In May, Bates College announced that we would be building a new science building over the next couple of years. Many of us on campus have been working on this project for over a year. As the building promises to be an amazing addition to the college, it also presented an interesting change as I […]
Any good MBA student from the last decade can tell you about design thinking. It seemed to be one of the buzzwords of the business world for several years. But more than just in engineering and product design, it has started to leak into all areas of business. It can help determine strategy, it can […]
Something that always fascinates me is how new technology creeps into our lives without even noticing. Several years ago, Google put out Google Cardboard. It was an impressive piece of technology, considering it was free to most people. Slowly, other virtual reality devices have come out, but in my opinion none have really hit the […]
Every winter into late spring, I anxiously await for the arrival of summer — and not just because I live in a cold, snow-filled environment for seven months out of the year. I am anxious for it because at that time of the year summer seems so appealing. The students (and most of the faculty) […]
Last month for rAVe Ed, I wrote an article about school safety. I was inspired by the Parkland students, who suffered a horrible tragedy and decided to do something to make sure others did not have to suffer a similar tragedy. I specifically avoided talking politics and law. I think there is a place for […]
Recently, Extron has become more public about its Global Scripter programming features. I believe that this new path that Extron is taking is going to be a major change for the AV industry. The biggest piece of news is that the Global Scripter uses Python as its base for programming. The potential that this opens […]
Earlier this year I had to attend a funeral. While it was obviously a sad event, it was also not unexpected and people were more interested in remembering the person’s life than mourning the death. The funeral took place at a funeral home I had never been to previously, Jones, Rich and Barnes in Portland, […]
In rAVe Ed, we read about technologies that help teachers reach their students in new and improved ways. On occasion, we have written about how technologies in schools can also improve the safety of schools. In light of the recent violence in Florida and regular violence in schools in this country, I think we, as […]
As the world moves further and further into a technology-enabled and -dependent world, serious questions arise about personal and institutional privacy. Recently, news headlines have revealed that a seemingly innocuous bit of data could have far reaching and deadly side effects. Over the past several years, the U.S. Army has issued fitness trackers to its […]
The beginning of the year is a time for people to look at previous predictions and score their success, along with making new predictions for the year ahead. I have spent some time over the past few weeks thinking about what is to come in the new year with technology. What really struck me, however, […]
Integrated Systems Europe will take place this year from Feb. 6-9, in Amsterdam. Many of us in the United States view this show as “Europe’s InfoComm.” While the show takes place in Europe, it’s a viable show for people throughout the world. If you sell to education in any way, or work in education, you […]
In my last column, I wrote about how virtual reality will offer amazing opportunities for integrators working in higher ed. A few days after I finished, I read an article that made me think about how augmented reality will change the basic functions of our industry. The article is titled “Why Every Organization Needs an […]
Every time we build a new building or renovate a new space, we need to address the age old questions of AV in classrooms. Why does the screen need to block the blackboard? Does there need to be a podium in the room? Does there need to be a rack in the room? Is there […]
In an October 28th, 2017 article in the New York Times, “Virtual Reality Gets Naughty,” Alyson Krueger writes about the pornography industry’s deep dive into virtual reality. Despite what you may feel about the ethical issues with the pornography industry, the article is a fascinating read. In particular, it is interesting because of how far […]
Like so many other people, I have read about the Harvey Weinstein scandal over the past several weeks with disgust. As the story grew and the #MeToo campaign went viral, I forced myself to listen to statements from women around the country and to read their messages. I say “forced” because it is not easy […]
Active learning has been on the rise in American college classrooms over the past several years. In general, active learning usually takes place in a classroom that is designed for more group work and discussion and less lecturing from the front of the room. There are dozens of varieties of active learning, and most furniture […]
Fifteen years ago when I took my first job in the AV world (as a tech manager at a college) I remember people asking me things like, “So does this mean you program VCRs?” or “You’re taking a job pushing TV carts around?” In those very early years, yes, we actually did push around some […]
For years, this publication, its founder and many others have been all but begging companies to get into the service business. The days of selling boxes and making margins that can support a business have been over for years. Every now and again you will hear of firms that have managed to make this switch […]
On July 25th, the Wall Street Journal published an article called “The Boss Wants You Back in the Office” (subscription required to view article). The article detailed how IBM, once a national leader in the work from home movement, is moving back to having people report to an office for work. In the July edition […]
Editor’s note: Scott Tiner is a technology manager at Bates College, which often uses Crestron products. This article is not a sponsored post and contains Scott’s personal opinions about Crestron Mercury after working with it at his institution. When companies launch new products, they always focus on major features of that product. Sometimes however, it […]
I started my career in the IT field. It was not until fifteen years ago, into my third job before I even realize there was an AV field. Since that time, I have been proud to call myself an AV guy. The biggest reason I consider being an AV Guy a compliment is that AV […]
For the first time in several years, I was able to attend InfoComm. Before attending the show however, I was fortunate enough to be a speaker at UBTech. UBTech is a trade show/conference about IT and AV in higher education. CCUMC, which I wrote about back in November of this year, worked with UBTech as […]
When SMART put out its first SMART Boards years ago, I found the concept intriguing. However, being in higher ed, the software that went along with the products always seemed a bit too elementary for the people I work with. Additionally, I could not see many uses where a small white board would be sufficient […]
For the past several years, one of the buzzwords in education has been the “active learning classroom.” In fact, the active classroom even made the list of EduCause’s Top 10 Emergent Technologies for 2017. While the concept is not new, the implementation is new. I remember hearing about similar concepts back when (way back when) […]
My first trip to InfoComm was six or seven years ago, one of the years it was held in Las Vegas. I left the show completely amazed at the magnitude. With the multiple halls, the number of training sessions and all the people, I truly realized the size of our industry for the first time. […]
“Yo, his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy.” With the CTS “exam season” approaching in June, chances are many people are feeling the words of Eminem’s song Lose Yourself. For good reason. Many of those preparing to take the CTS are putting a lot of time and money into the exam. If you chose […]
If you have read my columns over the past couple of years, you have likely noticed a pattern. In most of the columns I try to explore creative ways for integrators to continue to find value. Whether that is in the digital signage realm, by selling to higher ed, or just in the general AV […]
Thanks to an invitation from InfoComm to speak at its Smarter Campus session, I was able to attend ISE for the first time in 2017. The trip and the show were fantastic. I was excited to be a part of this session, and got to speak with some “AV” industry veterans who are well known […]
At the various auto shows that have already taken place this year, all the talk is about autonomous vehicles. Just a few short years ago the thought of autonomous vehicles was a dream. It would be years before such a thing existed. We had some cars that would park themselves with driver intervention, how could […]
I am back from ISE 2017 and had an amazing experience. I learned so much and will have plenty to write about, and will be following up on over the coming months. I had two experiences with customer services, and the differences were so vast, I want to write about them. I am a firm believer […]
Remember the days when all the AV and IT people at a campus needed to worry about were the computers the institution owned, or the installed computer at the podium? Those days are long gone as the IoT has become mainstream in our daily lives. BYOD is a fact of life in our day to […]
In October, the Bates College Museum of Art opened an exhibit titled, Phantom Punch: Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia in Lewiston. The title plays off the famous bout between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston in 1965 in our small town. The exhibit is culturally enlightening and eye candy to those of us who are A/V […]
