on top of every player station send signals to the control screen, where the Block House team uses a digital switcher to broadcast gameplay onto the big screens.

“The ViewSonic displays have been fantastic and they’re a big part of how the media staff is able to craft an exciting audio-visual experience for people coming into the venue,” said Collamati. “For example, say there’s a group of four battling it out on Valorant, we can stream their game to Zeus, Hera and Poseidon, amping up the competitive excitement.”

What’s more, Collamati adds, the content on the ViewSonic commercial displays can be easily adapted to fit the season, day or mood – as well as to deliver advertising and promotions. “We like to cycle through some branding for ourselves and our sponsors, like the Alma Esports Team, on at least one display,” said Collamati. “On others we could be running seasonal or themed movies. We can run a Twitch broadcast or a live or virtual football game on another. The possibilities are endless.”

One of the biggest thrills and most heartwarming aspect of the venue, says Collamati, is seeing the ways in which the games and the environment bring people together.

“Say we have a mom and daughter playing Mario Kart and we take their game and put it on a ton of screens around the space; it’s such a joy to see their reaction and the connection between the parent and child,” he said. “I knew we could do that – it was our goal all along to be able to show the game play around the space – but I didn’t realize the huge guest experience value it would bring.”

From start to finish, he added, Block House has been a labor of love. To date, their crew is still working out the kinks and looking forward to the post-COVID days when teams in the Block House can livestream their battles on Twitch, just like the pros. On days when Block House is able to open, the excitement just keeps going.

“We just love seeing people walk by, and the big 86-inch ViewSonic display in the front window catches their eye and draws them in,” said Collamati. “We’ve seen a family with young kids eyeing the couch and the rich colors on the display showcasing Donkey Kong or Mario Kart, and they come in and play together, smiling and laughing. Or a teen with his parents who convinces them to come in and they end up playing together. You gotta ask yourself – would those parents have ended up playing Among Us in their basement with their kid?”

While working as a Microsoft engineer, Ashton decided to keep his competitive spark alive by working part-time at an event photography company. Despite his enthusiasm, Ashton was frustrated by the lack of professionalism he encountered.

“I was not impressed by the way they went about things and I was constantly giving them ideas,” said Ashton. “They never listened, so my wife and I decided to do it ourselves.”

At the time, he said, there was no major software solution for the event photography space, so they developed their own. Along with their software (which was faster and more efficient than anything else on the market), they needed monitors that could be used for up to 20 hours a day in environments that were often dirty, dusty and wet. These monitors would also need to withstand the constant bumping and jostling that came with constant transportation to and from events – initially throughout the Southwest, then across the country as Mad Moose Media expanded.

In the early days of Mad Moose, said Ashton, everything was about the bottom line. Their Mad Moose POS, Sort and Photo Grab software was developed entirely in-house. Cost, rather than function, was the priority when it came to purchasing monitors.

“The first monitors we had were what we could get easily and inexpensively from Best Buy. As it turned out, some were from ViewSonic and others weren’t,” he said.

During that first year, Mad Moose Media went to any event they could find near their home base of Nevada and Southern California. At a mountain bike race in Orange County, Ashton met someone who would change his life. A Mad Moose customer noticed the ViewSonic monitors then brought his friend by to meet the Mad Moose crew. That friend turned out to be President of ViewSonic Americas, Jeff Volpe.

“He and I ended up having a lot of common interests,” said Ashton, “We had a great time talking, and of course he commented on how ViewSonic monitors could do a better job for us. I was thrilled to take his advice and try out the monitors he recommended as best for our different needs.”

With a range of vehicles, trailers and tents that traveled to events, Mad Moose Media needed a wide range of monitors to meet their needs. The final solution consisted of:

ViewSonic® TD2730 Multi-Touch Displays
The 10 TD2730 multi-touch displays being used for customer point-of-sale were the most critical component of the business, said Ashton, as they served the interface where customers could see, customize and order photos. Using the VESA compatible mounts on the displays, Ashton connected standard folding wall mounts, flipped them 180-degrees and attached them to a table instead of a wall, creating a fast and easy set-up process.

ViewSonic VA2256-mhd Displays
10 displays are used by the sales team from inside the tent or trailer, mirroring what the customer sees on the outside.

ViewSonic ViewBoard® IFP7550 75” Interactive Flat Panel Display
This giant display, said Ashton, is ideal for circumstances that bring Mad Moose inside to showcase and sell their photography. Mounted on the ViewSonic
LB-STND-003-S mobile stand, the 75” ViewBoard interactive display is quite literally a standout in conference rooms, convention centers and high-end award ceremonies.

ViewSonic PX701-4K Ultra HD Projectors
Two 4K projectors amp up the excitement during events by displaying content onto the ceiling of the tent. With nighttime images that reach up to 20 feet, Aston’s team can livestream races, showcase results and present highlights.

ViewSonic VP3881 38” ColorPro™ Monitor
This powerful color-accurate display is used for image editing in Ashton’s home office to produce pixel-perfect pictures every time.

ViewSonic VX4380-4K 43” Ultra HD Monitor
The Mad Moose team uses this 4K monitor for poster development and general in-office use.

ViewSonic XG350R-C 35” Ultrawide ELITE Gaming Monitor
Running a business is hard work. That’s why for Ashton, a gaming monitor was critical for self-care.

Equipped with the right technology for each job and driven by a passion for excellence, Mad Moose Media has grown exponentially over the past five years. Some of the credit goes to the durability and performance of the ViewSonic displays, said Ashton.

“For one thing, without the touchscreen POS monitors we couldn’t do anything,” he said. “And these ViewSonic multi-touch models do everything we need. The images are great and the high nit count for brightness is very important because we’re outside. Even with the awning providing shade it’s still very bright.”

Not only do the ViewSonic TD2730 touch displays deliver everything needed for point-of-sale customer interaction, they do so again and again, without fail, at nearly 100 events per year.

“The durability of these monitors is mind-blowing,” said Ashton. “We’ve never had a failure in the field and we put them to work in the worst dust you can imagine. They’ve been through rain multiple times plus snow, 20-degree weather, 100-degree weather, you name it. They’ve had thousands of customers pushing on them and they’ve been driven across the country dozens of times.”

This, he said, is beyond critical for the company’s five concessions: A tent with five ViewSonic TD2730 touchscreen displays; two vending trailers, each with four to six TD2730 displays; a golf cart with two TD2730 displays; and the indoor concession: a 75” ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP7550 interactive display.

“We rely completely on our ViewSonic monitors. We can’t have low-quality monitors that break during an event,” said Ashton. “That would cost us thousands of dollars in a day.”

From small to large, outdoor to indoor, ViewSonic displays do not disappoint,
said Ashton, who is particularly fond of the 75” ViewBoard interactive display.

“It’s huge and vibrant and always catches peoples’ attention with its beautiful, massive screen,” he said. “We just push it into the meeting room or convention hall, put it in the corner, and people continually walk up and interact with it.”

While most of the company’s business - from order placement to the final printed product placed in the customers’ hands - is conducted and completed onsite, Mad Moose Media also specializes in creating customized posters produced off-site.

“We take a lot of pride in our posters,” said Ashton. “We know they can stay up
on walls for a long time and we work hard to make sure they’re perfect.”

This is where the ViewSonic VP3881 Ultrawide ColorPro™ monitor shines, enabling Ashton and his team to edit, color-correct and personalize photos taken in the toughest of conditions.

“None of our photographers get it easy. They have to work with odd lighting, dust and water reflections; we don’t get to set up a photoshoot,” Ashton said. “This is where the editing, color coding and color grading that we do on this monitor is critical.

For example, an image may be a bit hazy due to dust but also the best image from the event. The functionality of the ViewSonic VP3881 enables us to edit out the haze and get the colors perfect, said Ashton, adding that this is another important cost-saver for the company.

“When we generate the poster on our giant printer, we know that what we see on the monitor screen will be what we see on the final result. This is critical because we print thousands of posters per year. If it doesn’t look exactly right onscreen compared to what we print, we’d waste a lot of time and expensive paper.”

The Mad Moose headquarters is also home to a ViewSonic VX4380-4K Ultra HD monitor, which supports basic business functions as well as some poster design. “To be honest, I just love this monitor, it’s so easy to read everything on it,” said Ashton. “It’s my general office workstation so I use it daily for emails, PowerPoint, Excel, that sort of thing. The 4K is a whole different feel and I notice way less eye strain.”

Beyond the ViewSonic monitors that support his business, Ashton has one more that’s near and dear to his heart: the ViewSonic XG350R-C 35” Ultrawide ELITE gaming monitor. Designed to deliver an immersive experience for esports and gaming enthusiasts, this elegant, curved display includes ViewSonic exclusive RGB ELITE lighting technology, a 100Hz refresh rate and ClearMotion™ technology to reduce blur.

“I grew up racing and I’m a racer at heart. These days I do a lot of iRacing and sim racing online for fun,” Ashton said. “I’m at races and competitions every weekend, running the Mad Moose show, but when I want to race myself, I can do it anytime online with other people from around the world.”

What started as a pastime became something bigger when the COVID pandemic put a stop to many live events in early 2020. Because of his background, Ashton has become what he calls “tech support” for 20 or so NASCAR drivers, advising them on everything from the software to the workstation setup. And he always recommends the ViewSonic XG350R-C 35” Ultrawide ELITE gaming monitor.

“I tell them that this incredible 35” curved ViewSonic gaming monitor is absolutely what they need. It’s pretty much perfect for sim racing,” he said. “You need the ultrawide because you need to be able to easily see who’s to your left and right, and it gives you a tremendous field of view. It’s an amazing monitor and for the price point it’s even more amazing.”

With a thriving and expanding business, Mad Moose Media captures thousands of athletes and racers in the heat of the action. As soon as those shots are captured, ViewSonic monitors play a vital role in getting those images into the hands of athletes and their fans.

“These monitors – and the projectors – all do what they’re supposed to do, with outstanding quality and without fail,” said Ashton, summing up his experience with the many ViewSonic products he uses daily. “I think one of the most incredible things is their reliability. We’ve put them through the worst environments they could be through. I’m often shocked that they still work.”

Despite the damp, dust and grime spanning five-plus years, none of the ViewSonic monitors have ever been dismantled or professionally cleaned. “We just blow them off and wipe the screens, simple things,” said Ashton. “I joke that we put these monitors through more durability testing than when they’re manufactured. With us they go through hell and back – and keep working.”

Interactive displays have become a gold standard for technology in K-12 education by empowering students and instructors to communicate and collaborate in ways that have been shown to increase educational outcomes and prepare students for career success. Would it be possible then, wondered Claremont Graduate University’s leadership team, for this technology to be applied to the unique environment of their institution?

What started off as a thought experiment quickly became reality when CGU board members, Trustee Weng Chan and university president Len Jessup met with ViewSonic leadership to discuss different possibilities. The members greenlit a project that would eventually become known as the Advanced Learning Environment (ALE), a room outfitted with several ViewSonic® ViewBoard® interactive displays and short-throw laser projectors, along with enough laptops to accommodate every student. If it worked as anticipated, it would become the prototype for future classrooms.

But before the ALE could change the way CGU approached technology, it first needed to pass muster with the IT team that would be responsible for implementation. Associate Vice President of Finance and Administration/Technology Services and Information Systems Manoj Chitre admits to being skeptical at first.

“ViewBoard displays have great capabilities and deliver a terrific, immersive classroom experience that’s great for K-12 education,” said Chitre. “As a graduate-only institution it wasn’t immediately apparent how our faculty would use the devices. I wondered, how applicable would they be to our class settings?”

Michael Thomas, Director of Educational Technology and Client Services, was of a similar mindset.

“These tools, the ViewBoard displays and myViewBoard™ software, were specifically designed for K-12,” said Thomas. “We were assured by the ViewSonic team that the software would translate well to pedagogy for adults and that it would be regularly updated for this use.”

With all the relevant stakeholders onboard with the project, the IT and leadership teams went to work.

The ALE was envisioned as an interactive space where teachers could have the flexibility to expand their teaching methods and foster creativity and collaboration individually and in groups.

ViewSonic worked with the CGU team to determine the best technology to bring this collaborative vision to life, ultimately selecting five interactive displays – an 86” ViewSonic® ViewBoard® IFP8650 to serve as the “teaching display” and four 75” ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP7550 displays for use by students – all featuring 4K Ultra HD resolution and immersive 20-point touchscreens. For flexibility, each display was mounted on a cart to enable teachers to move them around the room as desired. Two ViewSonic LS820 short-throw laser projectors and 40 laptops rounded out the room.

“We knew that for this room to embody our vision it needed to be highly versatile,” said Thomas. “My philosophy is that technology alone isn’t always the solution and to achieve our goals every element of the room needed to contribute to the modularity. To achieve this, CGU leadership ultimately invested in a complete remodel of the space.”

With financial backing from the University’s board, the team gave the room a modern makeover to make it more accessible for students. Whereas before there was a typical 800 sq. ft. lab with rows of tables and chairs, there now stood a vibrant, cutting-edge technology center. An electrified glass wall provided a sense of openness but also doubled as a privacy filter by being opaque at the push of a button. Window blinds (which normally took minutes to close) became motorized and could be remotely raised and lowered as a group. A browser-based system provided hassle-free room scheduling and cut down on many of the conflicts that came with booking a regular meeting space.

“The old room was very static. This one is modular and modern,” said Thomas. “The furniture is modular and easy to reconfigure. The ViewBoard displays are on rolling carts. Everything can be easily changed up to accommodate different needs.”

The CGU IT team completed the installation during the summer of 2019. In September, the Advanced Learning Environment was officially open for use. With help from ViewSonic, the IT team laid the groundwork for a successful launch.

“ViewSonic helped train my team members, who became trainers for the faculty,” said Thomas. “We also created documentation on how to use the tools and software in the room, including recommendations on how to use these resources for different teaching modalities.”

The ALE quickly became one of the most popular spots on campus, with five months of increasing use before the university shut down in March of 2020
to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“Pre-pandemic the ALE was being used daily by faculty across the campus,” said Thomas. “The Statistics professors were the first to use it extensively, but soon it was being used for every type of class as well as for board meetings, special events and training faculty and staff from our sister schools.”

It was so in-demand, says Thomas, that they regularly had to turn people away.

“This room provides the faculty with capabilities they didn’t have in the past, and it’s changing the way they teach,” he said. “Some use all the displays at once, for upgraded one-to-many teaching. For example, this approach is good for classes that use the Socratic method, and it adds visibility for vision-impaired students. Many use the displays separately for breakouts and group work, then have the students share their work onto the large screens using myViewBoard software.

In Professor Brian Hilton’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) class, ViewSonic ViewBoard displays have particularly been effective at saving time for both himself and his students. Consider this “then” versus “now” snapshot of group work in Hilton’s classes with and without the large screen huddle spaces.

“Before I had these resources to use, groups of students would share a single laptop to create the assigned GIS maps or apps. To demonstrate their work, they had to come to the front of the room, login to their account and find the correct content – all before they could begin discussing it, all of which took time,” said Hilton. “Now each group works at a large ViewSonic ViewBoard display, which has many benefits.”

“First of all, it gets them up and moving, getting into groups around their display – a good outcome for evening classes where almost everyone is coming from work at the end of a long day. They then proceed as before with the exercise, but since the screen is large, they have the ability to work together rather than just watch one person manipulate the application. Then, when it’s time for their demonstration, we just move between groups – it’s much more efficient.”

Hilton also talked about another unanticipated bonus, “The groups at each display can easily see what the others are doing, which creates some useful friendly competition.”

The results lived up to the high expectations that the CGU leadership had for the room. What the team couldn’t have anticipated was how useful the ALE would become in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This room has proved valuable in so many ways we didn’t imagine,” said Chitre. “For one thing, it was an ideal environment for training faculty in online learning tools and techniques before going home in March.”

“For another,” said Chitre, “ViewBoard displays have proven invaluable in facilitating remote teaching in new ways at the outset of the 2020-2021 school year, with the campus closed and the university offering online flexible learning.

“Some faculty can’t or don’t want to teach from home,” he said. “We’ve been able to bring them on campus and enable them to use the big screens to connect with remote students. They can talk to them easily and present though the ViewBoard displays. It’s really been a blessing for them.”

The combination of Zoom plus the ViewSonic ViewBoard displays has been tremendous, added Thomas.

“These tools together have been a huge win this fall for the faculty teaching from campus,” he said. “They wanted to be in a classroom to teach but many found it awkward lecturing on Zoom to an empty room. When we set them up on the ViewBoard displays with webcams and they were able to see a large gallery of their students’ faces and have bidirectional conversations -- definitely a more enjoyable teaching and learning experience.”

To maximize this benefit, the ViewBoard displays were moved to individual classrooms.

According to Thomas, whether it was late 2019, during the transition to remote learning, or in its current distributed locations, feedback has been “overwhelmingly fantastic.”

“The faculty really enjoy the modularity of the ALE and the touchscreen aspect of the displays has been one of the biggest wins,” he said. “The screens are absolutely gorgeous and the touchscreen capabilities are outstanding. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback about the displays.”

All in all (pandemic notwithstanding), the faculty’s expectations were overwhelmingly met, says Thomas.

“The professors really enjoy having a top tier, cutting-edge space that gives them so much teaching flexibility,” he said. “We’re looking forward to extending the concept and are working with ViewSonic to acquire more ViewBoard displays.”

The IT team has also been offering demos of the ALE for CGU’s sister colleges.

“Scripps just bought three and CMC is also in the process acquiring some ViewSonic ViewBoards,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting more – a lot more.”

Upon becoming Head of School at Syracuse Hebrew Day School, one of Laura Lavine’s first priorities was to upgrade classroom technology. A former public school superintendent, she recognized that her SHDS students were missing out on the benefits of interactive and collaborative technology.

“I wanted my students to be as adept at using these devices as other students, so that when they graduate and move on to seventh grade, they won’t have to face a challenging learning curve,” said Lavine. “They also deserved the educational benefits that come with using technology during their primary and intermediate grades.”

Additionally, Lavine wanted to prepare for potential remote learning due to snow days or extended student absences (a prescient move considering the pandemic that surfaced months later).

At that time, classrooms used a mix of old-school tools. The go-to for displaying content at the front of the room was a cart-mounted projector and a pull-down screen. Teachers shared lesson materials on a classic whiteboard.

Lavine was familiar with projector-based interactive whiteboards from her days as a public school superintendent, and began considering this type of solution for SHDS, while also evaluating 1:1 computing devices, taking steps to become a Google school, and beginning professional development to bring teachers up-to- date on the use of online resources.

In June 2019, as she began her research into technology and online solutions, Lavine visited an area high school. As she peered into classrooms along the way, she noticed teachers and students working at interactive whiteboards that lacked a separate projector.

“That’s when I first became aware of interactive whiteboards that don’t need a projector,” said Lavine. “They were slim, compact and looked easier to use.”

Her colleagues at the high school confirmed her initial impressions and spoke highly of their displays – ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive flat panel displays.

“I started looking at the various products available in this category,” said Lavine. “And I decided I didn’t want to do my usual lengthy amount of research. The school I visited is very large and loves their ViewSonic ViewBoard displays; I decided that if they were good enough for them, they would surely be good enough for our little gem of a school.”

Lavine purchased a 75” ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP7550 4K interactive display within two weeks of her first glimpse of the technology. At the recommendation of her sales representative Nick Gugliuzza, she purchased the IFP7550-E2 bundle, which included everything needed to create an easy-to-use shared resource: the display, a mobile trolley cart and a wireless AC adapter.

It proved to be much more than “good enough” for SHDS.

Thanks to excellent PD provided by Nick, said Lavine, teachers quickly began integrating the ViewBoard into their curriculum and were initially satisfied with using it as a shared resource. (“Back in the pre-COVID days we could do that,” noted Lavine.)

“Nick made the training very hands-on and everyone picked it up quickly,” Lavine said, acknowledging that she herself was a bit nervous about learning to use the display. “A teacher said, ‘Laura it’s just a big iPad’ – so I told myself, I can do this, and it ended up being easy. Our teachers took to it very quickly.”

Soon, however, teachers began asking to have one of their own, so Lavine purchased four more, equipping other classrooms – including every general education classroom – with a ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display.

“They told me that there was so much more they could do if they had one full time in their rooms,” said Lavine. “Fortunately, we received a grant from an area bank that enabled us to purchase more.”

Along with outstanding customer service, Lavine said the displays themselves did not disappoint.

“The quality of the onscreen picture is extremely high, the sound is good, and the user interface is very intuitive,” she said. “Half of our faculty is over 60 yet everyone is using them. Everything about these displays is great. They are easy to use and there’s been nothing glitchy at all. We love them.”

When schools across the country began closing to slow the spread of COVID-19 in March 2020, Lavine said she was the first one in their county to announce the closing of a school.

“I was confident in doing so because I knew we could handle teaching remotely thanks to the technology and training we had invested in,” she said. “We closed school on Friday March 13th, then on Monday March 16th we were fully online for the next three and a half months.”

When the start of the next school year came around, Lavine opened the doors of SHDS knowing they had the pieces in place to keep everyone safe: small class sizes along with masking, maintaining socially-distanced classroom pods, and the addition of six-foot clear plexiglass booths around each student desk.

“When it came to teaching effectively under these conditions,” she said, “The ViewSonic ViewBoard displays helped tremendously – I don’t think it’s too much to say that they’ve saved our school day.”

In many ways, teachers used the ViewBoard displays exactly as they had for their first seven months at the school – working collaboratively with students using apps like Go Noodle, Brain Pop, Kahoot, Padlet and more. Under these new conditions, the large screen with crisp, clear images made it possible for every student to see and hear lessons clearly, said Lavine. Older students, who could be counted on to take care and use hand sanitizer appropriately, continue to get up and work at the boards.

What has made the biggest difference during the pandemic, said Lavine, is the ability to connect with those who used to come into the building – guest readers, authors and the like – along with the ability to connect to the world at large.

“Once a week, the cantor from an area synagogue came to school to teach Jewish music. Now she connects via Zoom so students get the that same half hour of music each week, displayed on the ViewBoard,” said Lavine. “The same goes for our monthly Kindergarten storyteller. These displays are allowing us to stay connected; they’ve opened up the world to us more than we would have thought possible during this pandemic.”

Another invaluable result of having ViewSonic ViewBoard displays in each classroom during these COVID times is the ability to keep the school’s traditions alive and well. One such tradition is the morning meeting, which, during typical times, brings students of all ages together in one room to get to know one another and share Torah portion lessons. It’s a tradition with countless student benefits, including the development of leadership and public speaking skills. The  ViewSonic ViewBoard displays have enabled a nearly seamless continuation of this tradition.

“Every classroom turns on their display and everyone is together virtually,” said Lavine. “The sixth graders still run the meeting and get the leadership experience. Even though the classrooms are just 20 feet apart, the ViewBoard displays are what bring us together as a community.”

Day-to-day instruction continues within each classroom “pod,” bolstered by the combined use of the ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays and individual student devices.

“A teacher’s creativity is the only thing that limits the use of the ViewBoard displays,” said Lavine. “And all of our teachers are really enjoying coming up with ways to use their ViewBoard for instruction.”

A Hebrew teacher uses the Padlet app for teaching Hebrew. Sixth graders read the book Wonder, then watched it on the classroom screen. First graders learn about nouns and verbs using the Kahoot app and respond to questions on the big board using their individual devices. Just about every teacher mines YouTube for resources to display on their classroom ViewBoard.

“These teachers are among the most collaborative and hard-working I have known in forty years, and they were - and are - eager to learn about new resources,” said Lavine. “The ViewSonic ViewBoard displays boosted their capabilities both in terms of what they do in their classrooms and in terms of getting them adjusted to learning and teaching remotely through technology.

“The ViewBoard displays don’t just come in handy, they’re invaluable.”