The first thing that helped to change this was the ‘Laptops for Teachers’ initiative which allowed teachers greater access to interactive learning products / software. This was followed swiftly by wider availability of broadband and school networks. The £50 million funding for the Becta driven Interactive Whiteboard Initiative which commenced in 2004 ensured another huge step change to the point we are at today where more than 50% of all classrooms now have a projector and interactive whiteboard combination.
Q) Is there a marked contrast on the products used by different areas of education for example secondary and primary?
Yes there is, though between primary and secondary, I would add that it is predominantly software/source material driven. Primary software packages tend to be big and bold in their graphics approach, therefore, less demanding on the resolution (number of dots and lines that make up the image) of the PC and consequently the projector. In secondary schools, more detailed programs & diagrams are often displayed necessitating a projector capable of a higher resolution to display the images accurately. In Further & Higher Education it is different again with fewer Interactive Whiteboards and teaching rooms that tend to be larger. These establishments, therefore, tend to move up the range of projectors and buy one of a higher resolution capability but most importantly of a higher brightness rating to comfortably fill a larger screen.
Q) Epson obviously supply equipment to many education establishments are there any particular examples of schools that are using equipment in a particularly innovative way?
Recent advancements in wireless capability and network functionality have meant that the projector is now becoming another device that sits on a network much like a printer does today. Recent academy projects and establishments such as Oaklands College in St Albans & York College are using this type of functionality to stream pre-prepared course content to the projector without the need for a PC/laptop connection. This network connectivity also allows for monitoring of the projectors from a central point offering the network/IT/ Facilities manager the capability to turn them all off at the end of the day without leaving his or her desk.
Q) How has the age of the interactive whiteboard affected Epson’s sales of AV Equipment into schools?
Five years ago, education probably made up around 10 to 15% of our overall projector sales in the UK. This is now in the region of 45 to 50% and our two biggest resellers in the UK are both specialists in education. The numbers of classrooms now fitted with a projector/whiteboard combination is in the region of 300,000. Since the centralised Government funding has finished, growth is slowing and leveling off, possibly even showing a slight decline. But although the total number of “new” classrooms available diminishes we are seeing a lot of replacement projector business from the early adopters and some new business is being driven by projects such as BSF. A word of caution here though, the ICT element of these BSF contracts pales into insignificance compared to the total building project cost and can sometimes be treated as an afterthought rather than an integral element.
Q) It is common knowledge that technology is at the heart of the government’s education policy, as a result competition in this sector is fierce. If you were responsible for purchasing AV technology for a school why would you chose Epson as a supplier?
As well as being price competitive which is of course key, there are 3 reasons that I believe make Epson stand out from the crowd:- i) Epson offers the most comprehensive hardware warranty of all projector manufacturers. 3 year, next day on-site repair or replace including de and reinstallation from a ceiling attachment. This ensures no teacher (or other school employee) will ever be asked to climb up to remove a projector for repair which would contravene health and safety regulations – Epson will do all of that and ensure minimal disruption to teaching time. ii) Epson offers the lowest total cost of ownership with an education specific 3 year, un-limited usage lamp warranty, again including de and re-installation from a ceiling attachment. So if a lamp in a projector fails we will come to site and replace it for you the next working day. iii) We have developed the most secure, education specific products that are supplied with poster & sticker packs for the school to warn off would be thieves. If they still decide to steal a unit, our security features soon render the projector useless meaning no further attempts are made to steal other Epson projectors from the school.
