Enhancing Communication within the Classroom

We are very fortunate here at Robinson ISD to have educators who share the same sentiment as I do for the future of our students. One of the biggest steps we took in helping support our staff deliver their hands-on learning experiences, is ensuring their classroom communication is always clear and high quality no matter where they are in the room. Implementing classroom audio systems such as the Lightspeed Redcat in our classrooms have helped give our teachers and students a stronger voice in the classroom. Clear and concise instruction can help students achieve higher learning outcomes because they know exactly what is expected of them. We have virtually eliminated the need for teachers to raise their voice for redirecting unwanted behavior and our classroom transitions have become more fluid through music ques delivered via the Redcat. Students hear their teacher no matter where they are sitting in the classroom, helping eliminate the need to constantly repeat instructions.

Presentation skills are a key part to our students’ success in communication. We have implemented the Lightspeed Sharemike during classroom student presentations, read-alouds and student teaching opportunities. Students can really find their voice and come alive during speaking opportunities when they have a mic. We know that these skills are vital for their future, so let’s give them the space and opportunity now where they can try, fail, learn and grow as much as they need to.

Embracing creativity and utilizing problem solving skills

One of my missions is to inspire the next generation of creators and innovators that are extremely competitive. In Robinson ISD, starting at our lower levels, we provide opportunities for students to stretch their problem solving skills through coding and engineering projects. Opportunities range from utilizing Lego Education as they construct the next generation of habitats to protect against severe weather events, to coding autonomous robots to better understand geometric figures through and programming drones to fly a planned out route of a shape that they are studying.

I am not a fan of the word “limit” and its negative and stifling connotation in education. Our students and teachers need to try new things as that is where true learning and growth starts. As you know, we need to build authentic relationships to ensure student success, allowing students to let their guards down and show their true passions. One of the best uses of technology that we use to do this is through audio and video content creation. We all see it on social media from our students’ personal lives, but we take it a step further and bring this creative expression into the classroom.

Through the use of Adobe Express and its Animate from Audio features, students utilize just their voice to tell us more about their dreams, passions and ambitions through animation. I get it, not all students are the “hey look at me” type when it comes to being on camera, but most just want to be heard. This provides a “you can hear me now” type of self-expression opportunity without the vulnerability that comes with being on camera.

Providing Opportunities for Technology Career Exploration

Growing up, I knew that creating something from nothing was a gift of mine. Storytelling and creativity was deep inside of me and I found that I could utilize these gifts through audio, video and technology applications. The one opportunity that was lacking in my life was real-world application practice.

Within Robinson ISD, I have been very fortunate to give students the opportunities that I did not have. I am able to provide students creative outlets for their digital creations with various audio/video production tools and resources. Utilizing Adobe products, our students produce graphics for our district communication such as Instagram Stories, Reels and Post to inform our community.

Our students help produce our district High School and Pre-K graduations each year using industry standard equipment like the NewTek TC1 Tricaster for live video switching. We use a show control graphics control board by Daktronics to share senior video and other audio/video assets that will be displayed on the field’s video board throughout the ceremony. This same equipment is used in most major sports arenas and collegiate production facilities around the globe. Students are receiving hands-on training with studio quality cameras and audio field recorders. These learning opportunities have been years in the making and we are growing our programs each year to give our students the best possible chance to be competitive in their future careers or fields of study.

I truly feel technology has always been a driving force in the educational world, providing learning opportunities and experiences that mimic and support building skills beyond the classroom. I feel that using it as a transformational vehicle to help personalize learning for our students, is one of its most powerful ways we can harness its potential in the classroom. It is up to us as educators to really dive in and place our students behind the wheel and in the driver’s seat.

Willie Thomas III, Director of Media Integration at Robinson ISD, works with K-12 students, educators, parents and district leaders to enhance the learning opportunities through the integration of instructional technology. Willie has a Master of Science focused in Instructional Technology.

The post How I’m Utilizing Technology to Help Transform Education at Robinson ISD appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Be sure to also check out the slideshow, below, for more information on the products.

2024 TNT Commercial Winners

Audio Components

Lenbrook
Bluesound Professional BCS300 In-Ceiling Pendant Speaker

Audio Distribution Systems

Listen Technologies
ListenWIFI

Automation Software

Nanolumens
NanoSuite

Digital Signage Hardware

LG Business Solutions
LG MAGNIT 4K 136-inch Micro LED Display

Digital Signage Software

Samsung Electronics
Samsung VXT

Video Monitors

Sharp Electronics Corporation
PN-LC2 AQUOS BOARD Collaboration Displays

Installer Loudspeakers

Renkus-Heinz
OmniBeam

Display Mounts

Chief
Tempo Flat Panel Wall Mount System

Projector Mounts

Tempest
Fly

Network Management Solutions

Samsung Electronics
SmartThings for Business

Power Conditioning, Surge Suppression and Energy Solutions

Nice
Nice DC-12 IP Smart Power Manager

Project Management and Design / Web Software

XTEN-AV LLC
X-VRSE by XTEN-AV 

Conference Projectors

Christie
Christie 4K860-iS

Specialty AV Cables or Connectors

Pure Fi
Pure Fi Pro HDMI 2.1 Active Optical Cable

Audio Conferencing Components

Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron Flex Pods

Cameras

Jabra
Jabra PanaCast 50

Collaboration

Barco
ClickShare Bar Pro

Interactive Whiteboards

LG Business Solutions
LG CreateBoard with ChromeOS Flex certified slot-in OPS

Videoconferencing Components

Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron Videobar 70

Video Streaming Solutions

Epiphan Video
Pearl Nexus

Category Cable Distribution

Valens Semiconductor
VS6320: HDBaseT-USB3 Extension IC

Coax Video Distribution

ZyCast Technology, Inc.
U5 Single Channel 4K (HEVC) Encoder Modulator with Simultaneous RF and IP Out

IP Video Distribution

Audinate
Dante AV-H

Matrix Switchers

BZBGEAR
BG-8K-1212MA | 12×12 8K Matrix Switcher w/ Audio De-Embedder

Videowall Hardware

Planar
Planar DirectLight Pro Series

Videowall Software

Samsung Electronics
Samsung Signage Setup Assistant

To see a list of all entries, click here!

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on January 31, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post 2024 Top New Technology (TNT) Awards appeared first on My TechDecisions.

According to the company, the NV-21-HU thus simplifies installation with a single-cable solution for video distribution, AV bridging and device charging via USB-C. Its compact design and reduced I/O make the NV-21-HU ideal for supporting various applications. This includes meeting rooms, learning spaces, hospitality and entertainment installations.

Main Features

As a software-configurable solution, NV-21-HU can be an encoder or decoder (in Q-SYS Designer Software). Here, it offers the ability to operate with either HDMI or USB-C connectivity. This enables integrators to provide a more flexible system that supports a broader range of devices. At the same time, it eliminates the need for adapters and in some cases, multiple cables. In addition, integrators can add AV Bridging (with an optional feature license) to extend the device’s functionality. With this, it can support full UC Platform bridging capabilities.

The NV-21-HU joins the Q-SYS video portfolio alongside the NV-32-H (Core Capable) video endpoint. It also features a more compact design. Additionally, the NV-21-HU provides more options to rightsize the application based on I/O density, form factor or available features providing maximum system design flexibility.

As a native Q-SYS device, users will have the added benefit of utilizing the software-based audio, video and control platform to enable drag-and-drop and no-code deployment. As a result, it helps save time and money in both the programming and installation phases.

“The NV-21-HU answers the needs for a lower-cost and more comprehensive solution that can address end user demands for an easy, frictionless user experience,” says Mike Brandes, senior product marketing manager, Q-SYS. “Its compact design and rightsized I/O make it ideal for more applications; while still providing the ease-of-use and deployment familiar to Q-SYS NV Series users.”

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on April 6, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Q-SYS Unveils Latest Network Video Endpoint NV-21-HU appeared first on My TechDecisions.

In today’s WFH-prevalent world, most of us have Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and several other video apps working on our laptop in our home office. We can successfully connect and participate in video calls without any problem. So, now that we finally have just about everything working, why would we need anything more?

Well, it’s pretty clear that, if you want to become one of the people who starts creating video content for YouTube, or who livestreams their content anywhere, you’ll want to research and utilize higher-quality video and audio gear.

But what about if you’re only on video a few times a day, or even just a few times a week? What if you only use it to check in with team members and clients? Should you be concerned with the quality of your home-office setup then? Well, yes. Yes, you should….

I believe most of us have learned to be concerned about how we appear on video over the course of the pandemic. We have seen ourselves onscreen, in our little video boxes, right next to our colleagues, who are in their own little boxes. We’ve noticed how people with better framing, lighting and audio quality have a more professional presence in our online meetings. We might even feel that, as they make their points, people who are “good on video” have more impact than others do.

Just as we care about our appearance when we are at the office, we should care about how we present ourselves over video — even when it’s just meeting with our work teams. At the end of the day, you don’t want to stand out in a bad way over video any more than you’d want to stand out negatively in the office. You might think that, if your company and team have a casual vibe, you can be more casual about your appearance and your home-office video setup. Even if you’re casual, though, you still want to look good. Having some clutter behind you is casual. Having terrible lighting and bad camera angles doesn’t come off as casual, though — you just look bad. And it can affect the way you’re perceived professionally.

The Home-Studio Journey

The good news is this: You can take the journey of improvement at your own pace. And the better news is this: The home-studio journey is an approachable, manageable and affordable process. There is no need to bring in a construction crew, tear things down and build an entire home studio from scratch following a common plan. You can take a piecemeal approach, based on your current setup and budget, and gradually work to improve your video experience.

Ideally, you should start with the low-hanging fruit. If everyone is complaining about your audio, then, to start, investigate improving that. If you feel that everyone else in your meetings looks better lit than you do, then start by researching lighting options. A small strategic spend can often give you a more significant improvement than a bigger, less strategic spend can. For example, if you have terrible audio and decent video, you can spend $50 for a headset and realize a massive improvement; that’s better than spending $500 on a higher-end camera for a less-significant improvement.

Home-Studio Spending

There is no definitive answer to the question of how much you should spend on your home studio. Every aspect of the home-studio-upgrade process exists on a sliding scale based on needs and budget. Whether you are talking about lighting, audio, video or room elements, you can start with affordable options and spend more as your needs grow.

For example, at some point, you will probably assess where you are on the scale of video quality. If you currently have no video, you can get a webcam for around $30 that will do the job. If you increase that to around $80, you have options that do an excellent job and that can handle HD. For about $200 and up, you start getting into advanced features like 4K resolution. At the top end — for those who have larger budgets and the need/desire to look as good as possible for content creation and livestreaming — it is possible to spend hundreds on a high-end home professional camera or thousands on a DSLR or other kind of ultra-high-end camera.

Whatever energy you put into being sharp at the office can be and should be transferred to optimizing your video setup at home.

This is your personal journey. If you’re already happy with the resolution, clarity and quality of your video image, then focus on another element of your home studio. If you feel that your webcam experience stands out in a bad way as compared to your peers, ask them what models of camera they’re using and pick one that’s in your price range. And if you’re looking to stand out in a positive way, start saving up for the higher-end gear.

The same kind of sliding scale applies to lighting, microphones, speakers/headsets, audio mixers, PCs/laptops, software and other room elements. This might sound overwhelming, but here’s more good news: These items are all independent. You can work on one at a time as your schedule, and your budget, allows. Also, they can all be revisited at any time for additional upgrades, should your video needs change. If you focus on products “certified” for the platform you’re using (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Zoom), then that platform has done the legwork to ensure you can swap something out and swap in an upgraded component without losing features or functionality.

The Ideal Home Studio

As I keep saying, building your ideal home studio is a journey — not an all-at-once upgrade. However, it’s helpful to understand what’s at the end of the path. Many of us may never have the budget or need for a perfect home studio, but, if we understand the ideal setup, it can help us decide upon reasonable improvements for our personal setups.

The ideal setup would achieve the ultimate goal of a home studio — namely, for you to appear within your video window in the way that a newscaster appears on TV during their closeups. That is what we’ve been conditioned, since childhood, to perceive as the way a professional appears on video. That look is our goal, and any adjustments to our setups that bring us closer to that look will improve our effectiveness in business video calls.

Although fewer than 1% of video users at home will achieve everything on the list below, we can all pick and choose areas to improve for immediate results. For me, the ideal home studio should include the following:

• Framing: As stated earlier, you should be framed in your video window just like a newscaster is framed on your TV. If you’re sized and positioned properly, there should be about 10% of screen space above the top of your head (you don’t want your head up against the top of the screen) and the bottom of the screen should cut you off about at the armpits. This makes you as big as possible, so your facial expressions can be easily seen, while still allowing you to gesture with your hands. If framed properly, your mouth should be approximately at the center of the screen. Of course, you want a straight-ahead angle with the camera at your eye level — no “up the nose” or “top of the head” shots. Almost everyone should be able to achieve this.
• State-of-the-art camera: Although most of us, including I, will probably top out with a high-end camera meant for at-home use, it doesn’t hurt to research your dream camera. Then, try to find an affordable option that gets you as close as possible in performance. My dream home studio would have several extremely expensive cameras to capture me from multiple angles.
• Professional-audio setup: Audio quality is often more important than video quality is. In an ideal home studio, I would have a full mixer board setup and all the compressors, equalizers, noise gates and other fancy equipment you’d find in a music studio. This would allow me total control of all audio sources, enabling my microphone and any other shared audio sources to be perfectly balanced and optimized. I would also have the walls of the studio treated to eliminate reverb, thus enabling a higher-quality sound. For most of us in the real world, simply getting a decent headset can significantly improve our audio.
• Perfect three-point lighting: Ideally, I would be lit in the same manner as during a professional photo or video shoot. With three-point lighting (key light, fill light and back light) covering me from various angles, it not only would properly illuminate me from the front but also would eliminate shadows and improve the effect from the sides and back. Although a full lighting setup might not be prohibitively expensive, the space it can take up in your office, and the heat it can generate, can make it a less attractive option. For most of us, making sure we don’t have a light or window behind us — this puts our face into a shadow — and having some kind of decent light in front of us will achieve acceptable results. If you do invest in lighting for your home setup, keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be with expensive, “built-for-video” lights. Well-placed consumer lamps usually will do the job just as well.
• Dual high-end PC setup: In my dream studio, I would have a dual-PC setup. There would be one powerful PC with a top-end graphics card to handle the video itself, connected via local network to a second, equally powerful PC running my work apps and any content that I’m sharing. This would allow me to run resource-intensive programs on the work PC without lowering the quality of my video. In reality, today’s typical, mid-range computers are more than powerful enough to run our common work apps at the same time as a video call, without a perceptible quality reduction. The dual-PC setup is simply more than 95% of us will ever need. I would recommend that any setup have dual screens, however. Even if you’re working with a single PC, you can connect two monitors to it — one for your video calls and the second for work apps.
• Amazing background: Your background is now literally a part of your appearance. Just as people can associate you with your style of clothes, they also will associate you with your video background. We’ve all seen impressive video backgrounds, including bookshelves with great books and cool knickknacks, as well as other items that can share our personality while still being professional. You might not have the space to set up your background exactly as you would like it, but you can at least move the pile of laundry offscreen.
• Removable greenscreen: Even if you have a great background, you might want to use a greenscreen (thus allowing you to utilize a virtual background more easily) for some purposes. Ideally, you want something collapsible or otherwise easily removable so you can use your real background whenever you want, and you can pop up the greenscreen when required. For most of us, we will choose to use a greenscreen all the time or not at all.

Your Video Feed is You

For the first time in history, we live in a world in which many of the important people in our lives see us more frequently over video than in person. We might never actually meet in person some of the people we work with. For some of us, most of the people in our lives will know us primarily over video.

It might be superficial, but there is a reason we put time and effort into our appearance when we show up at the office. Being framed and properly lit is the video equivalent of being freshly showered and having a new haircut at the office. It shouldn’t matter, but it does. It shouldn’t have an impact on your career, but it does. You can be sloppy and successful, but it almost never hurts to be sharp. Whatever energy you put into being sharp at the office can and should be transferred to optimizing your video setup at home.

Start Your Journey Today

Take a look at your current setup. It might be a laptop with a terrible internal camera in a corner of the kitchen, or it might be a fairly decent setup in a designated office area. Regardless, compare what you have to the elements of the ideal setup. That will empower you to see where you would get the most bang for your buck. Obviously, if people on the other end of your calls are complaining that it’s hard to understand you, then improving your audio is the place to start. Otherwise, you can chart your own journey as your transform your home office into a home studio.

For more Collaboration Today and Tomorrow content, check out our website archives.

David Maldow is founder and CEO with Let’s Do Video. 

The post Tips for Upgrading Your Home Office to a Home Studio appeared first on My TechDecisions.

With accredited individuals across its engineering, sales and delivery teams, Black Box says it will provide value-added services such as design, deployment and management for Zoom Rooms and Zoom Phone globally. In turn, this will help customers get up and run quickly with these robust communications tools.

Rise of Zoom in Workspaces

“Work is being reimagined. After working remotely and growing accustomed to increasingly sophisticated and intuitive online tools for meetings, communications and collaboration, people have much higher expectations for inclusive work experiences,” says Jim McKenna, vice president of strategic partnerships at Black Box.

Also Read: 8 All-in-One Videoconferencing Displays That Make Meetings Easier

McKenna continues, “As a flexible, feature-rich, software-based solution, Zoom is the perfect complement to the digital workplace, enterprise networking and connected building solutions Black Box supplies and integrates into modern workspaces. Backed by Black Box’s renowned integration and support services, Zoom eases the transition to hybrid and in-person work while improving the overall communications experience for all participants.”

Zoom Rooms and Workspaces solutions are used around the world in board, conference, huddle and training rooms. They are also available in executive offices and classrooms to help users work together comfortably and effectively across spaces and devices, in the office environment. The solution supports virtual check-ins with Zoom Workspace Reservation; room status and scheduling displays content sharing through Zoom Digital Signage; and Zoom Rooms meeting management through personal mobile device or voice-activated controls.

Zoom Phone also enables users to make secure voice calls across the globe. For this, it uses a variety of supported devices with the same ease and familiarity as participating in Zoom video meetings.

“Black Box is a services-led business with a rich heritage of providing advanced connectivity solutions to address critical workplace and workflow requirements,” adds Gilbert Vendryes, head of partner programs at Zoom. “As a Zoom Certified Integrator for Zoom Rooms and Zoom Phone, Black Box has the knowledge and resources to assist customers globally as they build these robust tools into today’s hybrid workspaces.”

This article originally appeared on MyTechDecisions’ sister-site CommercialIntegrator.com.

The post Black Box is Now Zoom Rooms & Zoom Phone Certified appeared first on My TechDecisions.

NaViSense gathers and processes anonymous customer attributes using off-the-shelf or existing camera sources and edge computing devices such as RPi4. This technology also collects the dwell time of people in front of a display, as well as a variety of other attributes, such as their estimated age and gender, the brand of clothing they are wearing, traffic trends and more.

Watch: Collaboration 2.0 — Where Are We Now?

The information collected by NaViSense adds value in that it can be used to improve customer experience and enhance decision-making at airports, restaurants, hotels, office buildings, banks and credit union branches, museums, and numerous retail settings.

Data is power so acquiring and acting on in-depth, real-time customer data—especially through automation and intelligence analysis—are now critical capabilities for these companies. NaViSense leverages these capabilities in meaningful ways by utilizing AI, partner ecosystems, and interactive tools that help these companies make strategic decisions and even automate aspects of their physical environments.

Its computer vision output is analyzed at the edge, and companies can make critical decisions in a matter of minutes. They can also optimize and even automate key aspects of their operations. Through the company’s established goals, NaViSense’s analysis help them identify trends and act upon them in ways that drive meaningful business results.

“NaViSense is an ever evolving, unique building block approach to gathering data and insights, allowing users to customize data sets and leverage off the shelf or existing dash boarding tools, says Kelly Harlin, director solutions marketing & commercialization, “Our customers are responding quite favorably to this approach and solution, as they will continue to be an important part of its evolution.”

Check out Sharp/NEC displays solutions on AV-iQ, here.

This article originally appeared on MyTechDecisioons’ sister-site CommercialIntegrator.com.

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The company says it designed the VW-9 driver for 3X3 videowalls. It features 10 outputs, making it flexible and ideal for wall shapes up to 10 identical displays, such as 5X2 configurations. The VW-16, with 16 outputs, drives huge videowalls of up to 16 displays. Both drivers incorporate 4K60 4:4:4 video processing and support audio input switching and de-embedding. Integrators can install them in any square, rectangle or elongated configuration. Moreover, they are suitable for varied applications. These range from airport signage to shopping malls, command and control centers, and more.

Related: Kramer AV-over-IP Boosts Experience at New Atlanta Music Venue

The drivers also come with redundant power supplies for uninterrupted operation. Thus, according to Kramer, the units are exceptionally robust. What’s more, they meet strict security requirements. These include mission-critical applications such as situation rooms, air and land traffic control centers, security command and control, and medical installations.

They also process video without compression, thereby ensuring high image quality with sharp, clear pixel clarity. In addition, zero (sub-millisecond) latency enables real-time video display. This makes it highly suitable for applications that are ultra-sensitive to time lags, such as live presentations and events.

Additional Features

The VW-9 and VW-16 drivers make videowall set-up and management fast and simple. They also come with a choice of Ethernet and RS-232/422/485 control interfaces, a unique, intuitive front panel on the processor unit, and varied video processing and audio options. Per a statement, the videowall processor is therefore easy for anyone to set up and manage. It also requires no training.

“As the market evolves, Kramer continues to lead in creating innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of our customers across all markets,” comments Shai Yaniv, VP of products & solutions at Kramer. “Our VW-9 and VW-16 videowall drivers are designed to deliver impressive and intuitive solutions for large-scale video walls, in varying shapes and sizes, that are simple and cost-effective to set up and operate. Adding the drivers to our product portfolio completes Kramer’s eco-system for video walls by offering a premium engine for large-scale installations and continues to enhance the customer’s audio visual experience.”

The VW-9 and VW-16 will be in stock and shipping worldwide in late Q2, says Kramer.

The post Kramer Announces New Videowall Drivers for Intuitive, Mission-Critical, Audio Visual Experiences appeared first on My TechDecisions.