AV Technology - August 2008 - (Page 74)

casestudy education Simple Control for Smarter Classrooms it is indeed actively seeking to bring a universal template of technology to its campus that anyone can use. “This is an ongoing project,” Merkle explains of the latest challenge he faces on behalf of bettering higher education. “The university came to us seeking to create systems that are versatile enough to meet the needs of professors sharing the same classrooms, yet teach a diverse range of subject matter. Whatever the course, and whoever the instructor, our goal was to provide technology that was so intuitive that all you had to do was look at the control screen and it would be obvious how to make it everything work.” SETTING THE STANDARDS Keeping with the standardized theme that was so important to the project, everything as defined in these classroom applications includes a touchpanel-based control system with elaborate matrix switching capabilities, provisions for laptop input, a dedicated PC, DVD/VCR combo unit, and a projector. Going beyond the addition of tuners to the variety of Sony DVD/VCR devices given to the task, input for campus cable was provided. Access/Series E ceiling-recessed projection screens from Draper where chosen as each of the rooms’ viewing surfaces in sizes ranging from 6 feet x 8 feet to 60 x 80 inches, while Epson PowerLite 7900NL multimedia projectors with 4,000 ANSI lumens were picked to give better brightness to all moving imagery. For still life reproduction of pages from books and other documents, a QOMO model QD1200 digital document camera with 12x optical zoom was also added to the roster of gear residing in each room. On the audio end of the equation, a sound reinforcement blueprint was developed for virtually every room in which 70V, in-ceiling model FAP62T loudspeakers from Atlas Sound’s Strategy II Series were implemented. Distributed in optimal locations using a calculation tool supplied by the manufacturer, the 6inch, 30W, coaxial speakers are powered by TOA A706 60W mixer/amplifiers. “Once we had established the kinds of capabilities each room would have, we turned our attention towards finding a suitable network-based control system,” Merkle says, continuing his tale of the project’s evolution. “In weighing our options, we tried to balance everything against our client’s expressed interests in standardization and simplicity. The www.avtechnologyonline.com The entire system is controlled by the RN-8200 Room Navigator from West Paterson, NJ-based FSR Inc. UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON STANDARDIZES LEARNING TECHNOLOGY WITH INTUITIVE FORM AND FUNCTION. By Gregory A. DeTogne As smart classrooms continue to proliferate on a broad scale across the country, it’s not uncommon for universities to host large-scale technology deployments that span multiple buildings. Including one or more projectors, computers, document cameras, VCR and DVD players, and other specialized AV components, these classroom installations are at the frontline of teaching efforts that place professors and other faculty members at the helm of systems that perform myriad tasks. “As with any application, the point of having technology in the classroom is to have it serve you,” says Sean Merkle, president of Ohio Valley AV, a design/build systems integration firm based in Dayton, OH. “A truly smart classroom provides a simple interface with any of its intended users, and brings benefits you wouldn’t have otherwise to students, not added hassle and expense.” According to Merkle, standardization is another key ingredient to systems success within smart classrooms. If the installation of system components across campus are the same, he reasons, not only are they easier for faculty to use, they are just as friendly towards the instructional technology staff in charge of maintaining them. With this philosophy serving as a guidepost, Merkle and Ohio Valley AV used this summer to bring new smart technology to a number of classrooms at the University of Dayton, one of the 10 largest Catholic schools in the U.S. Offering more than 70 academic programs in arts and sciences, business administration, education, engineering, and law, the school represents the ideal client for Ohio Valley AV, in that 74 | AV TECHNOLOGY | august 2008 http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - August 2008

AV Technology - August 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: The Project’s Over...Now What? Government: Generational Diversity and the Rise of the Millennials Education: DIY ISP.EDU HD Videoconferencing On a Budget Using Automatic Mic Mixers The Way I See It: The Standards Dilemma in AV Something for Everybody AV Adds the Magic to Microsoft’s Hat Trick Simple Control for Smarter Classrooms Product Review: VeEX VePAL MX100 Product Spotlight: Amps; Touchpanels New Products Ad Index AV MO: Dealing with Ambient Light

AV Technology - August 2008

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