Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1347119
24 I ICT TODAY AV SOLUTIONS FOR HYBRID LEARNING IN CLASSROOMS AND OVER THE INTERNET There are three keys to success when setting up AV in learning spaces known as the three Cs: Connectivity, Conferencing Interface, and Control (Figure 2). Connectivity Balanced twisted-pair cabling (especially Cat 6A), HDMI, USB, and wireless are the connectivity choices for getting AV content from sources (e.g., computers, video cameras, document cameras, Blu-Ray players, streaming players) to the eyes and ears of students in the classroom or out on the internet. Which one to choose is dependent on the distance that signals must travel, the video resolution required, the video compression codec employed, and the Wi-Fi bandwidth capacity needed to service the expected number of users. Connectivity also includes making sure that the instructor's voice can be clearly heard by every- one, even when the instructor is wearing a mask. This requires a wired or wireless microphone, not a laptop built-in microphone. Conferencing Interface Think of the conferencing interface as the devices and transmission services that allow instructors to interact with remote students. There are many ways to do it, but with the diversity of choices comes possible pitfalls. The first decision involves which source device to use to get AV content containing the instructor's image, voice, and lesson material to remote students. By far, the simplest FIGURE 2: The three Cs are keys to success in equipping learning spaces with intelligent AV in the new normal. source is a laptop with an internal camera and micro- phone. This worked as a quick fix when the pandemic first hit because it is inexpensive and allows the instructor to teach from home. However, it does not feel natural because the instructor is not free to move around. Those shortcomings are easily fixed by plugging in pro-quality video cameras and microphones to the USB ports of the laptop, thereby allowing the instructor to get up from in front of the laptop and walk around as if in a class- room setting. A variation on that approach is to connect the laptop to a desktop computer as the source of the lesson material and using the desktop to interface with the camera and microphone. To get the AV content onto the internet for remote students, any of these computer solutions can privately stream one-way to designated recipients or publicly stream to platforms like YouTube or Facebook. The computers can be equipped with software to allow two-way collaborative communication between instructors and students through services such as Zoom, Teams, Skype, and Webex. Beyond that, there are enterprise lecture capture and streaming solutions available to help manage and disseminate lessons to in-classroom and remote students. Some advice about public streaming: Intellectual property that is streamed to public platforms like YouTube and Facebook can be used by those platforms for free without permission of the owner. This is not the case for most collaboration platforms. Read the Terms of Service carefully and consult the client before recommending or choosing a public streaming solution. • Connectivity ▪ Cable Access ▪ Cat 6A, AV, Wireless, and USB • Conferencing Interface ▪ Zoom...Skype...your laptops or phones ▪ Phone interface ▪ VoIP • Control ▪ Simple ▪ Push button ▪ Motion sensor ▪ Touch panel with interface