18 I ICT TODAY
THREE KEYS TO A BETTER AV USER
EXPERIENCE IN CLASSROOMS
When audiovisual (AV) systems first appeared in classrooms in the mid-20th century, teachers
and administrators could rely on members of the school's AV club to get the system up
and running, simply by setting up a film projector or plugging in a VCR.
Today, film strip machines and VCRs have been replaced by interactive short throw
projectors and streaming videos from smartphones and tablets. 21st century classroom
AV systems present a unique combination of challenges. They must accommodate a range
of technologies from older equipment to cutting-edge tech. They need to be useable by
a wide range of individuals, such as teachers who are familiar with their classroom's system,
substitutes and administrative staff who may never have used the system before, and students
of varying ages and technical abilities. Furthermore, they often must accommodate restrictive
school district technology budgets with total system affordability that must extend from the
initial installation through the entire life cycle of the system years down the road.
By Bill Lauby
