Education

It’s a common question - do we really need technology to learn? The answer varies depending on how instructors utilize technology solutions to implement their lesson plans. No matter how technology is used, one thing is for sure – technology has definitely transformed the possibilities of teaching. We’ve all seen it in futuristic movies: a classroom consists of a giant interactive multimedia screen in front of the classroom and computer desks for students to work individually and collaboratively. The future is now.

 

It is a well-known fact that an engaged student absorbs information faster, and introducing technology to the learning process spurs students to think and learn in new ways. For instance, Kyrene School District in Arizona invested $33 million dollars to revamp their schools with interactive screens, laptops, classroom projectors, networking gear and education software to visually and kinetically accommodate different student learning styles.

 

Through this technology enriched learning, the students of Kyrene School District are now:

 

• using professional writing and editing tools and creative design apps to improve their writing skills and create higher quality PowerPoint presentations


• utilizing personal computers to get their ideas down faster while enabling teachers to edit their work more easily


• able to more conveniently complete and review work as a group using the cooperative technology solution


• participate in internet-based lesson plans for more immediate communication, including the ability to email the teacher completed assignments


• learning math through interactive games such as Alien Addition


• practicing spelling on interactive screens


• experiencing enhanced reading comprehension with interactive reading websites, and taking exams on laptops, with their scores being revealed in minutes.

 

As a result of implementing these advancements, students are able to master academic skills in a fun and creative way. School districts like Kyrene are a perfect example of how the classroom can be used to help students acquire the technological competence that is essential in today’s information technology era. What an exciting time for education!

 

To learn more about interactive presentation solutions to transform classrooms, libraries and auditoriums from ordinary spaces into exciting learning centers, read here. Have experience with implementing new technologies within the classroom? Tell us about it here on the blog.

 

Corporate names and trademarks stated herein are the property of their respective companies. Copyright^© 2012 ViewSonic Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

 

The face of digital signage is rapidly changing, and its advancements in technology are pushing progression right along. Have you heard the term Open Pluggable Specification (OPS)? OPS architecture ties the digital signage ecosystem together with standardized interoperable hardware interface to drive effective component design, development and simplified integration complexity for lower implementation, deployment and management costs. An initiative from Intel®, OPS is a new technology concept that emerged about a year ago.

 



The OPS architecture modularizes the development of digital signage display panels and media players, thereby minimizing the implementation time for installation and eliminating other system complexities. While this clean solution ultimately benefits the integrator and end users, so far, only a few companies have adopted OPS technology. This is likely because people are accustomed to using an external media player (or PC) to run their media content on the signage display. Until the integrators and end users become more and more familiar with the benefits of OPS and industry demand increases, we believe it will still take some time before manufacturers and display OEMs adopt this new standard. However, with a company like Intel serving as the driving force behind this technology, things look very hopeful. Intel has launched multiple scalable intelligent software applications to enhance OPS display capabilities, such as Active Management Technology (AMT), Audience Impression Metrics Suite (AIM), Anonymous Video Analytics (AVA) and Near-Field Communication (NFC).

 

Will OPS architecture adaptation become successful? Only time will tell, but we believe in the benefits it provides. To learn more about ViewSonic’s OPS-enabled touch digital signage solutions in 42”, 46” and 65” sizes, click here. Have questions about what digital signage solutions are easiest for your business to maintain and upgrade? Ask us here on our blog.

Are you a professional presenter or educator who reinforces onstage presentations with a laser pen? Do you find satisfaction from instantaneous interaction with your audience during your presentation? If so, you will be captivated by some of the unique features that current presentation apps on the market provide to help you engage with your audience while driving collaboration. Two noteworthy apps that we recommend for audience interaction are DisplayNote and Doceri.

 

DisplayNote is a software app that enables multi-user collaboration across any platform including smartphones, tablets and laptops; with support for more than 30 devices connected simultaneously. This app allows the presenter to share their screen while enabling instantaneous communication with other connected devices. In presenter mode, presenters or teachers can use their device to control the main screen, pass control to any other connected device, assign collaborative groups, send/receive private messages and view the individual screen of any connected device. In collaboration mode, the annotations and images on the connected devices can be displayed back to the main screen or viewed by other users. Furthermore, those viewing in collaboration mode can add their own private notes, underline or highlight what’s important, capture preferred slides, and save or email the presentation for later review. DisplayNote complements existing interactive projectors, whiteboards, and touch-screen devices, including tablets and smartphones running either Apple® iOS or Android™.

 

The Doceri® software app allows tablet owners to remotely control a PC or Mac that is connected to a display (e.g. projectors and monitors). A duplicate screen is displayed on the tablet to give the user total control and access to their computer desktop from their mobile tablet device. Doceri features interactive functions similar to DisplayNote, allowing the user to draw, write and annotate on the projected content with save and replay functions. Doceri currently doesn’t have the multi-user collaboration mode on their existing version; however this feature will be included in the next release. The existing version currently only works with Apple iOS, but an Android version is coming soon. 

 

Both DisplayNote and Doceri give users the freedom to instantaneously articulate their ideas during a presentation. Whether your need is for education or business, these powerful tools promote collaboration and audience engagement.

 

To learn more about interactive presentation solutions, read here. Have questions about what features you need for your specific presentation needs? Ask us here on the blog.

 

Corporate names and trademarks stated herein are the property of their respective companies. Copyright^© 2012 ViewSonic Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short throw projectors are designed with tight spaces in mind whether at home, work or school. 

 

A short throw projector produces clear images within limited space due to the physical shape of the projector lens, which alters the magnitude of the image projected. In a short throw projector, a convex lens is used to spread an image wider than a regular throw lens. As a result, a short throw lens can have 0.5:1 throw ratio, capable of projecting a 60-inch diagonal image from just 2 feet away, while a standard throw lens has a 1.6:1 throw ratio, capable of projecting the same image size from 6.5 feet away. Check out our interactive distance calculator here to determine if a short throw is the best fit for your space.

 

Why else should you consider a short throw projector? Many short throw projectors offer minimum ambience and heat exhaustion for maximum audience engagement in the constricted room. There are no hotspots when projecting onto a whiteboard due to the close distance proximity – the mount position of the projector is either raised above or dropped below the white board to project the image at a very steep angle, which eliminates glare that could bounce back from the whiteboard.

 

Have questions about what features you need for your specific projection needs? Ask us here on the blog.

 

Corporate names and trademarks stated herein are the property of their respective companies. Copyright^© 2012 ViewSonic Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

 

What’s all the buzz about Laser LED hybrid projection? This new technology delivers better picture quality through higher contrast ratios, is lamp free and consumes less power for a significantly lower total cost of ownership. Designed for a range of uses including home entertainment, professional audio-video, corporate or education use. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of laser LED hybrid projectors to see if they make sense for your projection needs.

 

The Laser LED Hybrid illumination technology is a breakthrough in the way a projector manipulates light and images, resulting in superb picture quality with an ultra high contrast ratio of at least 10,000:1 for greater details, especially in dark scenes. The lasers and LEDs combine as a light source to create vibrant rich color, by generating a color spectrum far greater than that of normal mercury light projector which rely on a color wheel and may show ghost images and rainbow effects.

 

This eco-friendly technology is lamp free which saves anywhere from $199-$299 in replacement costs. No lamp means no mercury thereby eliminating toxic waste and no lamp also means virtually no maintenance to swap out bulbs. Laser LED Hybrid illumination technology delivers a longer light source life of up to 20,000 hours and is much more energy efficient utilizing intelligent power control, generating nearly twice as many lumens per watt as a lamp based projector. Furthermore, these projectors do not get hot to the touch, and are faster and quieter to switch on and off, as well as offering a more stable design.

 

Without compromising brightness, contrast or image quality, laser LED projectors lower TCO, are earth friendly and deliver rich, saturated color. You’ll save time and money, while enjoying a vivid and vibrant picture, year after year.

 

Have questions about what features you need for your specific projection needs? Ask us here on the blog.

 

*Light source life and energy savings may vary based on actual usage and other factors. Corporate names and trademarks stated herein are the property of their respective companies. Copyright^© 2012 ViewSonic Corporation. All rights reserved.

When it comes to purchasing new technology, making the wrong decision can be a costly move – especially for financially strapped schools. For example, a district’s upfront cost when purchasing a device can be just a fraction of what they’ll pay if they buy the wrong device, which impacts both budget and resources.

 

ViewSonic has advice for educators on how to future-proof their classroom projector purchases, while making the best initial selection for their budget. Purchasers should first answer this simple list of questions to significantly lower total cost of ownership (TCO) to guide them in their decision-making:

 

1. Does the projector have a lamp? If so, what’s the expected lamp life?

Replacement lamps are not cheap; on average they can run $200-$300 per lamp. Look for the projector with longer lamp hours and a lower replacement lamp cost. Similar to the printer market, also be careful of projectors with a “too good to be true” price point. Often times, they will come with high replacement supply costs.

 

2. What sort of time requirements does the projector require of my staff?

Know whether your projector selection will require filter cleanings and replacement. This is usually the case with 3LCD projectors. These maintenance costs can add up over time, so to avoid filter costs completely, shop for a DLP projector.Look for top-loading projectors as well to avoid needing someone from the union to come out to change the bulb.

 

3. What sort of hidden costs might there be?

Installation and servicing can be expensive. Before you buy, talk with a servicer/installer who will answer your questions. Find one who will offer your school the best services for a good price. This can make a huge difference. The electricity costs of operating projectors can be more than you might think, so look for projectors with energy-saving features such as ECO mode (dims brightness by 20 percent) and DynamicEco™ (dims brightness by 70 percent). As an added bonus, these features will extend your lamp life too!

 

4. Warranty information can be confusing. What do I need to know? What is considered a good warranty?

Some projector companies offer seemingly longer warranties that exclude the more vulnerable moving parts and labor costs. Be weary of projectors that only ensure the chipset. This part of the projector hardly ever goes bad. To protect your investment, look for projectors with longer labor warranties (2+ years) to guard against costly repairs. A 1-year lamp warranty is also ideal in case the expected hourly lamp life isn’t meeting expectations. As most schools require 5-year warranties on the projector hardware, be sure to research which projector brand has the best price on extended warranty options.

 

To share hard numbers with your district heads on the savings your school can expect to achieve, check out our DLP projector TCO calculator. Still have questions about your next projector purchase? Ask us here!

Have you heard of the flipped classroom teaching model? It is a teaching technique that is gaining steam across the country. The idea is that students do their homework during classroom time, and lectures are done outside of the classroom via the Internet. This allows for classroom activity to remain centered around student and teacher collaboration.

 

The argument is that with traditional teaching models, students can be overrun by homework assignments. When students don’t fully understand the lesson plan, completing homework at home can be difficult. For students who lack structure and guidance in the home, or a quiet place to study, completing assignments outside of school can become a nightmare.

 

In a recent article, Tech Decisions shared an interesting case study about Clintondale High School near Detroit. Clintondale spends most of class time giving students help rather than classroom lectures. Additionally, multimedia presentations and video conferencing with other classrooms around the world have become part of the school day for a more interactive environment.

 

For this school and many others like it, the individualized attention is working. Chronic failure rates have dropped dramatically, while college readiness scores have more than doubled to nearly 29 percent. The best part is that this new approach requires a very minimal investment in technology upgrades, and no alterations to existing network infrastructure. It’s a great approach for schools experiencing a decrease in financial resources. In Clintondale’s case, they needed to purchase five PCs with powerful CPU capacity to support the increase in PowerPoint presentation creation, a few USB microphones so teachers could record themselves for lessons, and two tablets for greater mobility options.

 

Students vary in how they learn best. That calls for leaders in education to be open to evaluating new strategies for helping students grow, both personally and developmentally. It’s great to see students achieving impressive levels of success because teachers are taking better notice of their needs.

 

We’d like to hear from educators whose students have seen academic gains with this method or another alternative educational model. Share your results with us, or tweet your tips to @ViewSonic.

 

Thin client computing offers significant benefits over traditional PC deployments. In fact, IDC found that thin client users (when compared to full PC users) experience a decline in hardware and software costs of 40 percent and a reduction in IT operations costs by 29 percent. In addition, IDC concluded that a thin client computing setup increases IT worker productivity by 56 percent due to a reduction of troubleshooting and repair needs, when compared to traditional PCs.

 

For organizations wishing to save acquisition and operating costs, enhance security and manageability, and promote green IT and sustainability, ViewSonic’s MultiClient solution puts thin client computing in reach for cost-conscious districts and SMBs.

 

Following its unveiling at ISTE 2011, ViewSonic is announcing new product bundles and software support today for the company’s MultiClient computing offering. This cost-effective, scalable solution lets educators and businesses easily create and manage their own private cloud computing environment. Enabling up to 20 independent user stations (with monitors, mice and keyboards) to be powered by just one host server, MultiClient significantly lowers the cost per seat, reduces energy costs and virtually eliminates compatibility issues and IT management needs.

 

Now two additional energy-efficient zero client VMA Series adapters are available, each with four USB ports, so users can connect their preference of peripherals. We enable users to select their preference of software licensing between Userful MultiSeat Linux 2011™ and Microsoft® MultiPoint® WMS2011 for true customization.

 

To get started with a MultiClient setup, educators and businesses just need to connect the MultiClient Adapter box to a monitor with keyboard and mouse, and then plug into the host server. For more MutliClient information, click here.

 

Are you a thin client believer? What sort of benefits have you seen? We’d love to take your questions about thin client deployments within your organization. Share your experiences with us here!

While schools haven’t always had to pay for their electricity use, the current economy and budget cuts have made districts responsible for these payments. As a result, some schools are facing huge electric bills. In fact, according to Energy Star, the nation’s school districts spend more than $7.5 billion annually on energy — more than the money spent on computers and textbooks combined. Even worse, as much as 30 percent of a district’s total energy expense is spent unnecessarily.

 



ViewSonic has some tips to help school districts save on electricity use while maintaining or even increasing their technology implementation within the classroom:

 

1. Turn Technology Off: Ensure that electronics and lights are turned off at the end of the school day, as well as when they are not in use. This includes computers, overheads, projectors, etc. Remember lights are used in some less obvious areas as well, such as hallways and bathrooms. Also consider replacing lights with more energy efficient bulbs.

 

2. Don’t Let Energy Get you Hot Under the Collar: A big cost for schools can be proper heating and cooling of educational spaces. To keep heat and air conditioning in rooms to maintain temperatures, keep all classroom and office doors closed. Be sure to turn the heat down after school and on weekends as well. If heating and cooling bills are still higher than desired, consider the impact a little landscaping can make. Pinpoint the rooms that get the most sun each day, and try planting trees to shade the windows from the direct rays.

 

3. Computer Labs Can Be Consuming Culprits: Not surprisingly, a school’s computer labs can be a huge energy expense. The heat generated by 30+ computers and CRT or LCD monitors can generate expensive air conditioning bills, and older computer monitors can be big energy consumers as well. Consider a computer lab makeover – ViewSonic’s MultiClient solution for example enables up to 10 individual monitor stations to share a single computer, helping schools reduce overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by as much as 60%. For additional energy savings, Energy Star certified LED displays make a significant impact – up to 60% compared to an equivalent LCD monitor.

 

4. Saving with Solar: Another approach to reducing electricity consumption is by installing solar panels. Take Huntington Beach City School District for example. The district has slashed its electric bills in half and expects to save more than $15 million over the next 25 years in electricity costs. There are plenty of incentives and rebates out there to help your district with the upfront costs of panel installation.

Have an energy-saving tip to share that’s been implemented at your school? Share it with us here on the blog, or tweet it to @ViewSonic.