When recent school funding initiatives made it possible for the municipality to invest in education upgrades, Chuck Marzec, the district’s director of technology, turned to Larry Meister, president of IT solutions provider Mercury Networks. Meister, who has worked with the district for over a decade, collaborated with Marzec to determine which products and solutions would maximize learning benefits for the most students. Considering the timing, pricing, and available funding, they concluded that the LG CreateBoards could transform the experiences of every student and deliver forward-thinking classrooms that prepare students for a tech-filled world and job market.

The district last updated its projection-based classroom systems in 2012, before the explosion of new touch-sensitive smart boards that are sweeping across the education landscape. Attractive pricing helped convince the district that smart boards would be the most impactful, sustainable and widely deployable solution, offering greater capabilities than existing systems while standardizing every classroom to simplify daily management and long-term maintenance.

“LG’s easy-to-use CreateBoard interactive digital boards come at an incredible value, making them the best fit for Jamestown Public Schools. The district initially considered outfitting about half of its classrooms with a competitor product at double the price. With the CreateBoard, they’re essentially doubling their investment, creating streamlined experiences for staff and students in every room and school,” Meister explained. “The district’s previous projection systems were single-room solutions lacking significant communication options and new advances in interactivity or cloud-based learning tools. Now, with the LG CreateBoards, they have a unified 500+ display network that can be monitored, managed, and used to distribute content from a single location for morning announcements or emergencies. Additionally, the ability to set automatic on/off schedules ensures no energy is wasted, eliminating one task for today’s busy teachers.”

The district is excited about what the technology can unleash in terms of classroom participation and faculty lesson plans, including simple access to popular web-based tools such as Google Classroom. The 40-point multi-touch digital displays allow a variety of interactive lesson plans and activities that can invite multiple students to use the board at once, in addition to convenient streaming and mobile device connections for educators and students alike. For instance, teachers can quickly log in to their accounts for Google and other services by scanning an on-screen QR code with their smartphone, and then leave the room knowing that the display automatically logs out of all accounts when the wireless connection is severed.

“It’s hard to overstate the value of standardized solutions for our students, faculty and district as a whole,” Marzec says. “Running a school or district involves a lot of moving parts, and when we have teachers who may use multiple classrooms or even multiple buildings throughout a day or a week, giving them the same tools everywhere ensures there’s no time lost sorting out technical issues or troubleshooting compatibility with their prepared lessons. The same is true for today’s students who have never known a world without touchscreens. With a streamlined experience year after year, they can become fairly advanced users of the LG CreateBoard technology throughout their education, helping develop explicit technical skills alongside the school’s curriculum.”

With LG CreateBoards, teachers can easily augment lessons with presentations or videos, screen share lessons or content from their own devices and enable students to screen share projects from their devices. With the new centralized control capabilities, Jamestown Public Schools can also easily deliver video morning announcements to every room without any action required from teachers. Lessons can be saved and stored online for later viewing and study, including live annotations over text or video that enable teachers to provide context, information or discussion to delve further than standard textbook descriptions or pre-prepared content.

LG CreateBoards Enhance Teaching

According to Jason Hubbard, senior account manager for education at LG Business Solutions, implementing CreateBoards can also fundamentally change how teachers approach the classroom by freeing them to leave their desk when using digital resources.

“The two-way connection between laptops and the LG CreateBoard means that they can control and manipulate their computer or content from the CreateBoard, unlike a projection system or other non-smart solution where they have to be at the desk to exert control,” says Hubbard. “This offers educators greater freedom of movement and caters to a variety of teaching styles, which can aid engagement and attentiveness, directly affecting student and school outcomes.”

When consulting Mercury Networks, the district considered different manufacturers and options, landing on the LG CreateBoard solution based on capabilities, manufacturer support and cost. The upgrade project began with 10 initial installations at the high school, then an expansion to five schools, and then the final decision to outfit every classroom all at once ahead of the 2024-2025 school year. Each room’s audio solution is also being upgraded to provide better sound quality and ensure long-term consistency for all users.

“We are excited to see our teachers and students leverage these technologies for greater collaboration and enhanced discussions in a way that encourages participation and connects with students’ daily experiences and digital lifestyles,” Marzec adds. “Additionally, buying into LG’s ecosystem has offered us new opportunities to consider deploying connected digital signage displays in hallways, cafeterias, entrances and other public spaces to provide school messaging or community content such as student achievement reels or replays of events including sports, performances, guest speeches and extracurricular activities.”

Marzec also noted how LG’s attention to detail and willingness to provide assistance went above and beyond his expectations. In the past, technology providers had been much more hands-off, while LG acted more like a partner in terms of working to answer questions, resolve issues and ensure the district was fully satisfied with the outcome. The last installations concluded in early July 2024, with every classroom at every school ready to launch for the fall semester.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on October 21, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

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The Tech Challenge

One of the most impactful changes to date is the addition of a dozen new interactive display boards that greatly enhance teacher flexibility and lesson planning. While the school had implemented classroom displays years earlier, most teachers found them to be over-complicated and relented to using only basic functions. After reviewing several brands of classroom displays recommended by colleagues at other schools, none met the technology staff’s expectations. As chance would have it, the school’s Director of Educational Technology found the answer in an advertisement for a product she hadn’t seen before: LG CreateBoard, a powerful and easy-to-use multi-touch interactive display board from LG Business Solutions.

The LG CreateBoard Solution

With LG CreateBoards, teachers can easily augment lessons with presentations or videos, screen share lessons or content from their own devices, allow multiple students to write on the board simultaneously and enable students to screen share projects from their own devices. The new boards were implemented for the 2022-23 school year, replacing aging smart board solutions that no longer lived up to the school’s expectations.

“With our previous classroom smart boards having so many features and being so complicated, it felt as if the teachers were given a chef’s kitchen when they only wanted to make mac-n-cheese,” says Sara White, Indian Creek School’s director of educational technology. “Teachers weren’t cooking up sophisticated lessons because the technology required overly complicated setup, so the boards simply weren’t serving the purpose we intended. We were paying for features and software that were never used. After our staff performed hands-on evaluations of many of the most popular interactive display board products available today, we determined that the LG CreateBoard checked all our boxes, from build quality, reliability and intuitive operations to pricing and mobile use capabilities.”

The Installation

Having located a solution that’s simple to use and presents more opportunity for student engagement, the school purchased the interactive digital boards to be used on mobile carts: ten 75-inch models that rotate between classrooms, another 75-inch model that provides messaging in the cafeteria, and a massive 86-inch model that stays in the library for various uses. The school’s choice to implement LG CreateBoards also significantly reduced the required budget and enabled the purchase of a 3D printer and a professional laser cutter for a new Innovation Lab, giving students even greater access to the latest learning and creativity tools.

“Today’s students and parents who have spent their whole lives using mobile and interactive devices are increasingly weighing a school’s technology integration when choosing where to attend,” says Victoria Sanville, LG’s national sales manager for the public sector vertical. “As alternative educational funding structures spread to more districts, these prospective students may consider a potential school’s hybrid learning options, media or digital production facilities, collaborative tools and other high-tech capabilities. LG CreateBoards can form a major component of a school’s technological offerings and prove to newcomers that all students are given enhanced and individualized learning opportunities.”

LG CreateBoard Use Cases in the Classroom

Whether a language teacher shows instructional content to demonstrate mouth movements and pronunciation, or a coach plays video from yesterday’s game to improve teamwork, there are applications for virtually every discipline. Indian Creek School is also using the CreateBoard with a low-height stand to help 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds with handwriting and reading.

From sixth grade up, students at Indian Creek School are welcome to use their own personal devices for certain classroom activities, while school facilities provide access to software tools such as the Adobe Creative Cloud and 3D modeling software. Classroom activities have already included making advertising pitches, coding video games and creating a graphical thumbnail in Adobe Photoshop. These projects can then be shared wirelessly to the CreateBoards to enable student presentations.

“The LG CreateBoard provides a valuable set of presentation and collaborative tools that enhance student engagement and provide teachers much greater flexibility in arranging and managing their classrooms,” White adds. “Even seemingly simple functions, such as reliable and easy to use screen sharing, can transform a classroom, allowing teachers to move around as they show a presentation or to help individual students without losing control of video content. Our goal is to provide every student with the best possible education, and that requires giving our teachers effective technology tools like the LG CreateBoard that can be used every day without complication.”

Staff also cited unrivaled service from LG Business Solutions, noting that they had never before been provided a technician’s cell phone number to assist with early troubleshooting and setup. The school’s future plans include upgrading the library CreateBoard to an upcoming 98-inch-model and to consider additional digital signage opportunities to share school messaging.

The post LG CreateBoard Helps Improve Classroom Experience at Indian Creek School appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Following are winners in the commercial category. Click on the product to learn more, or see the whole slideshow here.

2022 TNT Commercial Award Winners

All Weather Displays

Samsung Outdoor Signage (OHA 55’’, 75’’)
Samsung

Audio Conferencing & Components

Creston Flex Phones
Crestron

Audio Distribution Systems

ListenTALK
Listen Technologies

Automation Components

AT-VTPG-1000VL
Atlona

Automation Software

LiveScrypt
Epiphan Video

Cameras

VB130
Aver Media

Collaboration

Epiphan Unify
Epiphan Video

Digital Signage Hardware

Samsung Modular display ‘The Wall’ 0.63 pitch (IWB) + S-Box (SNOW-AAE)
Samsung

Digital Signage Software

MagicINFO 9
Samsung

Display Mounts

Strut70 Wall Stand Series
Salamander Designs

Installation Tools and Testers

Crestron XiO Cloud
Crestron

Installer Loudspeakers

Renkus-Heinz Iconyx Compact Series – RD1
Renkus-Heinz, Inc.

Interactive Whiteboards

Samsung Flip Pro – Interactive whiteboard (WMB 75” 85”)
Samsung

IP Video Distribution

Crestron DM NVX
Crestron

Large Venue Projectors

EB-PU2010B WUXGA 3LCD Laser Projector with 4K Enhancement
Epson

Line Array Speakers

BSP 200
Bluesound

Matrix Switches

Crestron HD-PS Presentation Switchers
Crestron

Microphones

DIALOG 10 USB
ClearOne

Network Management Solutions

Epiphan Cloud
Epiphan Video

Power Conditioning, Surge Suppression, and Energy Solutions

ONErack Spider
tvONE

Project Management and Design / Web Software

System Integrator (SI)
D-Tools, Inc

Touchscreens

Crestron 70 Series Touchscreens
Crestron

TVs

136-inch All-in-One DVLED display
LG Electronics

Video Conferencing Components

Barco ClickShare Conference
Barco

Video Monitors

Sharp 4T-B AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display Series
Sharp

Videowall Hardware

The Wall (IWA)
Samsung

To see a list of all entries, click here!

A version of this article originally appeared on MyTechDecisions’ sister site, CommercialIntegrator.com.

The post 2022 Top New Technology (TNT) Awards Winners Announced at ISE appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Lifesize aims to make use of Kaptivo’s expertise in computer vision, image processing and artificial intelligence for visual collaboration to bring digital whiteboarding to Lifesize’s portfolio. Kaptivo’s whiteboarding solution pairs advanced image processing software that eliminates shadows, reflections and people in front of the whiteboard with a cloud-based collaboration platform.

With that technology from Kaptivo, Lifesize is launching a new digital whiteboard app with enhanced capabilities for remote collaboration and instruction within Lifesize video meetings.

With Kaptivo integrated into Lifesize, the company gives a boost to its advanced collaboration capabilities for remote work, meeting rooms, education and contact centers.

In its press release, Lifesize cites a Nermetes study that found more than half of organizations surveyed were using or are planning to use digital whiteboarding by 2021.

Read Next: Lifesize Brings Alexa for Business to Meeting Rooms for Hands-Free Conferencing

According to Lifesize, it can now digitize any content, offer single-vendor bundles to outfit meeting rooms and whiteboards to make them interactive, support hybrid work and learning, and enhance contact centers by allowing agents to document and annotate customer-facing content.

In a statement, Lifesize CEO Craig Malloy called Kaptivo a natural addition to the Lifesize platform.

“We look forward to rapidly expanding our advanced collaboration offering and helping organizations work, engage, teach and learn more naturally and effectively, from wherever they are,” Malloy said.

“The entire Kaptivo team is excited to join Lifesize, a trusted partner and seasoned leader in the unified communications industry,” said David Hsieh, CEO of Kaptivo. “As schools and businesses adjust to remote work, advanced collaboration solutions that make all forms of work more productive are vitally important. Together, we are uniquely positioned to lead the market.”

The post Lifesize Acquires Kaptivo for Digital Whiteboarding Enhancements appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The BrightLink 1485Fi is now available, and the BrightLink 1480Fi will be available in March 2020.

According to Epson, both displays are virtually maintenance free and offer 20,000 hours of laser light source without the use of lamps, providing a reliable, ultra-bright display for use in the classroom and meeting room space.

According to Epson, the 1485Fi projects at both 100 inches, 16:9, and super-wide 120-inch, 16:6 images, providing up to 95% more interactive space than a 75-inch flat panel display.

Both new offerings also support split-screen display so users can easily show content from up to four devices simultaneously, including computers, document cameras, electronic whiteboards or network-connected devices.

The 1485Fi also comes equipped with touch and pen-enabled interactivity, which allows up to eight users to collaborate at the same time.

Read Next: NEC Display Solutions Introduces New PE Series of Laser LCD Entry-Installation Projectors

In a statement, Epson America’s product manager of projectors Tom Piche said the new products are ideal for instruction and meetings.

“As true collaboration devices, the new models integrate the utility of an electronic whiteboard, projector and interactive display to transform virtually any flat surface into a digital whiteboard and interactive space that doesn’t require a computer or software,” he said.

Other features of the new Epson BrightLink projectors include:

• An HDBaseT control pad to support video, audio and interactive capabilities and reduces required cables needed for installation
• Built-in wireless functions with the free use of Espon iProjection software to connect to up to 50 devices
• Peer-peer wireless connectivity with MIracast
• One year subscription for Smart Notebook, Smart amp, Smart lab , Smart Learning Suite Online and other offerings

Last month, the 1485Fi won the silver award for in the “Best New Product, Service, or Solution of the Year – Business Products” category at the Golden Bridge Awards.

The post Epson Announces Two New BrightLink Projectors appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Many interactive whiteboards offer on-board programs that help to facilitate sharing and collaboration. They do things that an analog whiteboard simply isn’t capable of. In the past, employees would write notes on analog whiteboards and would have to resort to taking photos of the board or slapping “Do Not Touch” signs on it to save their work. Interactive whiteboards remove that hassle – they take the analog notes we’re used to and automatically bring them into the digital world. They allow for things to be written down on the surface, shared, archived, and saved as digital content.

Some interactive whiteboard solutions even allow for the integration of mobile devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones. These devices can be connected directly or wirelessly, and you can easily annotate content that will be mirrored on connected devices. It works the other way around as well – draw on the device and see it mirrored on the display in real time. This allows for another layer of collaboration. Sharing content directly from devices easily allows meetings to progress more fluidly and reduces down time. Then you just send the annotated content back to the devices for later use.

Most interactive whiteboards feature internal processing and programs that allow you to draw over documents, images, and other content live during meetings. Most allow you to easily archive and share documents that have been uploaded or annotated throughout the meeting. These additional layers of interactivity can greatly enhance meetings.

When making up documents, being able to view and annotate on a large screen that everyone in the room can see is a useful ability. The return on investment for an interactive whiteboard comes from bolstering meeting spaces and facilitating collaboration. An interactive whiteboard allows for effective, collaborative efforts between the entire team.

When the meeting comes to an end, the surface of the interactive whiteboard can be saved as a jpg, pdf, or other document or content form to be emailed and shared with the entire staff. Archiving and sharing what was put up on the display – whether it be a marked up document or simply someone writing out ideas – takes only a few seconds. The electronic file is created and easily shared and duplicated. You can send this content to remote employees, or those that weren’t in the office for the meeting for whatever reason.

Sharing ideas through an interactive whiteboard is a way that companies can take an idea to the next level. Companies find a real benefit in the ability to easily share ideas using interactive whiteboards. Not to mention, being able to share and convey ideas in such a short amount of time increases the speed that new initiatives can begin with everyone on board. Saving time saves companies money. Interactive whiteboards are also heavily utilized in the education space to enhance the learning process.

Writing an Interactive Whiteboard RFP

Since there are several types of interactive display board offerings on the market, it’s important that your needs and wants be shared in the RFP.

There are two major types of interactive display whiteboards. First is a stand-alone display. This is a display screen that can be interacted with directly. The images show on the screen the same as they would on a computer display or digital signage screen. The difference being that touch is enabled. The other major type of interactive whiteboard uses an interactive projector – most commonly a short-throw projector that will be installed just above the display surface.

In some environments an extremely large display surface is required. In this case an interactive display using a projector-based system would be the best choice.  In some cases real estate constraints will mean that a smaller area is allowed for the interactive display. In either case, share it in the RFP. Give measurements for the physical space in which you’ll be installing the interactive whiteboard so that the integrator respondents can determine the best fit for your needs. In addition, mounting can become difficult in certain areas with physical limitations.

Share the ambient light situation of the space as well. In areas with high ambient lighting, a projector-based system may appear washed out and hard to see. In this case an interactive display is likely the only option you’ll want to utilize.

Budget can also play a major role in choosing your interactive whiteboard. Most interactive displays are more expensive than their projector-based counterparts. If budget is a concern then make that clear – give the maximum you are willing to spend in order to determine what type of system you’ll be able to afford.

Include any specific features that are important to you. If a solution without certain features is a non-starter then the RFP should say so. That way you’re not being pitched solutions that don’t fit your need.

Implementing Interactive Whiteboards

Most interactive whiteboard technology can be installed and implemented into a room in a reasonably short period of time. A full integrated interactive display that is not projector based can be installed in a matter of hours. Since configuration is quite simple these days, the organization or customer can have their new display up and running and ready for use the same day. Many solutions are stand-alone systems that won’t require major programming or wiring. This means faster deployment of the technology.

Projector-based interactive whiteboards may require more time. The calibration process can be more intensive than mounting a display. The integrator will need to ensure that the image fits and that the touch capabilities are working as they should. Even so, in many cases these solutions can be installed in a day or so.

One of the most prevalent issues with these systems comes with ambient light in the room. It’s not a problem that is easily solved – it’s not a box to check or a programming error that can be fixed. This is why it’s so crucial to investigate these issues prior to deploying the solution.

It is important that the wall where the solution will be mounted has sufficient room. Proper mounting and structural support in the wall for heavier displays is important. You want it at an optimal location from a viewing standpoint – if everyone in the room can’t easily see the display then the solution loses its impact. Pick a location that is ideal for participants.

From a post-work perspective, most solutions are user-friendly and require little support. Factor in several hours for the installer to provide training once the interactive whiteboard is installed. Follow up training may be required, especially as new employees come into the organization. In this case, a yearly training contract may be a good way to ensure that new employees receive training. These solutions are designed to be easy to use, however, and training will likely be minimal.

Every solution will require a different level of maintenance. Projector-based solutions will require bulbs to be changed out and filters to be replaced or cleaned. They also may need recalibration from time to time. Display solutions won’t have this requirement. All of this maintenance can be handled on an as-needed basis.

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