It is a shift in learning from a one way push of information to involved and engrossing learning cooperation signified by even politician's addresses heading to YouTube to gain the maximum impact with the tech-savvy students of today.
What could be more relevant in today's teaching environment than delivering visual content captured from student's camera phones or digital cameras to websites and offering the chance for forums and support networks?
Luckily Sony have the solutions to guide any LEA, headmaster, teacher and IT manager through this minefield of interoperability. Their BETT stand (D140) is set to be one of the most exciting and interactive stands at the show covering their huge range of products but showing just how easy it is to deliver a learning experience like.no.other.
Projectors are a familiar sight in most classrooms across the country, but few offer the stunning picture quality only Sony's own 3LCD Brightera projectors can provide. This matched with low total cost of ownership of the public sector specific Sony VPL-EX5Plus with it's 3 year unlimited lamp warranty and 3 year engineer on site hardware warranty gives peace of mind for the duration of the projectors life and a great option for learning environement.
As projectors deliver to today's students content from beyond the confines of a classroom, videoconferencing (VC) enables students to interact with people beyond geographical limitations. In addition to providing a terrific opportunity for cultural exchange, VC can also present a platform for guest speakers from a wide range of locations to talk to the class. Furthermore, it allows students who are home taught to be included in the lesson; and within higher education, lecturers can reach distance learning students beyond the theatre.
The new wave of Sony High Definition video conferencing ensures collaborative learning like no other. Not only does it represent the users in glorious HD quality, giving four times the standard clarity of detail and providing greater emotion but users can share content relevant to the meeting as if they were in the same room. From PowerPoint and animations to live DVDs, users can share PC data in HD. With the dual-stream functionality this means that users can actually send two separate streams of live, HD information in parallel. Both live camera view and, for example, animated PowerPoint can be displayed in HD on two different screens or projectors for maximum meeting and learning impact.
With the cost of technology continually decreasing, bringing the exciting world of broadcast media into the class can be a great method of engaging with students. From filming group work and teaching sessions to arming individual projects, it generates the perfect opportunity for students to embrace their creativity. Sony has introduced a revolutionary, compact and affordable High Definition (HD) camcorder, the XDCAM EX. Essential for media studies, drama, or art projects, the XDCAM EX tapeless camcorder is versatile, durable and easy to use, making it ideal for field trips.
Once the teaching, field trip or lesson content has been gathered in any form from camera phones to full HD camcorders, the opportunities are endless! Sony's HDXchange allows content to be swiftly stored on a central server and accessed by anyone on that network for review, editing or for quick and easy publication to a school, class or subject website. The opportunity for several students to simultaneously access content on HDXchange makes it great for group work. Teachers and lecturers are however able to control what is accessed by students on the server using system administration rights. This can be assigned on a per-user basis with password-protected access, safeguarding against unauthorised deletion or alteration of files.
An unfortunate but realistic concern within any teaching facility is security, both of students and teachers within the venue and of the schools' assets themselves. Sony's range of intelligent video security cameras have vandal-resistant features, are designed for both indoor and outdoor use, and have day/night functionality, the units are perfect for teaching environments with automatic alarms and recording technologies built into the camera itself.
What all these technologies have in common is that they are a cost effective, scalable and compelling form of communication that connects students and teachers alike. Sony is committed to helping education professionals build better schools for the future so that students are empowered with the most relevant and timely knowledge and skills delivered in a way that they are accustomed to.
Visit Stand D140 at the BETT show for hands on experience of the most innovative, fascinating and captivating learning technologies in the industry all provided by Sony.
