Summer Plan Startup
Steve Gibbs Jr
It is supposed to snow 8-12 inches here in our part of Virginia this week so it is crazy to be thinking about summer already, but it is definitely around the corner. January is a time for budgets and planning so that is what we will be doing here soon. Surviving 2020 should give us the confidence to be ready for anything that comes our way! Here are a few projects that will be in the works when the warmer months arrive:
Auditoriums and gym, etc.
These spaces have always been important on our campus, but in 2020 they were even more vital for allowing us to provide flexible events. Streaming is a must now so we want to make sure that each of our event spaces has the ability to do this easily and quickly. Cameras were added recently and we will continue to make sure each space is configured as close as possible to the others so anyone that is trained can use the different spaces. There are also some audio upgrades in our gym that we will be considering. Another question is how do we provide coverage for an event in a space like this that does not have dedicated projection equipment? Equipping ourselves to be able to offer streaming options from outside when necessary is a request we are handling as well. The product that we continue to work with is called the Mevo Start and it is handy to stream with because you don’t need a computer to make it happen!
Getting rid of VGA
I am sure other tech managers are ripping out VGA from classrooms and that is also the case on our campus. We have a few more spaces that need to be upgraded and at the same time, we are trying to make sure that we are not over-equipping these rooms. We want to make sure we provide what is needed in rooms that don’t get used as often, while also thinking strategically about what is needed in each space so the equipment can be used in the best way possible. Another struggle that we still have is with the rooms that have VGA and HDMI. We find that people are still using VGA when they have both options since that is what they have gotten used to. Ideally, we can remove that option to encourage people to use the digital signal as much as possible. Yes, this analog sunset is just taking too long especially when people bring an adapter to campus that still has VGA as an option.
Making Zoom better
Zoom is as well-known as Kleenex now which has created a tremendous opportunity for us to improve rooms beyond what we did last summer. Administration across the country has seen what is possible and how higher ed can leverage hybrid learning. It would be great if we could add two displays into as many of our spaces as possible so that we could dedicate one to content and one to Zoom’s gallery view. Streamlining the process of getting a Zoom to start will also be something that should be worked on. Being able to launch your Zoom meeting from the room’s touch panel would be very handy and allow teachers to have more confidence in the classroom. These are the types of things that we will have a chance to explore since Zoom is not going anywhere. This pandemic has proven what is possible and now it is our job to make it happen. At times it might be hard to feel like what we do matters in keeping students at our school. I would argue that this is our chance to make students feel more welcomed, especially those that are going to be joining from afar.
Training, training, training
Why is good training so hard? It seems like each year we try something new and it only works so well. Our approach has been to offer as many options as possible. One nice thing about being a small school is that we can do one-on-one training with faculty more than larger schools. This allows us to learn what frustrates people individually so we can help them teach better. Working with your administration is key as well. This allows you to tap into what their messaging is so that you both can work together to enable your faculty to teach effectively. A good goal would be to allow other faculty to share how they solved different issues. This goes far in helping other faculty get beyond the technical pieces and see what this looks like as part of their teaching. The dream this summer would be to keep building up the resources we have while also continuing to improve relationships that we have across campus. This is crucial to providing good training and support.
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Smaller schools might be hampered by budget and staffing but my hope would be that this summer we can build upon the gains that were made in 2020. Even if it is doing the small things like making sure that the rooms we have are as streamlined and as easy to use as possible or by improving the training resources we have. Let’s grab ahold of that excitement and push forward to allow our tech to serve as many as possible. We lead not by telling others what to use but by coming alongside each other to carry out the vision of the school together. Happy 2021!
Steve gibbs jr
author
Stephen Gibbs, Jr. is a Senior Educational Technology Engineer at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. He enjoys spending time with his three young kids and interests outside of AV include disc golf and soccer.