Page 7 - ATEN Classroom Solutions Guide

Trends in

Classrooms

Convergence Drives Pro A/V Adoption

The increasing integration of AV and IT technology is driving advancements in classroom technology as well as
accelerating its adoption. The use of AV is evolving rapidly in the higher-education space, but experiences vary
widely, based on everything from budgets to the types of schools that IT managers work in. Despite some initial
concerns about AV/IT integration in the market in terms of both cost and compatibility, the transition has shown
to be positive, largely due to the increasing availability of more advanced Pro A/V solutions like those offered by
ATEN.

In particular, video walls and intelligent digital displays are becoming an integral part of modern campuses, and
solutions that incorporate these technologies – along with installation and design flexibility – are paving for the
way for a parallel increase in adoption inside the classrooms themselves. This change is clearly reflected in the More Tech, More Devices, More Learning
fact that educational institutions are allocating substantially larger budgets for AV systems. Another factor to cite
is the ongoing simplification of the technology as classrooms move from legacy “one channel, one wire” AV The number of devices seen in the classroom has been increasing steadily over the past few years. According to a
solutions to a fully networked environment, which has in turned increased the reliability of systems by decreasing Futuresource Consulting report, sales of laptops, tablets, and mobile devices for the education sector grew 18
the number of potential failure points. And more advanced classroom connectivity solutions such as those percent year on year from 2015 to 2016, and that growth is expected to continue. The trend is also helped by
offered by ATEN have not only made the integration of multiple video sources much easier for SIs, but increased dropping prices for consumer electronics, making it much less costly for educators to incorporate devices such as
ease of use for teachers utilizing the system as well as made it simpler for students to share and collaborate.
integrated webcams, DVD / Blu-ray players, and HDMI inputs into the classroom. At the same time, educational
institutions from the secondary to university level are becoming more open to letting students bring mobile
devices with them into the classroom (BYOD).

These technologies afford teachers a wide range of platforms to share lesson content to students beyond traditional
analog sources such as whiteboards. For example, interactive displays are being seen in more classrooms. These
allow both students and teachers shared access to the learning space, and this interactivity encourages
participation and discussion.

With the proper AV system in place, teachers now can use presentations, videos, or even content from
student-brought devices to support the lesson topic. At the same time, technology also presents more ways for
students to engage with learning materials in a personal manner, thereby making learning a more enjoyable experience.

Lecture Gives Way to Active Learning

The need for collaboration is a trend across all AV and control system sectors, and this is especially true in the
realm of educational technology. Educators are have always needed to foster teamwork in the learning environ-
ment as a basic educational tool, but advances in classroom technologies have widened the scope of what is available
to innovate and create environments that incorporate collaboration spaces inside of schools and classrooms.

In the traditional classroom setting, the teacher is the primary source of learning content, with students just
receiving the information. New approaches to teaching such as blended learning or “flipped classroom” are
changing this approach by having teachers record lectures for students to view before class so that class time can
be dedicated to activities or projects. Meanwhile, using collaborative technology in the physical classroom itself
allows teachers to share content with students in small groups or individually, and vice versa – students can
“share back” text, polls, and even images from PCs or devices in the classroom.

This kind of active participation adds interest, maintains student focus and attention, and encourages more
dialogue between students and teachers, creating a much more active, two-way learning environment. These
approaches not only force students to think about the lesson materials, but motivate them by creating a closer
connection with the content, which in turn inspires them to explore and share new ideas.
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