Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Hardware Review
Educause Floor Shopper: CT Exclusive: Our Product Picks
9/30/2006
Truly Thoughtful High-Use Room Projection
The problems with high-use room projection are many, and include the expected: the need for clearer, crisper images and richer detail, and an ability to project vibrant images in both dark and well-lit lecture halls and meeting facilities. But think about this: The larger your facility, the greater the number of presentation attendees—and the greater the chances that some of those attendees may have special needs that the presentation completely ignores. In fact, hearingimpaired and color-blind students routinely complain that they are “shut out” of many classroom and campus presentations because they can’t adequately see or hear the information. But for many schools, it has been just too costly to purchase special external components to address accessibility issues. Good news: Epson has just rolled out the PowerLite 6100i, which takes advantage of Epson’s 3LCD technology and projects up to 3,500 ANSI lumens of brightness in XGA (1024 x 768) native resolution, for sharp detail and rich color transmittal. What’s more, the projector features embedded technology that is entirely compatible with closed-caption tuners. Added pluses: a special filtration capability protects the projector’s components from air particles such as dust or chalk; out-of-the-box technology allows for remote monitoring and control of the projector via LAN or internet; a 5-watt speaker provides true room-filling sound; theft prevention is enhanced at least three ways; and more. Booth 335.
Fine-tuning the Web User Experience
Admissions offices are pumping
up their recruitment efforts on
the web, reaching out to
potential students via the university
portal. But too often, website performance
falls short, losing users due to slow
page loading time, links to other sites, confusing
site structure, or a lack of personal touch. At
the TechSmith booth, attendees will find a new
web-based service, UserVue, that provides the
tools to fine-tune that all-important user experience.
UserVue allows researchers, software
developers, usability professionals, and others
to remotely connect to, interact with, observe,
and record users as they navigate an application or website in their natural environment. Up to 10 observers
can view a live session (without disturbing the participant),
collaborate over chat, take notes, and set markers to pinpoint
critical points of interaction. The result: an accurate view of
the user’s actual experience and a chance to identify design
problems and make critical improvements. It could mean the
difference between a potential student and an incoming freshman! Booth 109/212.
Open Source Without a Roomful of Programmers
If you’ve just attended sessions on the Sakai Collaborative Learning Environment or Kuali Financials and want to get involved but don’t think you have enough technical expertise on your campus, you’re certainly not alone. Open source proponents often hear, “But how on earth will we support it without an army of programmers?” Whether you have reservations about open source or are a full-fledged supporter, there’s no question that open source is a hot topic in higher ed technology. So before you leave the conference, check out rSmart’s booth. The company offers versions of both rSmart Sakai CLE (pictured) and rSmart Kuali Financials as boxed products, and can help you tailor them to your campus. With rSmart Sakai CLE, you can run a collaborative learning environment and choose from more than 30 tools to help you facilitate course, project, or portfolio work. rSmart Kuali Financials is available immediately (as of October 2006) for implementation at institutions with modest financial systems needs. And if your campus needs support, just ask the rSmart team. Booth 535/537.
Recommended Reading
- 2008 Campus Technology Innovators: Enhanced Learning/ Assessment
- 2008 Campus Technology Innovators: High-Performance Computing
- 2008 Campus Technology Innovators: Interactive, Remote Learning
- 2008 Campus Technology Innovators: Mobile Learning
- 2008 Campus Technology Innovators: Network Security
- 2008 Campus Technology Innovators: Social Networking for Admissions
