Episode description

A year after the pandemic, education is still adjusting to change. Technology has been a significant support player in the shift, including AV solutions. Host JW Marshall sat down with Jason Meyer, Group Product Manager Projectors for Epson America, to chat about AV trends in education.

Meyer’s team focuses primarily on the K-12 market, supply school districts with modern AV equipment to facilitate better learning experiences. As the pandemic hit and learning went virtual, the company witnessed some interesting trends.

“At the beginning, we had a flood of requests for document cameras, which had been a stable business but wasn’t growing. Those document cameras became a key way to show on video a close-up of what the teacher was doing,” Meyer said.

Traditionally used by math and science teachers, the document cameras now had more universal uses. Epson created a video on how to use the document cameras with Zoom, and Meyer noted, “It really took off.”

That video was just one of many the company put together to train teachers to use their technology tools effectively. Working with a consultant partner, they tailor the training for educators.

Another product that helped with transitions was interactive projectors. Meyer said, “Many districts were already moving away from the front of the class lectures. We added software to the projectors that allowed them to move around and connect to student devices.”

He expects this trend to continue as students move back to the classroom. For schools that did reopen, Meyer also explained the need for larger projectors for bigger spaces. “Schools are repurposing larger areas—gyms, cafeterias, auditoriums—as classrooms to space everyone out. So, we saw a rise in demand for high brightness projectors.”

Meyer noted that the best approach for school districts to add new technology or use it in new ways is training. “Training teachers in their language leads to quick adoption. Putting technology in the classroom without it leads to frustration,” he added.