Xyte, maker of cloud-based support tools for AV, recently published its midyear 2025 AV Cloud Data Report. I encourage you to read it — it offers some interesting insight into how the AV industry views the cloud. Before I go further, I should put my cards on the table. I’m a strong supporter of cloud-based […]

The Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HETMA) recently announced its newest initiative: Road to 10K. Many in higher ed — about 3,000, according to HETMA — are already aware of and part of the organization. HETMA is open only to higher education technology managers. It’s not a list for salespeople to pitch their wares. It’s […]

In late May, I did something to my neck and shoulder that caused significant pain. After a few visits to the doctor, they ordered an MRI. MRIs are a fascinating tool in modern medicine that continues to amaze me. However, four weeks later, I’m still in pain and have no answer as to what the […]

One of the most interesting products I saw at InfoComm this year wasn’t a piece of hardware — it was software. And in my opinion, that’s a trend that continues to grow as technology advances: The software is becoming the star. Jetbuilt’s new product, Jetbot, is one of the more productive uses of AI I’ve […]

Now that InfoComm 2025 has wrapped, those of us in higher education have a lot to reflect on. Between economic pressures, rising equipment costs and continued challenges in delivering flexible learning environments, this year’s conference felt especially important — and in many ways, it delivered. The HETMA Higher Education Summit stood out as a highlight. […]

As InfoComm approaches, the AV industry is gearing up for a pivotal event — one that promises to address pressing economic challenges and help forecast the market for the year ahead. This year, Orlando takes center stage. It won’t just be about showcasing cutting-edge technologies; it will also serve as a forum for critical conversations […]

I read David Danto’s recent piece, “I’ll Have What She’s Having: AV and Building Management May Finally Click,” with great interest. David makes several good points, but when it comes to a multi-building college campus, I disagree with the idea that AV and building management systems must or inevitably will merge. Let me tell you […]

Five years ago this March, the COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down. We learned a lot during that time — and in the months and years ahead, we’ll need to put those lessons to use. Whether or not you agree with the directives of the new U.S. administration, it’s clear that the White House […]

As I virtually watched colleagues and friends jet off to Barcelona last month, I thought about the  interconnected aspects of our world. We can hop on a plane in the U.S. and — within hours — be anywhere in the world. I have never been to Barcelona. In fact, have only been to one other […]

I have long felt that hybrid meetings are the worst. Trying to navigate the waters of meeting with several people in person, some remote, some wanting to display from their own laptop, etc., all becomes very complicated very quickly. Typically, when I set up a meeting, if more than one person needs to join remotely, […]

Often at the start of a new year, I give thought to what the next year will bring. How will technology affect our work? What incredible new things will pop up in the consumer world that will soon be something we have to deal with in an enterprise environment? This year, 2025, brings a different […]

In May 2024, a news scandal hit higher ed. University of North Carolina administrators had secretly recorded a professor. Admins used the classroom recording system in order to do this. There are a number of stories in the press about this, including this one in “Inside Higher Ed” and this follow up from the same publication. There is much […]

I was absolutely thrilled to see that Steph Beckett from rAVe and several other well-known AV companies were represented at Microsoft Ignite 2024. I don’t think this type of AV representation would have existed even five years ago at a conference such as Ignite. After all, back then, Microsoft was an IT company, and we […]

At this year’s Ignite, Microsoft introduced the Windows 365 Link, which I believe has potential to change classrooms and presentation spaces across campuses. It offers a potential step forward in efficiency and cost-effectiveness, offering colleges a streamlined approach to supporting computing in the classroom. Instead of equipping each space with a full-fledged computer, institutions can […]

The July 2024 CrowdStrike incident that caused global computer disruptions reminded the world of how dependent we are on technology and, even more so, the people who manage that technology. While much has been written about testing processes before releasing updates, one key takeaway is the importance of change management in production environments. Although ITIL […]

If you attended, followed up on, and/or heard anything about Zoomtopia, you are aware that their big push is all about AI. No surprise here, as every company is currently doing an AI push. For me, this landed in my feed at the same time as the Harvard Meta AI study. All I could think […]

If you have not been paying attention to advances in the “foldable” screen space, now may be the time to start. Foldable smartphones have been around for a while but Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold seems to usher in the potential for new interest. I believe it may be a sign of the future where […]

Recently on AVNation’s EdTech Podcast, we had a discussion about standards for classrooms. After the discussion, I began to wonder more and more about standards, and how the concept and purpose has evolved over the years. Many of us developed standards to make financial arguments to add technology to our classrooms. This is going back […]

Within a few weeks, or perhaps a few days, our campuses will once again be flooded with students. For me, it is a welcome sight. Our campus, our town really, does not feel the same when the students are not around. Sure I like the breaks, but there is nothing that can match the energy […]

Mark Coxon recently wrote a blog with his reflection of InfoComm 2024. In it, he questions where the innovation in AV has gone. To him, InfoComm looked like a bunch of companies all trying to one up each other by adding minor features to products everyone is selling. Take a moment and read the blog […]

June was Pride Month, and many of our audiovisual companies and organizations showed support for the LGBTQ+ community during this month. Yet, since we are in such a polarized world, there is often a blowback to doing something as simple as flying a flag to show support for fellow human beings. I flew the rainbow […]

Technical Debt has been the topic of several of my blogs recently, and I was able to speak about it during LAVNCH WEEK 9, a weeklong virtual event put on by rAVe. A critical aspect of being able to manage technical debt, and keep your systems running well, is being able to tell a solid […]

We are on the eve of InfoComm, and one of my big questions is this: Will AI be a star of the show, ignored during the show or will it be an imposter? I have been, and continue to be, bullish on the power that AI can have on our industry. It is only limited […]

Last month, I wrote about the Apple Vision Pro and the particular market segment Apple was targeting with the product. The Vision Pro would most accurately be called an entertainment device at this point in its evolution. It is not a device that someone would wear all day — or out in public — for […]

A few months ago, I wrote a piece on technical debt and how understanding the concept and using the language may be helpful in communicating your needs to the decision-makers on your campus. In late March, I was able to join in a LAVNCH session to discuss technical debt in more detail. It was a […]

When I first heard of the Apple Vision Pro, I did not pay much attention. I have tried out a few different AR/VR headsets, and while they are very cool, I have never had a desire to purchase one for my own use. However, as I have done more reading and research, I am beginning […]

In higher ed, we see fads in technology and pedagogical methods on a regular basis. These may last for a few years and then adapt, or wear off completely. During the pandemic, we certainly saw our fair share of changes in order to accommodate for the craziness going on in the world. A few years […]

It does not take much time browsing the internet recently to find an instance of a cyber breach, data theft, invasion of privacy, or to read the expectations of an impending threat. Just Google what the FBI director told Congress recently about the threat that China poses to our critical infrastructure. I often find that […]

As a techy person, I have always been intrigued by the Consumer Electronics Show. It has always been a mix of amazing new technology and useless new technology. I am surprised, though, that the show does not get much coverage in our industry, particularly in the education sector. I think there are a couple of […]

In late 2022, ChatGPT was released and the expectations were sky high. The technology was amazing. You could ask it to write a paper on Shakespeare in the language of a pirate and ten seconds later it pops out. You could ask it to program a Crestron control system with an Epson projector, and again, […]

I am a native Mainer. I was born in Lewiston, attended school, got married, had children, work and live in the city. For me, there is no other place that I will ever be able to call home like Lewiston, Maine. Infamously, the country got to know the name of Lewiston on Oct. 25 as […]

In September, AMX announced a new line of controllers. The most interesting thing about these controllers is, per AMX’s press release, the ability to “simultaneously process a virtually unlimited number of scripts written in JavaScript, Python or Groovy and natively support Low-Code development with Node-RED.” I have written before on the problems with walled gardens, […]