The audiovisual industry is enjoying a period of true dynamism, with innovative technologies emerging daily. Almo Pro AV, a trailblazer in value-added distribution, is leading the charge, bringing next-gen pro AV solutions to the world of education — from pre-kindergarten to higher education and trade schools.
The opportunities to enhance education are truly limitless. Tools like dynamic digital signage, immersive virtual reality headsets, interactive collaboration boards and assistive-listening systems (ALSes) are redefining how students learn, as well as where they can learn. These tools also help education institutions streamline operations, saving time and money even as they enhance student engagement and learning experiences.
Let’s consider some of these innovative technology categories in turn.
Virtual Reality: The Next Step in Experiential Learning
Virtual reality (VR) headsets are the future of learning, offering immersive, hands-on learning experiences that were once unattainable. By simulating real-world environments, VR allows students to engage in practical training in a controlled and safe environment.
Devices such as the ArborXR can create a virtual field trip for students, immersing each one in scientific concepts or historical moments to help them grasp complex topics and situations. Engineering students can work directly on projects with a VR headset, and surgical interns can practice intense surgical procedures using only their headset and tools. Meanwhile, aspiring anthropologists can visualize themselves walking through Ancient Rome or an ancient dig site.
According to Beth Dudley, director of sales, public sector, Almo Pro AV, “Virtual reality allows them to get the feel of a role in a real-world scenario and figure out the challenges that could occur during the incident.” This saves institutions time and money by allowing them to recreate real-life training scenarios in a controlled setting.
Digital Signage: A Smart Investment in Education
The days of manually updating bulletin boards, posting printed schedules and distributing paper menus have all but ended. Today, digital messaging broadly — and digital signage in particular — is revolutionizing how education institutions communicate, while also streamlining operations across campuses.
Both K-12 schools and universities are leveraging digital signage to enable seamless, real-time communication and updates between students, faculty, administrators and parents. Class cancellations, cafeteria menu changes or safety warnings can be broadcast directly to digital signs — not to mention to students’ devices, online boards and parent boards. Dudley emphasizes not only the immediacy of this messaging but also the ability to save education institutions valuable time and reduce the need for paper, ink, printing and manual labor.
In an age of anxiety about safety in schools, digital signage plays a significant role in managing security. Previously, schools would have to rely on delayed information conveyed via telephone. As our society knows all too well, in the worst-case scenario, every second counts. That’s why one-button digital messaging is transformative for schools, which can instantly alert parents, teachers and students of lockdowns, weather emergencies or other safety hazards.
Interactive Whiteboards Provide an Even Playing Field for Students
Another huge leap for education centers on using interactive whiteboards in the classroom. These boards empower students of all learning styles to interact in the classroom, both physically and virtually. “You have some people who are more hands-on,” Dudley observes. “And with an interactive board, students can hold things in their hands, making it easier for hands-on learners to expand their knowledge base in a way that works best for them.”
Smartboards allow for integration and collaboration using tablets. If someone has a learning disability, for example, it’s possible to install programs to help those students adapt and participate more fully. The benefits extend to those who speak English as a second language (ESL students), as well. Moreover, many of these systems incorporate AI tools to further assist with student learning and ongoing engagement.
“[These technologies allow] different learning types to engage more agilely in the classroom,” Dudley explains. “Updated interactive board technology benefits both book learners and hands-on learners. So, it bridges the gap between the two, allowing for more collaboration and fostering discussion, deepening the understanding of what they’re learning.”
The LG CreateBoard is an excellent example of an interactive whiteboard that allows teachers to use digital lessons, touchscreen writing and sketching, and large-scale screen sharing from a personal device. Indeed, as Dudley explains it, this technology allows teachers to create an ecosystem in which students and teachers alike are empowered.
Dudley also broaches the subject of videoconferencing as a method for collaboration and communication in education settings. “Collaboration comes when you can bring in more personalities,” she says. Dudley continues, “Live conferencing allows students from all over the globe to attend lectures, allowing universities to expand their audience.” This can mean not only a more diversified learning environment but also, in dollars-and-cents terms, more opportunities for universities to bring in students.
Assistive-Listening Systems Empowers Students to Succeed
Every student is unique, with each one bringing diverse opinions, techniques and personalities to the classroom. Likewise, each one also must confront their own challenges. One critical challenge that is often overlooked but can create significant education disruption is hearing loss. According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, “By school age, close to 15% of children in the U.S. exhibit some hearing loss.” This means close to one-sixth of the classroom may be experiencing hearing challenges.
ALSes can be game-changing for education effectiveness and classroom cohesion. “If students are not hearing everything in a lecture or missing something playing on television, that’s a key system failure that can be addressed with [an ALS],” Dudley states. The technology is simple, requiring only an audio source, a transmitter and a receiver. Companies like Listen Technologies offer transmitters, antennas, receivers, headsets, neck loops and its own branded ListenWIFI technology.
ALSes are essential for students because they help level the playing field for everyone, and they don’t require students with reduced hearing capacity to learn separately. This is critical to ensure an integrated, inclusive learning environment.
Accordingly, Almo Pro AV is taking ADA compliance to the next level. The value-added distributor is committed to offering ALSes that create cohesive classroom experiences and that don’t leave students behind. This fosters better learning and creates a more integrated student population with stronger connections to their teachers and to each other. It also allows students to build lasting relationships without having to overcome a hearing barrier.
As Dudley emphasizes, “These systems can pair with people’s existing hearing aids. So, they don’t have to wear an additional headset over their hearing aids.” Thus, she says, the benefit is twofold. “It adds to engagement and collaboration, and [it] brings everybody together,” Dudley declares. Moreover, modern ALSes are discreet for inconspicuous daily use, and they eliminate the outside noises that a traditional headset would capture.
Almo Pro AV: Helping to Transform Education
Audiovisual advancements are transforming education, and Almo Pro AV is leading the charge. Virtual reality changes how students learn by offering them hands-on experiences that would otherwise be impossible to achieve — experiences like field trips to Ancient Rome, complex surgical procedures or getting hands on with car repairs. Digital signage solutions and interactive whiteboards create education ecosystems to improve efficiency, buttress school safety and facilitate a complete classroom experience for all students, including those with learning disabilities. ALSes, meanwhile, further democratize the classroom and ensure no one is left behind.
By offering technologies like these, value-added distribution leader Almo Pro AV encourages educators and institutions to give the next generation the most valuable gift of all: a high-quality education.
