The future of AV in education: simple, networked, automated solutions: the classrooms of the not-too-distant future are looking like an AV project.

In the beginning there was AV.

Then came IT.

Now, it's being called AV/IT. But shouldn't it really be called IT/AV?

According to 59-year AV-industry veteran Fred Dixon, almost every school across the country--the world in fact--has had an AV department since the slide projector made its debut in the chemistry department in the 1950s. Sure, the film projector showed up in schools and campuses long before the slide projector, but it wasn't considered as portable so management of it was based on possession--whoever possessed one, managed it. Back in 1955, the AV department managed where the slide projectors and next-generation portable film projectors were, what media was placed in them and, in some cases, any special audio needs for the classrooms. And many AV departments weren't yet called AV.

Now, AV encompasses projectors (the video and data kind), VCRs, DVD players, digital recorders, audio PA systems and a whole host of other AV-designated equipment that even stretches into buzzwords like multimedia, real-time media, videoconferencing and even some legacy film and slide projectors. And more recently, a merger of AV and IT departments has forced a convergence in technologies that will soon produce an explosion of technological innovation that will create a plethora of network-enabled AV products.

TAPPING INTO THE NETWORK

The new world of AV started fairly recently in 2001 with the networkable projector from Sony that included an Ethernet port in the FX-50. At the time, virtually no one realized the impact this tiny innovation would have on the future of the ProAV market, but it's staggering.

Since then, virtually every projector manufacturer has emulated that move and produced a network-enabled digital projector. Adoption in 2003 was around 13 percent. And now we've got networkable plasmas, LCDs, switchers, videoconferencing systems and even networkable speakerphones.

But 2004 will be remembered as the year AV in education changed forever--the year that brought networkable systems. Now every AV system you install can be completely networked with either an in-house existing network or via an independent AV network, and it will not only change the way you design, install and use AV systems; it will completely simplify the AV-enabled classroom, thereby eliminating the need for training and potentially automating the entire operation.

[In case you're a professor or an educator, please skip this paragraph and jump to the next one] Now, statistically, we know that if an educator is having a problem with a system, there's a greater than 90 percent chance that it's actually, the educator--poor training, a technological gap or just someone who just can't figure out how to change the blinking 12:00 on the VCR. We call that cockpit error.

But let's take a look how schools tackle AV problems and how they're likely to.

At colleges, for example, if an instructor heads over to a hall or classroom 10 minutes before class starts with a laptop to deliver a lecture, he or she better hope all systems are go. If there's a problem getting the laptop on the screen, getting the DVD player to PLAY or figuring out how to get the document camera to work, there's usually a way to connect to the AV/IT department (often via the nearby magic phone--some are even red). Just pick up the phone in class to tlak to an AV tech.

The technician will spend a few minutes checking the obvious potential problems. However, if this doesn't solve the problem, the AV tech heads into the classroom to solve the problem. Usually it's cockpit error, and because of this, it means that greater than 90 percent of the time the problem is solved within a matter of minutes after AV tech arrives.

NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE

Same problem, but now instead of the AV tech heading across campus or building to enter the classroom, the tech actually types in the room's IP address and, voila, they're in the room without having to actually be in the room. Now, via network-enabled AV gear, every single thing an AV technician can do standing in that classroom can be done online through a connection across the network to the classroom--and before the IT guys object, we're using less than one percent of the bandwidth of that network connection.

Now take it a step forward and automate it all.

What if every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 A.M. the same class is held in the same room? Why not totally automate the process? I would still install the cameras and motion sensors, but in most cases they would be used so that the AV department can monitor what's going on in class and while set-up is happening, but using fuzzy logic, the system learns the "usual" commands of the instructor and normal daily set-up of that room and adjusts itself.

IT DOESN'T STOP THERE. HERE, A GLIMPSE DOWN THE ROAD

* Theft prevention No more equipment loss or theft since every AV product is networked, and if any cable connector--even power--is disconnected when it's not supposed to be or if a room is turned on or off when it's not supposed to be, an alarm is triggered across the network and even turns off the lights in the room so the would-be thief can't get out easily! An abnormal situation, for example, would be disconnecting the power cable from the projector. In that situation, your system sets off an audible alarm in the room, then shuts down the lights, then calls (yes, calls) the police and tells them what's being stolen.

* Wireless Presentations Keep in mind that everything AV can be done wirelessly--even presentations. You'll be able to present via a computer across campus or buildings wireless, a PDA wireless and even a phone wireless. Battery dead? No problem, just pull out your memory stick, plug it into the Memory Presenter and you can present directly from your memory stick.

* Connected Classrooms Imagine being able to present in two locations at once--without videoconferencing! In the future, you'll be able to log on to your network from the classroom and select the output location (room) with the touch of a button. Teaching to multiple rooms/departments simultaneously will be seamless and as easy as turning on a projector.

* Life-size Collaborative Learning without Borders So teaching to multiple rooms isn't good enough? Well, imagine being able to totally simulate the off-site room. We're building it at the University of North Carolina's Journalism School where they'll be able to teach to off-site rooms in different cities in real, life-size professor proportions. How? We start by converting a standard, run-of-the-mill classroom to a connected classroom by capturing the entire front of the room via high resolution digital camera. It's one large, floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall image that is then transmitted to the off-campus location and projected in life-size proportions. So when the far site (off-site) location students view the professor standing at the front of the room, they see the same thing that students sitting in the class on campus do. Next, we take the back of the room and do the same life-size projection. This way, when the professor looks out at his students, he sees the far site students sitting in a riser above the near-site students. Cool, huh?

An Association for You!

You've heard about EduComm, the new AV communications conference for the education market to be held at InfoComm June 9-11. Consider the benefits of membership with the association that cosponsors EduComm with [District Administration/University Business]. Through the International Communications Industries Association, Inc.[R] (ICIA[R]), take online and intensive onsite courses before or after InfoComm to enhance your expertise. With the Essentials of the AV Industry Online course, prepare yourself and your staff to test for ICIA certification. While there is a charge for certification testing, ICIA membership will more than pay for the Essentials online course! In addition, with ICIA membership, you'll receive

* Free passes to the InfoComm show floor

* Educational credits

* Opportunities to network with other technology managers

Find out more about membership benefits--call ICIA training counselors at 800.659.7469 or visit www.infocomm.org.

(Hear Gary Kayye address these and other topics in his Keynote Address at the EduComm portion of the InfoComm Show in Atlanta at 9:00am on June 9th.)