District Administration - September 2012 - (Page 30)

productfocus • • Courtney Williams A Guide to one seGment of educAtion technoloGy Power Your Interactive Classroom With Projectors According to the Society for Information Display (SID), the key feature educators consider when purchasing new projectors is image quality. Manufacturers provide resolution, brightness and contrast figures to evaluate performance, but these specifications don’t address color quality. A new metric released by SID, color light output (CLO), will allow educators to evaluate color performance between competing projector models quickly and accurately. CLO or color brightness should be the same as the white brightness or white light output to ensure that images are vibrant. When you’re ready to purchase, be sure to request the CLO specification, which will be expressed in lumens. From mobile to interactive, and short-throw to ultra-short-throw, there is a projector to fit every district’s needs. Interactive projectors allow teachers to annotate or draw over the display, control the projector with a virtual remote, and create lessons or playback. NEC’s interactive software for iPad automatically records the projected lesson so that a timeline can be created and used at a later date. This works well for absent students and the flipped classroom, in which students watch video lectures for homework and complete assignments in class with their teacher present to help. Interactive projectors can also make the classroom more equitable for students with physical disabilities by projecting the lesson on an interactive table where they can sit and collaborate. Epson’s BrightLink 475Wi can be mounted on an iWall or iTable depending on classroom needs. Most projectors used in the education space use 3LCD or DLP chips. 3LCD is based on LCD technology and uses an advanced, 3-chip optical engine. 3LCD boasts high CLO, energy efficiency and reliable technology. The DLP chip, made by Texas Instruments, uses a filterfree design, which may lower the total cost of ownership by not requiring filter replacements. All DLP projectors are 3D-ready and can transition seamlessly from 2D to 3D mode. Here are a few options to consider in your district. HItaCHI cP-AW2519n, $3,895 Hitachi’s newest interactive projector features the brand’s StarBoard software, which works on Mac and PC platforms. The CP-AW2519N eliminates the need for an interactive whiteboard, as this functionality is built into the projector. Its ultra-short-throw lens allows the projector to be fixed near a wall or tabletop surface. It comes with a hybrid air-fan filter that requires less maintenance. CasIo XJ-A146 slim projectors, starting at $999 Casio’s newest line of Slim projectors weighs only 5 pounds and is one of the thinnest high-brightness projectors available. The XJ-A146 has a wideangle 2X power zoom lens that allows for a wide projection distance. The projector is equipped with USB capabilities, a presentation timer and MobiShow, which makes presentations possible from most mobile devices. InFoCus in2112, $549 This InFocus projector features high brightness and valuable features at a low cost. It is filterfree and features a long-life lamp and an eco-mode to conserve power when running and on standby. This quiet projector is equipped with 10-watt stereo speakers, SVGA resolution and 3,000 lumens. aCer P1303W, $659 The AcerP1 series offers educators an economical DLP 3D-ready projector. The P1303W packs 3100 lumens of brightness and native WXGA (1280x800) resolution. It includes an HDMI, USB and VGA connectors and a oneyear limited warranty. 30 September 2012 District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2012

District Administration - September/October 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Product Focus
Resistance to High-Stakes Testing Spreads
Postgraduation for Special Needs Students
Rick & Becky DuFour
CIo News
Getting the Best ROI in Technology
Shaping a Digital Decade
Professional Opinion
Professional Opinion
Online Edge
Going Mobile
New Products
New Directions

District Administration - September 2012