The Shiny Problem Solver
Steve Gibbs Jr.
Technology is just part of life. Now more than ever. I don’t think you will get many people arguing with you about that these days but what is the tech that will emerge in the next few years to help solve another problem? I want to look at this question from the perspective of the people I serve: faculty and students on a small campus. I am looking for solutions that help them and that make their lives easier, which in turn, makes our job as people that support this tech easier. Shiny is cool and exciting but I am interested more in solutions that solve an issue I need to address or one that gives my audience a better way to learn.
We have worked hard to be able to have the ability to teach hybrid from most spaces on campus. The focus has been on the classroom, but I think a big step this year will be the conference room. People will start coming back to the campus in some form and they will have meetings again in your traditional conference room. How can we improve the experience in these spaces? Ideas like what Zoom is planning so people in a physical room show up as part of their gallery as if everyone was calling in from their computer is a start. This will make the person on the far end feel like they are fully seeing what is happening in the room instead of just being a fly on the wall. Tech like Crowd Mics by Biamp also has a future. Leveraging devices that are being brought to campus and something that the owner knows how to use is a win-win since you can use what people already have but it is also personalized and germ-free.
What a student has at their disposal to help them study is also an area where new tech can help. Software that records and archives class allows students to be able to search this content and review it as each individual prefers. What is available currently on the market is a great start but improving the mobile and accessibility options would be great steps in the right direction. One of the solutions I am looking for is any product that can help the student gain access to the notes on the whiteboard or make the lecture easier to review and remember. Software like Class is an example that will allow virtual learning to be more like in-person learning. These types of offerings will be a chance to allow instructors some of the things they expect to be able to do but don’t already exist in Zoom. These options are all in an effort to make teaching online as seamless as possible. Products like this that provide tools to help teach or stay organized will be in high demand so that students have a better virtual experience and so faculty can give students greater access to resources for their class.
Another area that I believe will continue to grow is any device that allows for a room to be more fully automated. This might be via voice or motion-activated tech that allows better control of starting and resetting rooms so that the user has the same experience each time.
We also need better ways to know when something is wrong. Another area that I believe will continue to grow is any device that allows for a room to be more fully automated. This might be via voice or motion-activated tech that allows better control of starting and resetting rooms so that the user has the same experience each time. We also need better ways to know when something is wrong. The ability to power cycle a non-working device from afar or to be able to troubleshoot the room when you are working from home will be important and valuable. This is the kind of tech that many will be looking for.
Reporting is also key. If we know what is happening in the room and how it is getting used, then we can formulate a justification for new tech or know what problems are occurring so that we can provide support or fixes. This knowledge was already valuable but now that we have added cameras and mics everywhere there is more to report on so that we can make informed and wise decisions based on what is actually happening instead of just anecdotally. We currently have a few ways (Extron GVE is a product that we use) to do this but I hope that these solutions continue to gain traction and become more mature so that we can use this data as another resource in our arsenal.
Small schools might not always be able to demo and test out the latest shiny announcement, but I think this where a group like HETMA comes into play. This organization has large and small member schools as well as public and private. We network together and learn about products that are suggested for use. This then helps level the playing field to some degree plus we have a whole host of colleagues across the country ready to help when we have questions. Hearing what emerging tech has worked, or more importantly not worked, for other schools is huge and crucial as you make informed decisions for your campus.
We need to continue to find those products that improve student learning and engagement. This starts by listening and hearing where the struggles are happening. Let us be the bridge that allows us to meet our users in the middle instead of just giving them fancy tech that might just get in the way. We need to be aware of what is on the market, but not every option will make sense so take it slowly and know that you are not alone. Good luck as you find the next “shiny problem solver” and when you do, please share it with others
Steve gibbs jr
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.