Mark Coxon, Technology Leader at Tangram Interiors, Digital Workflow and AV Professional Blogger, and Podcast Host, stopped by Collaborative Tech Talk to talk about the impact of COVID-19 – specifically, the pandemic’s effect on integrators from a planning standpoint.

Collaborative Tech Talk

The Impact of COVID on Integrators and Solutions Planning

In this episode of Collaborative Tech Talks, Tyler Kern hosts Mike Ehlenberger, Vice President and General Manager of ScreenBeam. With nearly a full year gone by in the world’s efforts to adapt to COVID-19, professional careers have been impacted in major ways. Ehlenberger shared important elements that professionals have lost due to COVID and how to move forward into 2021.

Empowering Safe, Collaborative Returns to Work with Wireless Display Solutions

Educational institutions must maximize their year-end budgets by getting the jump on 2021. David Lopez, Senior Manager of Strategic Alliances for ScreenBeam, provided some much-needed tips and advice for educators looking to make the most of their 2020 budget without leaving available funds on the table. Lopez admitted that 2020 was a unique and challenging year for education. Institutions had to learn new technology and new ways to communicate during the pandemic. How have all of these changes affected education and school districts' budgets? “What we’ve seen on in the education technology industry is a lot of district’s budgets have stretched when it comes to the buying cycle, when they’re able to buy things, and how they’re looking to use that money,” Lopez said. “The government provided some relief to a lot of districts, so when they’re wrapping up their budgets and looking at how to utilize their money, a lot of them are saying we’re not going to spend money for right now, but for what’s going to happen in the future.” While the CARES Act provides funds to schools to help with budget shortfalls due to the ongoing pandemic, schools must utilize those funds by Dec. 30. And there is a lot of interest in purchasing technology products to assist with the challenges COVID-19 brought to the classroom. The problem? High demand created supply chain issues. “You’re seeing a lot of districts want to purchase devices or move on purchasing devices, but they’re not necessarily able to get them,” Lopez said. Ultimately, school districts want to provide classroom solutions to make a better and safer environment for students and teachers. And Lopez said ScreenBeam's focus is on being part of those solutions. “We’ve had school districts come to us to figure out how to put our products in place for when their teachers do come back, and, in some schools, they’re already back and making that experience better,” Lopez said. “At our core, (ScreenBeam) is meant to be a device that you plug into your screen and your projector, and you don’t ever have to touch it again.” In these times, when social-distancing and safety are paramount, touchless is everything. 

Maximizing Year-End Education Budgets

On this episode of ScreenBeam’s Collaborative Tech Talks, Dr. Judy Fields, CEO of Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, and David Lopez, ScreenBeam Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances joined host Tyler Kern to outline the partnership between the two companies and how it will benefit K12 schools. Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Fields said, has worked for almost two decades to empower educators through the company’s assessment process to achieve excellence in learning, leading and more. It’s about identifying areas that can improve, but also about identifying strengths of schools and working to reinforce them. Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence and ScreenBeam have partnered to pursue a similar goal of encouraging a future of education that is collaborative and active learning driven. “Once we heard about what they do, how they operate in schools and who they’re able to talk to, we thought it would be a great opportunity to form this partnership,” Lopez said. “One of their [evaluation] components is focused around technology and technology in the classroom, and we feel like the stories that we tell aligned really well with what they’re trying to do.” That’s because, like ScreenBeam, Blue Ribbon’s overall focus is giving teachers and leaders the tools they need to succeed and to enable active teaching and engagement, not pushing any one product. The companies are set to present a webinar series that will explore these concepts through the lens of renowned professionals and educators. For more information, visit screenbeam.com/webinars.

Empowering Active Teaching and Learning in Modern Classrooms

In a wireless world, why should classrooms be any different? Technology has made a huge impact on teaching, but it’s not been without challenges. One of the greatest challenges teachers face is being able to collaborate and orchestrate while staying mobile. ScreenBeam wireless displays make that possible, and Classroom Commander is the perfect software complement. ScreenBeam’s Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances, North America EDU, David Lopez introduces the product and how it works. “Classroom Commander is the software included with all our display devices. It allows teachers to orchestrate in one-to-one classrooms. Teachers can share their screens, view student screens, and allow students to share their own screens wirelessly,” Lopez explained. There are no cords required, which gives a teacher true mobility. “Our products are wireless first. Teachers can walk around with devices instead of being tied to their desks,” Lopez added. This mobility can enhance the collaborative aspects of the classroom well. It may even be a tool for social distancing. “Students can share things from their seats, or teachers can project something from the screen, limiting close interactions,” Lopez commented. Lopez also announced a new upgrade to the software and its compatibility with Chromebooks, which have become a critical device for school districts. Lopez noted, “Now the software works on Google Chromebooks, just as it did on Windows 10 devices. It offers the same functionality.” Beyond just screen sharing, the software offers other simple features. “The software does a few other simple but powerful things for teachers. They can lock the screens of student devices with one button. They can also send a link to all devices so that students are all viewing the same webpage. It allows teachers to spend more time on instruction rather than giving instructions,” Lopez said.

The Orchestration Tool Every Teacher Can Appreciate with David Lopez

One way or another, back to school season is coming, but this fall is shaping up to be the start of a school year like no other. David Lopez, Senior Manager of Strategic Alliances at ScreenBeam, spoke about the challenges facing schools across the country in how to return kids to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s through online learning, in class, or some mixture of the two, safety is paramount. If schools open their doors, how can they use technology to limit touchpoints in the classroom without losing the learning experience? And maybe there are even opportunities to make improvements. “The craft of perfected teaching is students and teachers together in the classroom,” Lopez said. “You want to be able to collaborate and learn and share. If you are not in the classroom, it’s difficult for a teacher to recognize nuances in student reactions if you are on a computer.” And while there will be many instances where schools start the year online or do a mixture of in-class and online learning, they still need to prepare for what that classroom experience looks like, and that’s where ScreenBeam’s solutions can help. “ScreenBeam works closely with school districts across the country,” Lopez said. “We partner with Microsoft and the technology used in the classroom. We’ve done a lot of recent work on our Chromebook solutions with Classroom Commander for Chrome. We also have Classroom Commander for Windows 10. With ScreenBeam, we’re looking to provide that zero-touch wireless presentation solution for learning spaces.”

Touchless Technology to Support Education During the Pandemic with David Lopez

You've heard it a thousand times — we're living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has already changed how we work, live and play. Now, as companies prepare to safely transition employees back to the workplace, how can you implement technology to create lower-risk spaces? To answer that question, host Shelby Skrhak sat down with Mike Ehlenberger and Jay Taylor for this episode of Collaborative Tech Talks, brought to you by ScreenBeam. Like many companies trying to keep their employees safe, Silicon Valley-based ScreenBeam transitioned their entire workforce to work remotely when shelter-in-place orders went into effect several months ago. Ehlenberger, ScreenBeam Vice President and General Manager, said the company found themselves better prepared technologically than most to employ a remote workforce, but not without challenges. "I think we're being pretty successful in our ability to work and communicate with each other," Ehlenberger says, "In some areas, we're finding great uses for tools such as Microsoft Teams that we hadn't been using as much, but, in other places, I think we're really lacking in creativity and innovation when you're not face-to-face. It's really a challenge." Taylor, Senior Director of Technical Marketing, agrees that in-person collaboration has an important, if not essential, role in fostering creativity and innovation. "The reality is you can't change human nature," he says. "People are going to find a way to be face-to-face. So then, what can we do to facilitate employee safety that still allows collaboration?" ScreenBeam has solutions for transitioning employees back to the workplace with contactless meeting spaces, digital signage for communicating company safety policies, and technology that enables socially-distanced stand-up meetings in an otherwise non-traditional meeting space. For instance, the ScreenBeam 1100 Plus is the only app-free, cross-platform, 4K wireless presentation system that eliminates cables, adapters, remote controls, and switches. "It eliminates the 'rings of things,'" Ehlenberger said. On this episode, Ehlenberger and Taylor share strategies for facilities, AV and IT teams to proactively plan for safe employee collaboration in the workplace.

Strategies to Enable Safe Employee Collaboration in the Workplace with Mike Ehlenberger and Jay Taylor

Creating the right technology environment is critical to today’s learning. But how does one go about setting up classroom technology the correct way? It all begins in the planning stages. David Lopez, Senior Manager of Strategic Alliances, North America, EDU, at ScreenBeam, and Tammy Dunbar, Teacher, STEM, Manteca Unified School District, spoke with host Tyler Kern on strategies to ensure the desired classroom technology is in place. “When it comes to technology, you need to take a look at what is the result you want in your classroom and how you can use technology to support the education of the students,” Dunbar said. In terms of the actual planning of the classroom environment, Lopez said it is essential to reverse engineer the thought process and build off of the foundation of the wireless display. Then, Dunbar said, add devices to operate the wireless display based on specific needs and desires of the classroom. A variety of connectable devices, from tablets to mobile digital whiteboards, enhance the classroom capabilities and display functionality. But it all begins with the wireless display and thinking about what your technology goals are. Dunbar said, sometimes, seeing is believing. Other teachers got excited when they saw the wireless classroom setups ScreenBeam designed for her district. These educators recognized the possibilities for teaching with more mobility and flexibility around the classroom. When asked by Kern how she ensured what was the right type of technology to bring into the classroom environment, Dunbar said, “I like to bring in as much technology to the classroom as I can, but in a natural way that makes sense. Technology that can enhance communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving is super helpful.”

Planning Technology in the Classroom Through Reverse Engineering with David Lopez and Tammy Dunbar

In 2018, Microsoft, in collaboration with McKinsey & Company’s Education Practice, conducted an intriguing study called The Class of 2030 and Life-Ready Learning.The study included surveys of 2,000 students and 2,000 teachers across Canada, Singapore, the U.S., and the United Kingdom, as well as interviews with 70 thought leaders, such as researchers, educators, technologists, and policymakers. It also included an in-depth review of 150 pieces of previous research.Findings from the study suggest the class of 2030 if equipped with a solid emotional and social foundation, established in a learning environment personalized to their educational requirements, will be better prepared for the future.This study found students want skilled, trusted teachers who know them personally. Teaching as a profession is one of the least likely to be automated in the future, so maintaining strong teacher-student connections remains more critical than ever. The philosophy of personalized learning—customizing curriculums to suit the interests and needs of students and giving personalized feedback to students to accelerate cognitive and academic growth—is key.Here are a few standout points from the study:· Students who receive personalized instruction perform better than 98% of traditionally taught students· 67% of teachers surveyed agree that learning ought to be personalized· Up to 51% of surveyed teachers said they have strong, one-on-one relationships with their students· Yet few as 34% of students surveyed believe they have strong, individual relationships with their teachersHow can education leaders begin to bridge this personalized learning gap to transform education and provide young people with the support and skills they need?The right technology can encourage inclusive, personalized, and immersive learning experiences, helping educators shift from using an education strategy based around a standardized curriculum to a student-focused one that is customized to student needs and emphasizes social-emotional skills.In fact, Microsoft’s study reveals that with technology tailored to the needs of students and educators, teachers can get up to 30 percent more time back that they can then devote to providing better, more personalized instruction to their students.ScreenBeam designs its wireless display solutions with teacher mobility in mind. Mobility gives a teacher proximity control making them more accessible so students can ask questions at any point. That closeness helps to promote stronger, emotional connections between teachers and students, increasing student confidence and participationIf you would like more information on the solutions ScreenBeam can provide, go to www.Screenbeam.com/contact-us/.

Microsoft Study Examines Personalized Learning Effects

On this episode of Collaborative Tech Talk with ScreenBeam, the topic of conversation was the upcoming trade shows Bett (The British Educational Training and Technology Show) in London on Jan. 22-25 and ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) in Amsterdam on Feb. 11-14. Jerome Moret and David Charbit from ScreenBeam joined the podcast to discuss the upcoming shows. Moret and Charbit were looking forward to Bett because of the atmosphere it provides for them to showcase the latest ScreenBeam technology. Teachers come to the show, and Moret and Charbit can demonstrate the wireless connectivity their product brings to a classroom environment. “Thanks to this show,” Moret said, “we can get together with all of our customers in one place instead of having to spend a lot of time traveling to get together with them.” “You get to see and learn about the needs of different countries when going to an event like Bett,” Charbit added. This year sees the release of a new ScreenBeam product focused on the pro-AV market, which makes attendance at ISE 2020 a must. While Bett is for the education market, ISE is for enterprise customers, and Moret said the strategic approach for ScreenBeam attending ISE is different. “At Bett, an educator will be looking for a classroom solution, where at ISE, an enterprise customer will be looking for a solution for their business’ meeting rooms,” he said. People are looking for solutions to be able to wirelessly connect their devices to displays, in meeting spaces and classrooms. Charbit and Moret could not wait to showcase their solutions during these upcoming shows. You can find ScreenBeam at both shows. To get in touch, swing by booth NJ40 at Bett, or booth K176 in hall 14 at ISE.

Thoughts on Upcoming Bett and ISE Tradeshows with David Charbit & Jerome Moret

When a brand becomes synonymous with the product they've created, it's called an eponym. Kleenex, Q-Tip, Scotch Tape, these are all brand names who created a product so revolutionary, it became the gold standard. The same could be said for ScreenBeam's technology. We discussed what it took to put ScreenBeam at that coveted gold standard with Mike Ehlenberger, vice president and general manager at ScreenBeam on this inaugural episode of Collaborative Tech Talk. When ScreenBeam got started in 2011, the company saw the trends of Wi-Fi advancing to video, where compression was becoming an issue. Others had app-based solutions, but ScreenBeam recognized the inherent challenge in software. "We believe for a technology like this to be truly used, it can't be proprietary," Ehlenberger said. "It has to be standards-based." ScreenBeam worked with Microsoft’s engineering team, which owns the Windows operating system, to advance functionality around wireless displays. In 2012, the partnership delivered the first Wi-Fi Certified Miracast receiver. Today, ScreenBeam is the only vendor to support enterprise-class Miracast for all modern and most legacy Windows devices, and delivers an app-free experience for Apple and Chromebook users. "But it all goes back to the customer," Ehlenberger said. "Are we ensuring that when a customer walks into a meeting space, they can connect to the room, connect their device, and get to work without connectivity issues, no matter their device. We're all about collaboration and making sure our app-free solution enables that collaboration."

How ScreenBeam Became the Gold Standard in Wireless Display Technology with Mike Ehlenberger

This interview originally aired on MarketScale's Software & Technology Podcast. Not all wireless display solutions are created equal, especially when it comes to residential versus enterprise needs. On this episode of the Software and Technology Podcast, we sat down with Jay Taylor, Senior Director of Strategic Alliances for ScreenBeam, a leader in wireless display and collaboration solutions. When Miracast was introduced as the industry standard for wireless connections for devices, it initially launched for consumer use. “All of this was aimed at the consumer space because everybody was looking for … consumer entertainment consumption scenarios,” Taylor said. “But that is a different animal than what you need in a enterprise environment space.” Whereas a living room can have maybe 12 devices connected to the WiFi, a corporate environment can have hundreds, if not thousands of employees in a dense area accessing a limited number of access points. “Trying to make wireless work in that environment is much more challenging,” Taylor said. ScreenBeam was first to market with a WiFi certified receiver that found widespread use in offices and classrooms using smartboards. Thanks to the company’s co-engineering partnership with Microsoft, it placed them in a unique position to enhance the experience as display technology has progressed. “We’ve gone from the days of projectors in the conference room to HD displays and now interactive displays that support touch,” Taylor said. In this episode, Taylor shared how an enterprise solution is critical for modern wireless displays in supporting multi-device environments and various security protocols.

The Difference Between Consumer and Enterprise Wireless Displays with Jay Taylor

This interview originally aired on MarketScale's Pro AV Podcast. Whiteboards, power-points, desktop computers, and overhead projectors are just some of the everyday tools that have characterized the primary school classroom for decades. Today, these tools have been exchanged for iPads, touchscreens, and tablets. Despite this introduction of new, cutting-edge tech in education, David Lopez, senior manager of strategic alliances for education at ScreenBeam, argued that the classroom blueprint is largely unchanged. At its foundation, classrooms operate much as they did 100 years ago: rows of rigid desks front-facing a stationary teacher at the helm. This, he argued on this episode of the Pro AV Podcast, is where education is in need of innovation, and where technology can make impactful change. Lopez defined what can transform a classroom environment with a simple phrase: “classroom agility.” Many teachers find themselves glued to their desk all day, stuck at the motherboard or command center of the classroom unable to fully engage with students. But, when armed with wireless tools like ScreenBeam’s wireless technology, teachers can leave their desk and freely navigate and command the whole room. “Powerful teaching devices should enable agility,” Lopez said. In today’s streaming-based society, Lopez finds himself asking: “Why are we still plugging in our computers when we go into a classroom?” With technology like ScreenBeam and Classroom Commander, teachers can quickly, easily, and wirelessly share work in real-time simply by turning on the tablet’s camera and streaming to the front of the classroom. The result? An engaged group of students looking to participate and share their work with the class. “You’ve wowed your students by showing live video of what that student is doing in class,” Lopez said. The best kind of technology is the kind that integrates into people’s day to day to make lives simpler, easier, and more efficient. With this ethos in mind, ScreenBeam’s wireless, cable-free technology aims to re-define the workings of the modern classroom.

Untethering the Teacher: The Power of a Wireless Classroom with David Lopez

This interview originally aired on MarketScale's Software & Technology Podcast. Most of us traded landline phones for wireless mobile devices years ago. But for businesses thinking about ditching traditional audio-visual displays for next-generation wireless solutions, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. In this episode of the Software and Technology Podcast, Mike Daskalopoulos, director of strategic platform technology at ScreenBeam, shared some insights on the benefits and challenges of wireless presentation and collaboration solutions. Bandwidth, while it may seem like it’s infinitely available, is a limited commodity that can present hurdles when integrating a wireless presentation infrastructure. But as Daskalopoulos explained, there are now enhancements that organizations can leverage to make efficient use of spectrum and optimize streaming video. He went on to describe how collaboration solutions have also evolved dramatically from simple whiteboards to relatively inexpensive touchscreen devices that enable real-time interactions from all over the world. The rise in employees working from home offices and shared co-working spaces is driving the need for wireless solutions that allow for these team members to stay in touch. “People should meet and work together, and technology […] is the facilitator for that within an organization,” Daskalopoulos said. He left audiences with a reminder that the user experience should be at the forefront of technology development. “If it’s not simple and easy to use, technology becomes the purpose rather than the vehicle for collaboration and to free yourself from wires,” he said.

What Should Businesses Know When Switching to Wireless Display Solutions? with Mike Daskalopoulos

This interview originally aired on MarketScale's Software & Technology Podcast. The workplace has changed; some would say for the better, others would say for the worse. Mobile workforces, open floor plans, co-working spaces, and IoT have all impacted the modern office in different ways, but a pretty agreed upon improvement in workplace culture and design has been a focus on collaboration. Digital displays have become the cornerstone of that collaboration, acting as the canvas for content to live and breath. One of the biggest inhibitors for digital displays, though, is the wire. Having to wire-in a device to display on a larger more collaborative screen creates roadblocks to that very collaboration. Whenever technological proficiency is difficult to attain, businesses cannot reach peak efficiency and can even lose clients in the process. Finding solutions to lessen the burden of connecting devices is something every business needs to pursue if they want to stay competitive and collaborative. That’s where wireless display solutions come into play. “Businesses of all sizes are planning to implement wireless display. I think at this point, it’s not a matter of if they’re going to do it, it’s really when,” said vice president and general manager of ScreenBeam, Mike Ehlenberger. ScreenBeam hardware connects native casting solutions between devices like tablets, phones and desktops, Apple, Android and PC products alike, so businesses can seamlessly connect, share, and present relevant information to colleagues. By going wireless, companies can rid themselves of the headache of finding compatible devices on short notice, and consequently, seeming unprofessional or unproductive during a presentation or meeting. On the podcast, Ehlenberger explains what the standards for wireless display solutions are in the workplace, where they fall short, and how a platform agnostic piece of hardware will enable collaboration regardless of company type or collaborative event. The business world is only going to become increasingly digital and connected. Now, more than ever, companies can stand out by implementing reliable connectivity solutions. What should be a powerful driver of business has become a net negative for many firms, but the right product can kickstart a digital future.

How to Properly Go Wireless for Workplace Collaboration with Mike Ehlenberger

This is Collaborative Tech Talk, a podcast by ScreenBeam. Here, we host AV insights where the industry's best thought leaders discuss collaboration and better communication in the places we learn the most.

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Collaborative Tech Talk

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