As the decision makers in your organizations, you have nuanced knowledge of technology's pros and cons. You know it because you live with it, operate it, repair it (or pray for its demise). You are there when the auditorium mic doesn't work during graduation. You train new staffers on your network video. You may or may not be choosing which projector to install in the NYC boardroom, but you are probably signing the check. You migrate servers when offices relocate. You back up terabytes of critical data.
Or, perhaps you operate AV every day, but only want to know that when you press On the gear will turn on. I hear that.
In many ways, AV Technology readers possess a more profound understanding of commercial systems than installers themselves. Sure, installers spec and integrate the gear, calibrate and check quality control. Then they move on their next job. You live with your AV systems Monday through Friday. System dependability, network impact, ease of use, and ROI are critical to your daily success (or daily migraine).
That said, some of our readers are not only managing technology and the purchasing process, you are also starting to integrate AV into your hospitals, schools, stadiums, and museums. The proliferation of IP-enabled systems, such as Jupiter's PixelNet, helps bridge the IT/AV gap.
Our mission at AV Technology is to create a forum where tech managers and end users can candidly discuss trends, products, pros, and cons, and share best practices.
- Critical to our mission is our brand new look, a bold redesign by our art director, Todd Berkowitz.
Our new look showcases the interactive elements--the electronic bedrock, if you will--of our growing community. Besides the expected avenues of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, we post regular polls, blogs, news, and features online.
Our daring new look aside, we're confident that you will find value in the myriad features and case studies in our July/August edition.
Reality Check (Page 20) is an industry first-an in-depth examination of the cost, care, and ROI of immersive 3D systems. We asked the tech managers at UC Davis and KAUST in Saudi Arabia if these complex systems are worth the hassle.
In Display Advances (Page 51), industry guru Alan C. Brawn gets into the nitty gritty of display developments. He hedges his bets on which advancements will catch traction this year, including Laser Phosphor Displays and Pixel Qi.
Because we believe in contextualizing the news, not just regurgitating it, we offer Net Neutrality: New Analysis (Page 12). Read what your peers think about the FCC decision.
In our Tech Manager's Guide to Learning Space Solutions (Page 27), we report on education technology trends and their implications for tech managers, teachers, and students. Technology is not nor should be the education panacea, and in some cases, it's a distraction. (Does a nine year old need an interactive whiteboard when a piece of chalk might inspire a more focused attempt at math?)
When applied correctly, however, AV tech can provide a personalized learning experience. Individual student interests are cultivated. Classroom tech also promotes 21st century skills such as global awareness and a constructivist pedagogy rich with interactive problem solving.
Perhaps what is most compelling about education technology is that it mirrors the workforce that students will enter upon graduation. Campus technology offers a sneak peak of the working world—a de facto internship of sorts. And behind the computer labs, theaters, lecture halls, and 3D suites are the tech managers delivering on the full promise of technology.
Let me know what you think of the redesign and our July/August stories by emailing mdouaihy@nbmedia.com.
Margot Douaihy is managing editor of AV Technology Magazine.
