Looking for an all-in-one solution that combines the high-quality and functionality of a DVD and projector into one system? Look no further than Epson’s PowerLite Presenter! This innovative resource is fully equipped with a three-LCD imaging engine, 200 watt bulb and two built-in 10 W speakers and virtual surround sound. Take advantage, as the Presenter is available at a budget-friendly price through Epson’s Brighter Futures buying program.

Although bigger than the typical classroom projector, the Presenter also offers more options for versatility in educational applications. This includes larger-than-life images at a native WXGA resolution (16:10), perfectly suited for widescreen computers. At 2500 lumens of color and white light output and an auto color mode that instantly adjusts to any environment, the Presenter is bright enough to accommodate any setting!

Click here to view Epson’s PowerLite Presenter specs »

“It’s really cool,” says one shy youngster, a pre-schooler at the exclusive Baldwin Academy in Pacific Beach. “It’s a lot of fun,” adds another, breaking into a smile. When Baldwin became selected as the only pilot school for the SMART Table in Southern California, these precocious learners immediately demonstrated the rewards. AVI-SPL’s Education Market Manager, Maggie McGill, was instrumental in helping to make a difference.

“The best benefit of the SMART Table is its ability to promote collaborative learning, with room for up to eight students to interact,” says McGill. With a format similar to that of an iPhone, the SMART Table is the first multitouch, multiuser interactive learning center that allows groups of primary school students to work simultaneously on its surface. From math to social studies to art, the SMART Table allows the youngest of learners to take a fun, hands-on approach to their activities. Best of all, it helps teachers create new and unique collaborative learning activities with minimal preparation time.

“For me to be able to work with their pre-K teacher and get her true feedback has been phenomenal,” adds McGill. “Both she and the kids absolutely love it.”

The SMART Table has currently been on loan to Baldwin since August; they hope to purchase the technology in the near future.

Click here to view the news story on Baldwin Academy »

To view the SMART Table specs, click here »

In only their second year in operation, Nantucket Elementary School has quickly grown a reputation for being one of the most technologically-savvy in the area. AVI-SPL’s Education Market Manager, Erin Minich, has nurtured the relationship, working with them to integrate SMART interactive whiteboards in every classroom and launch their status as a SMART showcase school.

So when she informed Nantucket of the exciting technology behind SMART bracelets, school administrators were eager to introduce this new resource to their students. Equipped with a 2GB hard drive within their bands, the bracelets have easily become one of the most popular items within the SMART Notebook Student Edition (SE) package. At 50 bracelets for only $50 each, Nantucket Principal Diana Strohecker sees it as an invaluable investment for her fifth graders.

As a true plug-n-play innovation, students using the bracelets have the ability to create assignments in school and take it home to work on, or even at the library. Once plugged into any USB port – regardless of platform – students can use the bracelets’ pre-packaged software to create presentations that featured embedded videos, links, images and more.

“As I tell our educators, the SMART bracelet is almost like a ‘digital binder’ that they can take with them anywhere they go, easily putting control in the hands of the students,” says Minich. “There’s so much technology available in the schools, but students can be at a disadvantage if they don’t have that same level of technology at home,” she adds. “These bracelets are a wonderful tool, greatly helping to bridge the home-school divide when it comes to educational technology.”

Click here to read more about this story»

Click here for an overview of AVI-SPL’s line of SMART products»

Samsung has recently introduced the SDP-860; their economical, high performance document camera. The SDP-860 features high quality video output, Samsung’s proprietary ISP chipset, and 2D/3D noise reduction technology. Highlights also include crystal-clear, noise-free graphics, even in dim lighting. Equipped with 32GB of high-resolution storage, the SDP-860 brilliantly focuses on still images and smooth video streaming with sound at up to 640 x 512 at 30 frames per second!

For an enhanced user experience, the SDP-860 is designed with multiple joints. Its black frame and blue LED add a touch of classic to the hardware. The Page Detection menu provides motion detection capabilities, automatically saving book pages in SD memory cards when they are viewed through the document camera.

Bringing a 48X combined zoom with the 6X optical and 8X digital zooms, its optical lens with auto-focus calibration can form images of documents on one screen. It also supports DVI output and a wide screen (16:9) display, enabling the connection to PDP and LCD devices for clearer, livelier viewing.

With the SDP-860, your school will have a high quality document camera at an affordable cost!

As one of the latest products in their innovative line of educational tools, SMART Technologies recently released SMART Response CE, an interactive response software that allows flexible, automated assessment in 1:1, computer-enabled classrooms. Instead of handheld remotes, students can use their computers and SMART Notebook SE (Student Edition) software to answer questions. Teachers can easily add various types of assessments to lesson content designed for individual, small-group or whole-class environments.

SMART Response CE is an integral part of the SMART solution and includes SMART Notebook and SMART Notebook SE (Student Edition) software. SMART Response CE can be used alone or as part of SMART Classroom Suite interactive learning software. With support for short answer, numeric response, yes or no, true or false, multiple answer and multiple choice questions, teachers can design assessments that suit the needs of their students and the material being taught. To deliver an assessment, the teacher presses a button within SMART Notebook. The question with all accompanying digital content is then delivered to student computers where students can respond. Once tallied, the results can be tabulated in a variety of ways for versatile reporting options and trend analysis. Click here for product brochure »

Click here to view featured SMART Technologies products »

Create, explore, evaluate and solve with SMART Notebook Math Tools. As an add-on to the award-winning SMART Notebook software, this exciting program combines all the tools needed to teach math in a single application. Gone are the days of switching between multiple software applications for tools to make math engaging and understandable. The software’s customizable toolbar is built into SMART Notebook software, so it’s quick and easy for you to access and incorporate dynamic resources into your lessons.

With this software, teachers have an easy way to demonstrate math concepts visually, and make their lessons more interactive and easier to comprehend. SMART Notebook Math Tools provides teachers all the tools they need to progress through an entire math concept – from lesson preparation to graphing and solving complex equations.

The large selection of dynamic and intuitive tools includes an advanced equation editor, Texas Instruments™ emulator launcher, custom graph builder, shape divider, advanced measurement tools, and table and graphing tools. Teachers can easily demonstrate changes and relationships in math concepts using these flexible resources. The software also offers handwriting recognition for mathematical equations. Teachers and students can simplify, solve and graph handwritten equations, making SMART Notebook Math Tools ideal for use on a SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard.

SMART Math is now available for order. Call your AVI-SPL sales representative for more details (800) 282-6733 or email us at .

Sophisticated AV technology for classrooms, especially in higher education, is becoming a standard. With so much AV equipment being marketed to schools, it is easy to get confused by the options. ArchiTech recently published a terrific summary of the newest trends and tools for AV in the classroom.

Click here to read the full article on the ArchiTech site. 

For more information about the educational tools available from AVI-SPL, click here.

In looking back, the news of an impending Cisco-TANDBERG acquisition broke on October 1, immediately shaking up the landscape of the video communications industry. After a little more than two months of negotiations, 91% of TANDBERG shareholders have now accepted Cisco’s offer, exceeding the 90% condition outlined for the deal to go through.

When the initial proposition was made, only 30% of shareholders were in favor of the $3B offer, with percentages jumping to 40% when the figures increased to approximately $3.4B in late November.

As the second largest producer of video conferencing equipment, TANDBERG has reported an increase in momentum since October, introducing new endpoints and infrastructure products. With the acquisition, Cisco will now have the leverage to successfully sell lower-cost products to a wide range of markets.

Among the industry feedback:

• “Tandberg has very strong sales partners in videoconferencing that Cisco will benefit from.” – Wainhouse Research
• “The merger of the two companies will likely create an unstoppable force…This acquisition validates that video communications is well on its way to becoming a key enterprise communications application all the way from desktop to telepresence.”  - Frost & Sullivan
• This development continues to validate that video communications is quickly becoming a critical application for companies, and is a key component of any enterprise’s Unified Communications strategy.  – Michael Brandofino, Executive Vice President of Video Communications and Unified Collaboration, AVI-SPL

What are your thoughts on the acquisition?

View AVI-SPL’s videoconferencing and audio conferencing solutions »

InFocus announced two new additions to its projector line specifically for the education market. The projectors (IN5534 and IN5504) both have a new split-screen option, which will virtually eliminate the need for multiple projectors in classrooms. Both projectors, specified at WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution, are network/wireless ready and feature analog and HD video connectivity. The two models are easy to camouflage in nearly any environment thanks to InFocus’ custom case parts available in multiple colors, including white, black, walnut, and ready to paint.

For more information about AVI-SPL’s line of InFocus projectors, click here »