Ed Tech Blog
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There has been an increase in dialogue about the “One Button Studio” solution that many schools are designing and installing for their faculty and students. A one button studio is a space designed with pre-set configurations for lighting, cameras and mics, customized capture software and control that allows a user to walk in, create good quality video, and leave with his/ her content typically on a user supplied flash drive. Originally designed at Penn State University, the One Button Studio is being realized at schools across the country for faculty who want to create content to flip classes, supplement classroom curriculum, or provide content for online courses. Students can also use the rooms to practice speaking, create presentations, conduct mock interviews and create videos for class projects. Easy interface in a pre-configured space, minimal training, user ownership and reduction of assistance from tech departments: sounds like a winning combination. Penn State University even illustrates the time savings for each recorded video using the One Button Studio:
Making the room easy and intuitive for others to use, with minimal training and guidance, is one of the reasons the One Button Studio is becoming more popular, but also why it can be so challenging for technology managers to design. Penn State does offer a guide for the equipment needed, but many schools are taking creative liberty with regard to some of the equipment including the incorporation of green screens and projectors/ displays. Others are integrating their campus standards (equipment/ manufacturers) in the rooms for ease of maintenance and training and also to reduce cost (Penn State suggests that the entire system’s gear may be no more than $7500). Of course, the size and configuration of the room will affect the infrastructure considerations, design and set-up.
I...
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Some background info: I see the phrase “disruptive technology” all over the place and it makes me cringe. It has become one of those trendy buzz-phrases; destined to rise to celebrity status and then phase out in a couple of years because it’s been overplayed. I’d like to think of myself as less trendy and more classic. You know, I stick to a timeless black dress rather than buy a frock in the color of the moment (which, as I have recently discovered, is this fall’s burgundy.) But as I started to outline this post, I disappointed myself with how many times “disruptive” came to mind. And then, I moved forward.
I am insanely lucky that I get to travel all over the country visiting campuses, discussing challenges and successes with AV and IT ed tech professionals. It gives me a unique opportunity to understand trends as they are happening…and the issues that inevitably arise when colleges and universities try to design technology trends into their specific and distinct environments (remember BYOD?). Imagine my surprise when one of the most disruptive of these trends isn’t technological at all.
According to Whatis.com disruptive technology is “one that displaces an established...
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The AV/IT Technology Leadership Summit developed by the team at AV Technology Magazine took place at the Affinia Hotel in NYC last week. This two day event was completely free (even hotel and meals) for qualifying attendees. To be qualified to attend you had to be an AV, event technology or IT manager, designer, CIO, CTO or magician in healthcare, legal, corporate/ enterprise, house of worship and education markets.
During the two days, guests listened to experts discuss a variety of topics relevant to today’s (and tomorrow’s) AV and IT professionals. One of the most common trends that seemed to weave through almost all of the conversations was that of AV/IT roles in the world of facilities. Beginning with Mark Valenti’s (CEO of technology consulting firm, The Sextant Group) keynote on day 1 and in some way touching almost every panel discussion after that, the extent to which OUR technology is currently and, moving forward, can be incorporated into the building, campus and beyond garnered much attention. Panelists and audience alike shared a variety of questions, comments and opinions about building and campus control, utilities, user experiences and departmental liabilities.
Being smart (and deliberate) when designing building infrastructure for power,
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Colleges and Universities that have a global presence and a network of multiple campuses worldwide have a unique set of challenges. These challenges are not unlike a business operating offices in several different locations. The concerns can range from “out of sight, out of mind” and reduced productivity to a cohesive team and consistent cultural/ team identity.
Drilling down deeper, the obstacles may become magnified for individual departments within the university, for example academic technology and AV. We’ve talked a lot about campus wide standards for classroom technology. Creating technology standards is a useful and helpful process on many levels. Standards reduce systems cost of maintenance and down-time, manages expectations of students and faculty, reduces training time and can even help save money on equipment. Here’s one challenge: How do you maintain those standards on different campuses, let alone different parts of the world?
For an upcoming article for SouthEast Education Network, I talked to the managers of technology departments within a couple of high profile universities that have a worldwide presence. They discuss how they navigate the obstacles of managing technology systems on remote campuses for long-term and connected consistency. Until that is released this fall, here are some...
Read more: 5 Tips For Managing Technology Teams on Multiple Campuses
This originally appeared in the Spring issue of SouthEast Education Network (SEEN) Magazine.
Ask management level professionals what is the most difficult part of their job and many will respond, “finding good help.” Arguably, the biggest complaint GenExers have about “workforce rookie” Millennials seems to be their lack of preparedness when entering the “real world” after school. There has been a lot of discussion about using collaborative learning in both K-12 and higher education classrooms to help close the skills-gap. At the forefront of these discussions has been the variety of instructional technologies designed to enhance collaborative classrooms and the modification of lecture-centered pedagogy. There are many technologies and resources available to teachers that support an active learning curriculum. While technology in itself is not collaborative, i.e. collaboration systems are only collaborative if students and instructors utilize them to that end, it can help facilitate and provide a conduit for collaborative, active and group learning.
Collaborative or active learning is a methodology that transforms that traditional lecture or teacher focused classroom into a student or learning centered room. Students work together to help each other understand content, solve problems or create projects and products with the instructor working as a...
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Healthcare is booming. Mostly because of the boomers. As the largest generational population in US history ages, the impact on all facets of healthcare and medicine is undeniable. History.com points out the by 2030 ONE IN FIVE Americans will be over the age of 65. Today boomers make up more than a quarter of the total US population. The baby boomer generation was the most educated generation in the US up until that point. They got married later, 50% of them got divorced, they made good money and they pushed the boundaries of traditional American households. Outside the house, they made strides in business, politics and medicine. According to Wikipedia (you can’t believe everything you read on the interweb) “baby boomers control over 80% of personal financial assets and more than half of all consumer spending. They buy 77% of all prescription drugs, 61% of over-the-counter drugs, and 80% of all leisure travel.”
You probably understand where this is heading. Boomers are aging…lots of them. They make up almost 30% of the US population. In addition to that, medical technology continues to evolve and directly impacts the average life-expectancy. Diseases and afflictions that would have killed someone 50 years ago...