The AV system had to be flexible and dependable. System requirements included high-performance AV signal switching and routing, exceptional sound, intuitive system control and remote management. Images and sound had to be crystal clear at each standard and bariatric seat. The space had to offer alternative ways to communicate with vision and hearing impaired persons. To facilitate lectures and panel discussions, the stage needed to offer multiple points of AV connectivity and system control.

The Extron AV Control System Solution

Syracuse University brought in Theatre Projects to design an innovative AV system that supported vibrant imagery and exceptional sound, all within ADA guidelines. Teamed with the university ITS Learning Environments and Media Production department, Theatre Projects selected XTP Systems, along with audio and control systems from Extron.

The K. G. Tan Auditorium seats 744, with a two-tiered design that provides unrestricted visibility throughout the space. Multiple floor boxes on the stage provide AV connectivity and flexible placement for a portable lectern. Gooseneck and lavalier microphones are available for the instructor, presenter or moderator and panelists alike. The main display is a videowall that is nearly 32′ wide. Two smaller videowalls installed on either side of it are dedicated as secondary monitors. Located within this room are eight PTZ cameras that are for use with web-based video applications, including Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and Zoom.

For the hearing impaired, the installation incorporates an Assisted Listening System and support for Communication Access Real‑time Translation – CART. The AV system enables captions to be displayed on either or both smaller videowalls.

The control center is located between the tiers at the back of the room. Multiple monitors and a bank of windows enable support staff visibility into the auditorium.

XTP High Performance and Reliability Ideal for Live Events

An Extron XTP II CrossPoint 3200 modular matrix switcher provides instantaneous switching among various installed and BYOD sources. It is configured to support 3G-SDI sources and extension of uncompressed HDMI video resolutions up to 4K/60 at data rates up to 18 Gbps. The XTP II matrix switcher frame features a 50 Gbps digital backplane that supports signals up to 8K by upgrading the input and output boards. A redundant power supply ensures continuous operation, which is critical during live events such as a panel discussion among scholars or a presentation by Veterans Affairs.

To compliment a separate SDI routing system, four XTP HDMI outputs feed Extron signal processors that convert HDMI signals to SDI. The signals are then passed to a 32×32 SDI matrix switcher. When the SDI sources are upgraded in the future, the modular nature of the XTP II CrossPoint matrix switcher will allow the current 3G-SDI input board to be replaced with a 12G-SDI version. Additional XTP HDMI and twisted pair I/O boards support the other devices. Audio, video and control signals are extended from the matrix switcher to XTP transmitters and scaling receivers using a twisted pair cable infrastructure.

Four outputs on the XTP II matrix are connected to an Extron MGP 641 multi‑window processor. This provides high performance scaling and windowing capability for the main videowall. This display can show up to four windows over a live or static background, and the windows can be independently arranged across the single canvas.

Professional-Grade Surround Sound

In addition to high-performance AV switching with the XTP system, clear, echo-free sound from local and remote sources is vital within this large space. The integration team installed an Extron SSP 200 processor to decode and process 7.1 surround sound from various sources. The processor provides individual trim level and delay for each channel, along with internal Dolby noise and full-bandwidth pink noise to sequentially calibrate each speaker. Then, they directed audio signals to specific speakers using the included software to verify sound coverage at each section of the auditorium.

Streamlined System Control with Extron

For intuitive AV system operation, the installation offers multiple points of control within the auditorium and the adjacent control room. Extron TouchLink Pro toauchpanels are located in the control room and the front wall of the auditorium. Floor boxes in the stage also offer several connectivity points for a touchpanel. A touchpanel and display in each green room enable visibility of events taking place within the auditorium. The touchpanels work in conjunction with an Extron IP Link Pro control processor to provide complete system control. Using an iPad running the Extron Control app, instructors and presenters can use the GUI on the tablet to control all system operations from anywhere in the room.

When the auditorium serves as a large lecture hall, the instructor can present and control the system using a standard university teaching station connected to one of the stage floor boxes. The station is a Steelcase Airtouch height‑adjustable table that includes a micro-computer running Microsoft Windows and the University’s Registrar Classroom Software, as well as a variety of AV devices. An Extron Cable Cubby enclosure provides connectivity for HDMI, USB, network, and power. An Extron 10″ tabletop TouchLink Pro touchpanel provides user-friendly AV system control.

Extron SMP and Kaltura Ensure Pristine Lecture Capture and Streaming

For live and on-demand lecture video capture with content management, the installation includes an Extron SMP 351 streaming media processor with the LinkLicense SMP Enhanced Kaltura Features upgrade. The processor integrates directly into the Kaltura video platform, working in concert to facilitate media capture and video content delivery to remote locations. Some of the features include the capability to schedule recordings from Kaltura and to stream live media ad-hoc or for a scheduled webcast or lesson to Kaltura using RTMP and RTMPS. This was extremely helpful with distance learning during the pandemic.

Results

Housed within Syracuse University’s NVRC, the K. G. Tan Auditorium and multi-media center serves all students, specifically those who are or were members of the U.S. military and their families. The facility has been in constant use for lectures throughout the pandemic. Now, as the pandemic continues to wane, it is being used for an ever-expanding range of presentations. The university and various third-party entities are hosting successful community activities, public information presentations for the residents of central New York, and national convening events and conferences.

The post Extron AV Control System Transforms Syracuse University Auditorium into Multifunctional Space appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The ScreenBeam Spring K-12 Grant Program thus provides solutions to achieve equitable hybrid and distance learning across campus. ScreenBeam says it will move teachers into the classroom with standardized wireless display and wireless connections to the in-room peripherals. By doing so, it will make it easier for teachers to connect and collaborate with their in-room and remote students.

The ScreenBeam 1100 Plus (SBWD1100P) with ScreenBeam Conference Software provides wireless display from teacher and student devices without the need for dongles or cables. ScreenBeam Conference software also enables connectivity to in-room peripherals such as cameras, microphones, and speakers. The ScreenBeam 1100 Plus is designed with a multi-network architecture providing three physical network interfaces to connect both teacher and student devices. It does so without compromising security, digital signage, instant alerts and notifications to classroom displays, HDMI input and centralized management. The solution also includes a three-year warranty without any subscription fees.

Spring K-12 Grant Details

• ScreenBeam will grant 1.06 units of SBWD1100P for every one (1) unit of SBWD1100P purchased. For example, 200 units purchased will receive 212 additional units under the grant
• Customers must purchase and take delivery of a minimum of 200 SBWD1100P units between February 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023 to receive the grant
• Maximum grant per customer is 500 units
• Product may be purchased through ScreenBeam Authorized Resellers
• Granted units will ship upon proof of purchase

How to Qualify

1. Complete and submit the grant submission form.
2. ScreenBeam will respond to legitimate requests within one business day
3. Grant offer is available until March 31, 2023 or while supply lasts
4. All grants approved will receive grant units upon completion of minimum purchase by March 31, 2023

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on February 3, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post ScreenBeam Invites K-12 Institutions to Apply for Wireless Display Grant appeared first on My TechDecisions.

On March 13, 2020, the president declared a national emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. If they had not done so already, every higher-education institution, on that day, announced a move to online learning. It would only be temporary…or so they thought. What was initially believed to be a short-term stopgap became a transformational moment in learning: Distance education moved from being a niche enrollment category to the single biggest defining factor in education as it moves forward. 

As technologists, we naturally jump to the things that make distance learning possible. Many of those tools — for example, unified communication (UC) platforms, in-room cameras, ceiling microphones, learning management systems (LMSes) and recording capabilities — might not have been part of classroom standards in prior days. But although having the proper tools is important for an effective installation, the tools themselves are not the lessons learned. 

Content is Critical for Distance Learning

Effective distance learning is about content — specifically, content delivery and content comprehension. Translated, that means it’s about the people: People sending the content and people consuming the content. Students adapted extremely well to online content delivery. In fact, they have been doing it for more than a decade; just look at the popularity of TikTok, Snapchat, FaceTime and a host of other social-media communication platforms. The college-aged demographic was primed to learn through the screen. 

Faculty members, on the other hand, experienced a roadblock. “How do I take what I have been doing for 20 years and put it online?” the professors asked. “You don’t,” the tech managers responded. The world is different; learning is different; and your teaching style and skill set must also be different. Faculty must adapt to the technology provided and students’ experience of it. 

Online teaching is a fundamentally separate endeavor than in-person instruction is. Distance education is not traditional education, and it should not be treated as such. The move out of brick-and-mortar classrooms and to virtual learning exposed some weaknesses in conventional education practices. Issues of equity and access became glaringly apparent. Whereas, formerly, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was considered a checklist item during space design and construction, the pandemic demonstrated something important: There are people behind the regulations. Likewise, online-learning best practices, like those of Quality Matters (QM), had to become commonplace rather than being “nice-to-haves.” 

“A” comes before “V,” but the “V” is vitally important for equity and accessibility. The pandemic helped clarify the old AV adage that audio is more important than video. In the context of work-from-home offices, many would argue that it’s OK if people can’t see you so long as they can hear you. That, however, is a flawed theory when it comes to distance education. While audio is important, closed captioning ranks above it — and that is visual. It is not the camera that is so important, but, rather, the ability to consume the content’s message. And that message is delivered both aurally and visually in an equitable digital world. 

Learning without being able to stop a livestreaming professor for questions and discussion means that having ability to rewind, relisten and reread is also a determining factor in the success of distance learning. 

Considering the Visual/Hearing-Impaired 

Distance education proved to be a blessing for those who are visually impaired and/or hearing impaired. Although most technology managers would agree that professors aren’t supposed to serve as AV technicians and show producers, they are expected to follow best practices in content delivery. Many institutions’ Offices of Teaching and Learning formerly taught these practices, but they were rarely obeyed in in-person teaching. For example, proper audio enhancement and voice lift, as well as proper microphone-placement techniques, have always been important. It’s always been good practice to be sure you’re speaking loud enough — and toward the students (not the whiteboard). It’s also important to consider appropriate fonts and point sizes on presentation slides, ensuring they can be easily read by the farthest student in the room. 

When “share screen” became a standard, students were empowered read the content without feeling displaced and without fear of exposing their disability to the rest of their colleagues. Likewise, with streamed content, ear buds and headsets were a huge boon to people who formerly had struggled to comprehend a professor’s soft voice or accent. Paired with the previously mentioned closed captioning, true digital equity could be attained in distance education. 

Thankfully, these feature sets were enacted for a long enough time that there’s no going back. Students now expect multi-modal content delivery. Both colleges and UC platform manufacturers have figured out how to utilize automation, plugins and SaaS-to-hardware integrations to create interactive, accessible and equitable content on the fly, with limited faculty involvement. 

Capitalizing on the Transformation 

How do manufacturers and integrators capitalize on this transformation? The answer is by focusing not on the technology, but, rather, on the outcome. That entails considering the following questions: Who is being served? What obstacles are possibly present that might interfere with teaching and learning? Can the lectures be recorded? Can remote students hear and see? Can the presentation slides be uploaded for review? Is the lighting and projector brightness sufficient to be picked up by an ePTZ or PTZ camera mounted at the back of the room? Because rooms are typically designed with seated viewing angles in mind, is the camera angle sufficient for a remote student without being skewed? How will the in-room faculty know the remote student wants to ask a question? 

All those questions must be asked, thoughtfully considered and answered before the appropriate technologies can be selected. 

In conclusion, we learned that effective content delivery matters. What works is providing solutions for equitable and accessible learning. What does not work is assuming the world will, or should, return to former practices. The technology provided must complement the learning requirements to ensure that distance education is not simply an informational transaction. More importantly, it must be a connection to the needs of the student consumer.

Joe Way, PhD, CTS, is the director of learning environments with the University of Southern California (USC). 

The post Distance Education: What We Learned, What Works and What Doesn’t appeared first on My TechDecisions.

So, the university turned to collaboration technology provider Konftel and deployed over 100 videoconferencing kits  to support hybrid learning and to connect professors and students at the university.

La Salle Laguna University, located in the northwest Mexican state of Durango and serving 1,450 higher education students, said that it wanted to be a leader in using technology to deliver high-quality education in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic which eventually led them to utilizing Konftel’s conferencing solutions.

Addressing the Hybrid Experience at La Salle Laguna

Although the university initially supplied professors with laptop computers and web cameras at the start of the pandemic, they soon realized that laptop conferencing wouldn’t be enough as some students returned to campus while others remained at home.

“The laptop computers and cameras worked fine when everyone was at home, but when we decided to bring back half the students at a time, we needed technology that would create a better experience,” explained Luis Arturo Dávila de León, dean of La Salle Laguna. “We wanted something that was easy to use and that allowed remote students to see professors and students in the classroom and interact as if they were in the same place.”

The university revealed that for effective hybrid learning, the solution needed to fit seamlessly with the university’s commitment to exceptional education. According to the university, the conferencing technology had to not only make hybrid learning possible under the circumstances, but also match the learning experience expected by professors, students, and their families before the pandemic.

Determining the Needs of La Salle Laguna

“We needed a service that everyone would be happy with so that all our classes would retain their same high quality,” said Dávila. The university leadership said they turned to local technology integrator Orange Tech AVA and Konftel distribution partner Neocenter SA de CV to identify the best hybrid learning solution.

Orange Tech AVA began testing the Konftel C20Ego to see if it would meet the university’s needs, and determined that it could support the seamless, integrated, easy-to-use classroom experience required by the administration.

According to Kontfel, the C20Ego is an all-in-one solution featuring a Konftel Cam20 4K conference camera, Konftel Ego speakerphone with OmniSound® audio quality, and Konftel OCC Hub for connecting everything to a laptop with a single USB cable.

“Along with La Salle Laguna, we found that having a camera with a remote control, digital zoom, and presets is very useful in classrooms,” said Isaac Sedano, commercial director for Orange Tech AVA. “The speakerphone that comes with the Konftel C20Ego kit has the perfect reach for the classroom size, and teachers really appreciate the unique hub that allows them to easily connect everything to their laptop.”

Installing the Conferencing Solutions

According to the company, the Konftel solution also supported easy, flexible installation, an important factor considering Orange Tech AVA had two months to integrate more than 100 systems. The company stated that they closely mimicked an in-class experience at La Salle Laguna where the Orange Tech AVA technicians hung ceiling mounts in the center of classrooms and installed the C20Ego components, as well as a flat-screen display. This allowed professors to address remote students onscreen who could also see everything taking place in the classroom.

“We took measurements so that the Konftel cameras and speakerphones are at the right height for professors and ran cables up through the mounts, so they aren’t visible,” explained Sedano. Additionally, Orange Tech AVA said they ran acoustic and visual tests to maximize the high-quality sound and video from the Konftel solution for all participants.

According to the company, La Salle Laguna installed 107 Konftel C20Ego videoconferencing kits throughout the campus, controlled and monitored from a central location, and after a week of faculty training, the university was ready for hybrid learning.

“Using the conferencing technology is very comfortable,” remarked Samuel S. Ramírez Cortéz, a professor at the university. “It allows faculty a perfect combination of a virtual space with a physical classroom. It is easy to speak to remote and in-person students at the same time and use the blackboard or in-class computer very naturally.”

Furthermore, the university uses Google Classroom and Google Workspace as its primary online learning and collaboration platform, but Cortéz added that the staff occasionally used Zoom and other services. Konftel stated that their technology is agnostic, thus allowing education institutions to use collaboration platforms of their choice for high-resolution conferences with ultra-clear sound quality.

“Feedback has been very positive,” mentioned Cortéz. “The students at home don’t feel alone; teachers are still able to teach the way they know best; and parents trust the university because the technology proves our commitment to high-level teaching.”

As professors and students began using the Konftel solution, university officials acknowledged that the technology had an even greater impact by helping unite the surrounding community.

Connecting to the Community

The university revealed the solution’s success where they said that not only did enrollment increase, but local associations, business groups, and others also became more engaged with the university due to the collaborative features of the technology. According to the university, some even asked to use the university’s Konftel-enabled spaces for their own virtual meetings.

“We don’t just focus on academics. We play a role in fostering the broader society,” said Ivonne Escalera Leyva, who oversees external relations.

La Salle Laguna added that it has now opened its physical and virtual doors for meetings, exhibitions, workshops, trainings, work meetings, and more. It also has an innovation park to connect students with local companies and collaborate on projects that benefit the region.

“The technology helps keep activities going and maintains connections with the community,” says Leyva. “We want to be in touch with other sectors that need to optimize their resources and adapt to the new reality.”

Dean Dávila credited the university’s adaptability for its success in navigating the pandemic.

“The university continues to reinvent itself and does not remain static,” he said. “If we are going to use new technology, we are going to use it well. That’s why we incorporate technology not only in the educational process, but also in academic monitoring processes, teaching performance, and above all, the time scheduled for the teaching of classes,” concluded Dávila.

This article originally appeared on our sister site Commercial Integrator. 

The post Mexico’s La Salle Laguna University Turns To Konftel For Hybrid Learning Solution appeared first on My TechDecisions.

In this episode of the Collaboration Space Podcast, join AVI-SPL and Bose Professional for insights about how higher education institutions can prepare for flexible, hybrid learning in the fall. Topics include AV enhancements to help entice students back into the classroom, how educators can best communicate with students in large rooms, and overcoming acoustical and architectural challenges in existing spaces that were not designed with AV in mind.

More about Bose:

Bose Work solutions bring the simplicity and clarity of Bose to conferencing and unified communications — with innovative products for huddle spaces, desktop and mobile conferencing, and large meeting rooms. Our products work with existing platforms, enhancing popular third-party cloud services. Today the workplace is every place: office, home, car, and coffee shop. So Bose Work solutions work where you are, helping teams collaborate more effectively, moving beyond “good enough” audio and video so interactions are more natural and people can hear more, see more, understand more — and work better.

More about AVI-SPL:

We’re proud to be a digital enablement solutions provider that designs, integrates, manages, and supports on-site and cloud-based communications and collaboration technologies for organizations around the globe.

We’ve been innovating the way work gets done and unlocking new business value since 1979.

And we’re even more proud of what each of these solutions represents to our customers: modernized experiences that accelerate results and create flexibility in support of hybrid work.

The post The Collaboration Space Podcast: Addressing HyFlex Learning Technology Challenges appeared first on My TechDecisions.

As schools everywhere continue to rely on critical IT services to support distance learning via videoconferencing and collaboration tools, cybercriminals are taking notice.

Bad actors are targeting schools with ransomware, data theft and other attack methods, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) said in a new advisory.

“Cyber actors likely view schools as targets of opportunity, and these types of attacks are expected to continue through the 2020/2021 academic year,” the alert says.

“These issues will be particularly challenging for K-12 schools that face resource limitations; therefore, educational leadership, information technology personnel, and security personnel will need to balance this risk when determining their cybersecurity investments.”

These attacks have not slowed, and cybercriminals are utilizing methods and tools typically used in attacks, according to officials.

Ransomware

The agencies, citing the Multi-state Information Sharing and Analysis Center, said 57% of ransomware incidents reported involved K-12 schools in August and September. That’s a rise from 28% from January through July.

The most common ransomware strains targeting education are Ryuk, Maze, Nefilim, AKO and Sodinokibi/REvil, according to the advisory.

Read Next: Schools Have to Address These Distance Learning Cybersecurity Threats

Malware

Cybersecurity officials have also observed malware attacks on state, local, tribal and territorial educational institutions over the last year. Zeus is highlighted the most common type of malware hitting schools on Windows operating systems. Attackers use it to infect machines and send stolen information to command-and-control servers.

Meanwhile, Shlayer targets MacOS systems through malicious websites, hijacked domains and malicious advertising.

Phishing and social engineering

A frequent type of attack on the enterprise – phishing – is also becoming common in education, with cyber actors targeting students, parents, faculty, IT professionals and others involved in distance learning operations. These attacks masquerade as legitimate requests for information via email and trick users into revealing account credentials or other information.

Other attacks leverage fake domains that are similar to legitimate websites in an attempt to capture credentials.

Other disruptions mentioned in the advisory include DDoS attacks and videoconferencing hijacking.

To mitigate these attacks, the agencies recommend a long list of best practices and steps to take, like:

• Patching out-of-date software
• Regularly changing passwords
• Using multi-factor authentication on all accounts
• Setting security software to automatically update and conduct regular scans
• Disabling unused remote access/RDP ports and monitoring logs
• Implementing network segmentation
• Training for students, teachers and other staff
• Looking into a technology provider’s cybersecurity policies and practices before agreeing to a contract

The post U.S. Cybersecurity Officials: K-12 Schools Are Increasingly Targeted By Hackers appeared first on My TechDecisions.

While the growing availability of e-learning solutions has been both a lifeline and a source of frustration for administrators, teachers, students and their families, these tools are invaluable in our current reality. As administrators struggle to ensure connectivity and accessibility of these tools for all students, too many school districts are ignoring the elephant in the room: cybersecurity.

Widespread use of technology in the classroom combined with remote learning environments for homebound students has made protecting schools from cyberattacks much more complex. In June, Microsoft Security Intelligence found that 61% of the 7.7 million malware encounters experienced by organizations over the previous month were targeting education – far more than any other sector.

With many districts caught flat-footed and under pressure to quickly adapt, they are implementing IT solutions without a coherent security strategy – a move that puts schools at serious risk.

In fact, the beginning of the school year saw several high-profile cyberattacks against educational institutions, including DDoS attacks that paralyzed the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ e-learning platform in late August and a massive ransomware attack which forced Hartford, Conn., to postpone its first week of school.

It’s not just hardened cybercriminals looking to take advantage of these gaps in security: a high school junior launched the attack against Miami-Dade – the nation’s fourth-largest school district covering 392 schools and more than 345,000 students – using an easily downloadable piece of software.

That’s not to say that the shift to e-learning technology should be put on hold. Instead, educators need to address the following vulnerabilities to their systems to ensure students, teachers and administrators are protected from the bad intentions of cybercriminals.

Staying Safe While Remote

Learning institutions have long been a favorite target of hackers, as evidenced by the wave of ransomware attacks that impacted more than 500 U.S. schools in 2019.

With a majority of school districts moving forward on a hybrid model of virtual and in-class education this fall, remote learning provides a golden opportunity for cybercriminals and bad actors, who have been hard at work all summer finding new ways to leverage techniques like ransomware, phishing and social engineering against vulnerable IT infrastructure.

Most attacks rely on manipulating users into clicking on a malicious link that downloads malware or provides cybercriminals access to the school’s network and sensitive information. There are other cases where user behavior that is acceptable on a home device, such as browsing social media sites or connecting over insecure Wi-Fi, could, if done on a school-provided device, open up an entire school district’s network for hackers to exploit.

This makes it critical to keep email security up to date and advanced protection in place for all endpoints. Systems should always be on guard for malware, ransomware, exploits and viruses.

Enlisting Parents and Students in the Fight Against Hackers

The best way to defend against cyberattacks is through user awareness and education. Regular training and testing of users with simulated attacks are a good first step towards creating security awareness. This makes the support of parents necessary, especially for younger students. Educators need to help parents understand what behaviors create risks for their children, home networks and the institution to ensure students are safe from scams and cyber attackers.

It also means guiding parents to take responsibility for enforcing digital security at home. Parental controls and coaching safe behavior online are just one aspect. In an ideal world, every family would have a firewall in place to prevent malicious software from accessing a computer.

They should also make sure their home’s wireless network is protected with encryption and a secure password. If possible, parents should consider creating a separate network at home for kids to use. Many savvy organizations are encouraging remote employees to keep their work devices separate from home use and off-limits to other family members. Schools must look for similar approaches to minimize system exposure.

Ultimately, proactive parenting that maintains an active awareness of how remote learners are using tech-driven tools and platforms is key to keeping students and school systems safe. It may even prevent another student from making the same choices that led to the recent attack at Miami-Dade.

More Smart Devices, More Security Problems

While schools scramble to protect remote learning environments, it’s just as important to make sure that classroom devices are secure. Most of the new technologies installed in classrooms are IoT-connected devices like smart boards, smart projectors and 3D printers.

While these tech-driven solutions help to foster an enhanced environment for learning and growth, they are inherently less secure than traditional computer hardware.

This makes the majority of IoT devices much easier targets – and more desirable to hack. It’s important to recognize that each new device connected to a school’s network is a new distance learning cybersecurity threat vector that attackers can exploit. To stay safe, schools must understand the risks IoT devices pose to the networks they’re connecting to.

Related: Some Schools Are Reporting Large Numbers of COVID Violations: Can Tech Help?

School districts aren’t the only ones struggling to manage the risk of IoT devices. In a recent survey of cybersecurity professionals by the Neustar International Security Council, only a quarter (27%) of respondents said they are confident that their personnel knows how to protect IoT devices and equipment against attacks.

A good first step to prioritizing IoT security is ensuring the factory-provided password on each device has been changed. Users often keep a device’s original password or even remove the requirement for a password. This means the door has been left open for attackers to exploit that device and use its connection to navigate to more sensitive parts of the school network.

Another risk comes from not updating firmware and software. Since smart devices usually require updates at different times and running those updates require the devices to be offline, software and firmware updates are not always completed. This leaves any newly discovered security vulnerabilities unaddressed, allowing cybercriminals to take advantage. School IT teams should run updates on all devices and develop a schedule to ensure each device has the latest security patches.

Safely Embracing e-Learning

As schools adopt more tech-driven learning solutions, there will be more vulnerabilities for bad actors to find and exploit. That shouldn’t stop administrators from implementing these new technologies. Instead, they should stay vigilant and focus on securing e-learning devices and maintaining good cyber hygiene practices – ensuring classrooms stay online and learning continues uninterrupted.

Rodney Joffe serves as security CTO, SVP and fellow at Neustar. He regularly lends his insights and experience to organizations like ICANN and the U.S. government, where he sat on the cybersecurity intelligence panel and served as an advisor to the Obama White House. This post premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post Schools Have to Address These Distance Learning Cybersecurity Threats appeared first on My TechDecisions.

In particular, the new features tackle social-emotional learning (SEL) as educators hope to augment their in-person teaching methods with distance learning technology for students learning from home, the company said in a blog.

Microsoft is releasing SEL-specific Praise Badges that educators can use to recognize a student’s social skills, grow emotional vocabulary and give recognition to students when deserved.

The badges are based on the Big Five model, a well-known SEL framework used by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in their global assessment program.

Educators can use these badges to recognize specific skills that contribute to the Big Five personality traits. IT admins can enable them once they’re available later this month.

Read Next: Coordinated Meetings Can Sync Up Microsoft Teams Rooms Devices, Surface Hub

The company is also releasing a new SEL sticker pack for OneNote built on the same framework as the badges in Teams. It recognizes the same 12 skills and can be used alongside other OneNote features, like audio and video recording, inking and typed notes.

And, a new Reflect messaging extension in Teams will help educators connect with their students via quick check-in questions and polls.

Another feature in Teams for Education highlighted in Microsoft’s blog is turn-in celebrations that recognize a student for their hard work via animated celebrations when they turn in an assignment.

Microsoft is also collaborating with MindUP on a new virtual learning opportunity designed for educators and parents to talk about the mental health their students and children.

According to Microsoft, more than 230,000 education institutions are using Teams for remote and hybrid learning.

The post Microsoft Rolls Out Teams for Education Features With Mental Health Focus appeared first on My TechDecisions.

According to Fast Company, this week New York City’s Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza announced a ban on Zoom for public school systems. This is in response to a number of security and privacy issues with the Zoom platform.

The security issues have been reported often over the past several weeks. Most often referred to as a “Zoombomb,” threat actors can and have used meeting links to infiltrate Zoom sessions to display everything from racial slurs to pornographic images. In some cases, webcams have been hijacked during these sessions as well.

The videoconferencing platform came under further scrutiny when it was revealed that its iOS app had been sharing data with third parties, most notably Facebook. According to Fast Company, Letitia James, attorney general of New York, has sent a letter to Zoom requesting further information about its compliance with state laws, as this data sharing could potentially violate child privacy regulations.

Ultimately you can’t blame school systems for choosing a videoconferencing platform with a solid user interface that provides many benefits for teachers, such as muting disruptive students and screen sharing their lessons. COVID-19 struck so suddenly, and otherwise the vast majority of teachers would likely never need to conduct a virtual lesson. Specifically in K-12 environments.

Kudos to Carranza then for identifying the problem and rectifying it before things got worse. As technology managers it often feels like you need to get everything right on the first try, but pivoting from a technology that doesn’t work as you hoped is just as important as identifying new technologies in the first place.

The goal is training. Whatever platform you use (and make sure that it is one that can accomplish what teachers need) can be taught. Start with capabilities, vet cybersecurity, then train to ensure both of those come in tandem.

The post Zoom Banned from NYC Public Schools Due to Security Flaws appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Don’t get me wrong, this model isn’t a bad one. There’s a time and a place for it, and it still works very well in some classes. But the future of learning is student-centered and technology-rich. Schools can actually learn a lot from Netflix. That might seem like a silly statement but here’s why.

Think about what happens when you watch your Netflix. I like to watch documentaries, Netflix original series and comedies. I recently finished watching the documentaries SOMM as well as the follow-up documentary SOMM: Into the Bottle. You might have guessed, lately I’ve started to see other wine related movies & documentaries popping up in my searches. Because they’re suggested based on what Netflix thinks I like – which I guess is not far off given most look interesting!

All that to say that the more I use Netflix, the smarter it gets about my preferences. It makes informed suggestions about what I should watch next. Now, think about that in terms of higher education – the future of learning will consider student preferences like how they want to learn, when they want to learn and on what device.

Today’s digital native students still crave a traditional developmental college experience, but institutions must figure out what that looks like in a fast-paced world. Technologies like streaming video have an unparalleled ability to deliver information where and when students want it.

Artificial Intelligence for Gen Z learners

A recent survey from Mediasite and University of Business revealed a massive potential in higher education for artificial intelligence to offer Generation Z the Netflix model for learning, à la using AI to suggest relevant videos and build personalized playlists. Higher education leaders indicated that when it comes to using AI in video to improve student outcomes:

• 66 percent think about using AI to leverage student data (video viewing, grades, study habits, course enrollment, financial aid, extracurricular activities, etc.) to personalize learning
• 44 percent think about using AI for recommending videos/information based on student interests

According to a Forbes article, Generation Z has an attention span of eight seconds and can juggle more screens than any other generation prior. Only eight seconds – that’s just long enough to tie your shoelace, put an umbrella up and down, insert your debit card and enter your pin and, if you live in Wisconsin like me, eat one cheese curd (and who could eat just one?).

So, given the fact that students are quickly jumping from one thing (and device) to the next, it’s important to keep them actively engaged in class. Using AI and the Netflix model, students can watch more lectures in a shorter amount of time, reducing search time and growing the opportunity for them to learn more, faster.

You’ve got a lot of academic videos … now, are they accessible?

We are seeing faculty and students watch Mediasite videos more than 50 million times per year. That means the need to index and search all that content has never been greater.

It’s imperative that all of the videos being created in classrooms are intelligent, dynamic and secure in video portals based on viewer preferences. Paired with AI applications like IBM Watson speech-to-text, institutions have more accessible videos and deeper insights than ever before about student data.

That University Business survey found a great demand to index academic video to ensure accessibility and create 100 percent searchable content. The survey found:

• 90 percent of respondents believe current and future students will expect easily accessible on-demand academic videos
• Nearly half, 42 percent, said it is difficult for faculty and students to find relevant videos
• 67 percent said using AI to suggest relevant videos and build playlists would be most helpful, followed by 58 percent who want to organize video by keyword; 56 percent want to automate speech-to-text transcription in the video
• Only 18 percent indicated present use of speech-to-text to create more accessible course content, with 29 percent planning to in the future

What’s the bottom line for students and universities?

In general, everyone – not just students – habitually gravitates to video to learn. That’s widely apparent in YouTube, for example, which gets more than 30 million visitors per day. There’s a ton of instructional content on everything like ‘how to make a giant candy cane’ (a video that got 1.3 million views in a few days) to ‘how to fix a flat tire’ to ‘string theory in less than 2 minutes.’

This indicates we’re all learning from videos even when we don’t think of it as “education,” and further, video needs to play an even greater role in the classroom experience. Video in the classroom is proven to increase student grades and retention. For example, University of the Free State in South Africa saw pass rates jump from 26 percent to 100 percent in some rural high schools after incorporating video lectures. A student survey at University of Maryland Baltimore Dental School showed that 92 percent of students felt video made it easier to learn – 96 percent said they watch more or all of their lectures online. A medical school in Japan saw exam results improve to nearly 100% after deploying video capture in their classrooms.

We know video in learning works, and the Netflix model is the next step. Video, when paired with AI to index, search and generate valuable student viewing data, has the massive potential to help students learn more effectively and help instructors personalize learning more than ever before. As we enter into 2019, let’s make sure we’re setting up students for the most success and giving students the educational content they need when and where they want it.

The post How Artificial Intelligence is Creating the Netflix Model in Higher Education appeared first on My TechDecisions.