Commercial Integrator May 2021 - 28

Distance Learning

" I don't think that it's going to be going
away any time soon, " says Bosch. " I think
it's going to grow even more prevalent. "

K-12
When it comes to distance learning in K-12
environments the first question is whether
schools are going to continue investing in
these systems now that students are returning to the classroom.
" From my perspective talking to technology leaders from all around the country,
the answer is all over the map, " says Susan
Davis, professional development director
for the Association of Technology Leader in
Independent Schools (ATLiS).
On one end you have schools that saw
distance learning as a temporary solution
and are dedicated to returning to one-toone learning because that is their mission.
On the other end of the spectrum are
schools that are considering using distance
learning as a way to attract students to the
possibilities of different programs. Everything in between is at play depending on
the district.
" It looks like this is something that is here
to stay in some form or another. Parents
want more flexibility. It allows the schools
to do some things that they maybe hadn't
done before, or done efficiently, " she says.
" I would say it's all across that spectrum. "
The implementation of distance learn-

ing solutions did have an impact on the
possibilities of technology being a tool for
education.
" Almost 100 percent across the board, "
says Davis. " Schools have absolutely seen
this as something that is an opportunity.
Teachers in the classrooms are learning
how to implement technology in new ways
that they were afraid of before. Now they
have more options.
" Access via an individual device has
come to the forefront in schools' minds, "
she says. " They are all thinking about how
every learner needs to have access to their
own device in some way. "
The conversations then turn to what
that future looks like, especially for earlier
grades, and how schools monitor this access both at school and at home if students
are allowed to bring personal devices
home with them, says Davis.
It does seem that most schools will utilize
distance learning in order to combat prob-

Shure
It has quickly become clear that shortfalls in audio quality are having a negative impact on the remote learning experience. For those academic institutions competing
to attract new students, the offer of remote learning and lecture capture is seen as
essential- but only if it's inclusive and educationally advantageous.
Shure Microflex® Advance™ Array Microphones (MXA) are proving popular
choices for these applications. Offering pinpoint audio accuracy for students and
teachers, MXA microphones deliver high-quality audio with touch free coverage
from all corners of a classroom, theatre or auditorium. Offered in table, linear and
ceiling array variants, they help to clearly capture the speech audio of teachers
and students in the room for students who are listening to a live stream or recorded
lecture. Integrated IntelliMix® DSP runs in the background to provide a high-quality
learning experience to these students. Flexible digital signal processing in these different environments is essential, as it helps to remove unwanted noise and echo and
improves the audio quality and intelligibility of the talker's voice that is being sent to
a live stream or recording.

Commercial Integrator

CM2105 pp22-34 Distance Learning DD.indd 28

MAY 2021

lems of access to buildings similar to what
these schools faced throughout COVID-19.
" In K-12 one of the biggest things is
continuity of education, " says Bosch. " If
there is a manmade or natural disaster that
happens, they can continue to learn just basically flipping the switch over to distance
learning, so no more snow days. "
Bosch also mentioned the opportunity
for on-demand courses that allow students
to learn material they missed during a family
vacation, for example.
" It really depends on the school district
for what they allow for distance learning, "
he says. " The capability is definitely there
through lecture capture solutions where
students are able to basically jump on and
watch on demand. "
These types of lecture capture capabilities also allow for the indexing of courses
and information which can be used as a
tool to study for tests and quizzes.
In addition, students with learning
disabilities or students learning English as
a second language can go back and more
carefully try to understand what was taught
in a given class.
" With the move to the hybrid model the
issue of sight and sound within the classroom was huge, " says Davis. " You have
schools tackling that problem in a variety
of ways.
" They are looking for ways in which
they can translate what happens in the
classroom to a meaningful experience for
anybody that might be using that information virtually, " she says.

The Integrator Partnership
While distance learning solutions will be utilized in different ways for different reasons
in higher education and K-12, the unifying
concept is that integrators have an opportunity to help them build their technology
strategy to foster education.
" Pedagogy is the most important piece
of this, " says Bosch. " But they want to make
sure that the technology enhances the experience and does not hinder it in any way. "
" I've just started to hear conversation
among technology leaders about what
they are going to do with all this stuff they
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Commercial Integrator May 2021

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