When you first embark on your projector research, you’ll quickly discover comparing projectors is an apples to, not oranges, but watermelons game. How can the same machine that does essentially the same job, project an image or video onto a larger viewing area, be so vastly different?

While many bells and whistles can account for the pricing disparity, the ability to play video pulled from a TV tuner, throw images or projects from a smart device, interactivity with different points of connection allowing multiple students to work on the same media, etc.--- the first aspect you will want to pay attention to is resolution. Projectors usually come with a “fixed resolution” so regardless of what data, video or images are entering the projector, the quality of the output will be the same. If a high definition signal is entering a lower fixed resolution projector, it will actually need to shrink that info to fit its standard format. This can sometimes result in a clunkier image.

Here is a cheat sheet for comparing different resolution projectors (this covers not only the often HD and high-end education models, but all the way down to a handheld pico or home theatre-level projector):

XGA (1024 x 768 pixels)

WXGA (1280 x 800 pixels)

WUXGA (1920x1200pixels -- widescreen)

HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)

4K (4096 x 2160 pixels)

There is also an SVGA level, though many ed tech apps won’t work with less than an XGA resolution (which is preferred for a 4:3 Aspect Ratio). As the above numbers highlight, an HD projector has about double the resolution of an XGA, while the 4K amps it up to nearly four times the clarity and definition. Resolution is the term for how many pixels are displayed on your viewing surface. A high resolution will have more lines of pixels within the same space, offering an enhanced picture quality.

Why Be Picky about Pixels?

The term pixels is short for picture element. These red/green/blue combo color pixels are often referred to in relation to their horizontal and vertical dimensions. When you look at a measure of number of pixels wide by the number of pixels high that can be displayed, more pixels per unit of area produce a higher resolution. Aside from the pixel resolution issue, another element to consider is the color resolution. Each pixel is further able to offer a different number of colors (we are talking in the billions per pixel, so this goes far past ROYGIBV matters). Essentially, the higher the color resolution or number of colors per pixel, the more lifelike your image will look. (A high dynamic range and 10-bit color offer extremely smooth gradation for a more naturally blended image.) So though it will affect your bottom line, bigger is better when it comes to quality.

First Find Clarity on What Meets Your Needs

If the majority of your projecting needs are simple bars, graphs and power points, perhaps the lower resolution XGA will suffice. It certainly will be more budget friendly. However, if you plan to use the wealth of HD teaching materials available or need to project detailed or complex images, aiming higher would make sense.

Casio 4K Ultra HD Projector

XJ-L8300HN

http://www.casio.com/products/projectors/4k-hd-projectors/xj-l8300hn

This new lamp-free model features 5000 lumens brightness, with potential for advanced image-processing tech and high-speed switching of more than 4 million DMD (digital micromirror devices) with the installation of a DLP chip. The ability to project 8.3 M pixels and achieve 4K Ultra HD res will paint a pretty picture on any classroom wall.

Sony True 4K UHD

VPL-VW285ES

https://www.sony.com/electronics/projector/vpl-vw285es

This Sony 4K offers great lifelike picture resolution, more than four times Full HD, with 8.8milliin pixels. The tech boosts visibility with 1500 lumens via an ultra-high pressure long life lamp, and includes Motionflow tech to keep fast action smooth.

Digital Projection

7,500 Lumen E-Vision Laser 4K-UHD

http://www.digitalprojection.com/dp-projectors/e-vision-laser-4k-uhd/

Launched at ISE 2017, this new Digital Projection model expands the 3D-capable E-Vision range, offering picture in picture (PIP) as well as edge-blending and geometry correction as standard, alongside a real-time clock for automation. This single chip DLP adds a 7,500 lumens option with 4K resolution.

Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) is a high school divided into four Learning Communities designed to promote high levels of learning and achievement for all students. The mission of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School is to provide high-quality education to every student through rigorous, comprehensive and personalized teaching and learning in a nurturing and respectful environment.

CRLS offers an innovative approach to education, such as its 4 x 4 Block Schedule with four 84-minute periods each day and two 90-day semesters each year. The school prides itself on its state-of-the-art facilities for a wide range of career and technical programs, and this year the school decided to upgrade its presentation facilities to include video LCD projectors.

“We needed a high-quality, short-throw projector with HDMI connectivity,” said Jason Graham, Senior Technician at CRLS. “I was pleasantly surprised by some of the projector’s useful features, such as the audio pass-through function that lets you listen to audio through external speakers, even when the projector is on standby.”

The short-throw distance can project a diagonal image of up to 84 inches, making it a good fit for smaller rooms and interactive whiteboard applications. It can be controlled via a LAN network connection, providing the ability to network, control and maintain the projector from a remote location. The network functionality can control multiple projectors in different rooms, and monitor parameters such as remaining lamp life. It includes a Template function that displays lines, circles or a world map, making it easier to write on an interactive whiteboard

When first embarking on a shopping trip to satisfy your school’s AV and projector needs, it might seem like a first step should be a simple price check. In this day of budget trimming and politics entering district boards’ arena, offering the most cost efficient option would be a logical winner. But “cost efficient” and true “price” don’t necessarily add up to the sticker sporting the lowest number.

The Convenience Factor

The lamp-based projectors we have long used in schools worked by heating a thin filament with electricity inside a bulb’s inert gas atmosphere to produce the full red-to-violet spectrum of light. These traditional projectors need a bulky reflector to catch and focus the emitted light. This can create a larger appliance and slightly more complicated mounting or housing needs. You might need to schedule a specialist or the school-based IT manager to install the projector or buy a special cart for its use.

When the lamps dim or burn out, or a filter needs replacing, they might need to be called back. The lamps offer an average life expectancy, but that is an average and can’t be counted on for accurate reordering, so teachers would occasionally have their lessons disrupted by blown bulbs.

Lamp-free or LED/Laser SSI (Solid State Illumination) Projectors’ specific red, blue and green wavelengths are mixed internally, can be adjusted automatically with software, allowing a clear picture to be projected directly onto the viewing area. New Short Throw or Ultra Short Throw styles can be set within inches of the wall or screen, allowing for an image unmarred by shadows as a teacher instructs or uninterrupted background for a theatre or arts performance. Compact versions can even be set upon a desk for use, or toted from room to room, for little to no installation hassles.

The Efficiency Factor

Lamp-based projectors by nature generate high heat requiring slow starts and slower shut downs to maintain the health of the machine. These extra warming up/cooling off prep periods add up to lost teaching time. Lamp-free laser, LED or hybrid SSI projectors flip on and off for instant use, without need for manual adjustment to focus the image or video. The image quality on an SSI will stay constant through its life, while that of the traditional projector will dim as the bulb ages. (The “life” of a bulb is considered the time in which is maintains at least 50% of its original brightness.)

The Eco Factor

Lamp-based projectors tend to have a higher energy use, partially due to the higher heat created in projecting the entire color spectrum and (often noisy) fans needed for cooling. This adds to both financial and environmental costs. Traditional lamp-based projectors once used high performance bulbs containing mercury, which required extra care while changing and special handling upon disposal to avoid contamination, though many new models use mercury-free bulbs. The lighting element on an SSI projector can last ten times that of a traditional projector. They also often feature eco-mode with decreased brightness.

The Cost Factor

Flipping through a catalog or scanning the online warehouses offers a wildly different price point for different styles of projectors. Lamp-based Projectors are often quite a bit easier on the budget for initial expenses, offering savings up to 30%. If the immediate need outweighs making a heftier investment, a school could cover more classrooms and teaching spaces by opting for the traditional projectors. However, there are involved costs to replacement bulbs (and perhaps filters) that need to be factored in.

To get to true numbers, many projector companies offer a comparison calculator to help you understand and analyze the true TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of different models. Casio’s TCO Calculator (http://www.casio-lampfree-projectors.com/en/tco/) also analyzes number of projectors needed, power consumption, and usage costs to offer an accurate look at your potential Energy Cost Savings.

• Reading/Writing. Display images, words or phrases for writing prompts in creative writing or poetry class. Model savvy formatting and editing skills by giving live demonstrations in your word-processing software.
• Mathematics. Utah State University’s National Library of Virtual Manipulatives http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vLibrary.html) offers hundreds of multi-sensory games, illustrations, exercises and puzzles for K-12 students.
• Science. Ask students to add their experimental data directly to your spreadsheet and project graphs of their results for everyone to see—you’ll identify those pesky outliers in no time.
• Social Studies. Google Earth (http://earth.google.com) works wonders but loves to crash on older computers. Try the University of Texas at Austin’s renowned Perry-Castañeda Library Virtual Map Room (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/) for a wide array of PDF maps from around the globe.
• Timer, Stopwatch, Countdown. Using a simple freeware program like TimeLeft (http://www.timeleft.info), students will see exactly how long they’ve been working on a project, how much time is left, or how many days until the ice cream social after your final exam.
• Board Work. Ask students to do the work on a sheet of paper, fire up your doc camera, then project their results. No more stage whiteboard fright!
• Graphic Organizers. Online diagramming software like Gliffy (http://www.gliffy.com) or Bubbl (http://bubbl.us) can make creating lively instructional flowcharts, cluster diagrams and spider maps a breeze.
• Guest/Substitute Lectures. Live streaming or podcast lectures from guests will give your students access to experts around the world without footing for an airline ticket. Record your own lectures with software like Camtasia (http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp; $299) or upload your Powerpoint presentations to Slideshare (http://slideshare.net; free) and you’ll be the toast of the substitute-teaching pool.

Casio 4K Ultra HD Projector

XJ-L8300HN

http://www.casio.com/products/projectors/4k-hd-projectors/xj-l8300hn

This new lamp-free model features 5000 lumens brightness, with potential for advanced image-processing tech and high-speed switching of more than 4 million DMD (digital micromirror devices) with the installation of a DLP chip. The ability to project 8.3 M pixels and achieve 4K Ultra HD res will paint a pretty picture on any classroom wall.

Digital Projection

7,500 Lumen E-Vision Laser 4K-UHD

http://www.digitalprojection.com/dp-projectors/e-vision-laser-4k-uhd/

Launched at ISE 2017, this new Digital Projection model expands the 3D-capable E-Vision range, offering picture in picture (PIP) as well as edge-blending and geometry correction as standard, alongside a real-time clock for automation. This single chip DLP adds a 7,500 lumens option with 4K resolution.

LG Minibeam LED Projector

PH550

http://www.lg.com/us/home-video/lg-PH550-portable-led-projector

The portable LG Minibeam LED Projector can use its built-in TV tuner to display current events or nature shows and wirelessly stream sound directly from the projector to a Bluetooth compatible sound system to pair big sound to the big viewing experience (on a small budget).

View Sonic

PS750W

https://www.viewsonic.com/us/ps750w.html

This affordable alternative to interactive whiteboards has an ultra-short throw lens making the projector flexible enough to be ceiling-mounted or simply placed on the tabletop (also allowing the budget hit to be spread to benefit multiple classrooms). The vBoard software lets users write, highlight and edit documents or images in real-time and features an integrated micro USB cable for easy charging.

Brooke Turk was impressed by the impact on her autistic students when she began using the Epson BrightLink Interactive Projector in January. “It definitely allows me to see what they’re capable of,” says Turk, who teaches special ed in Beach Park School District 3 in Illinois. “The keyboard gives them a reason to write, because it’s technology. I’ve gotten a greater feel for their abilities, because they are willing to work hard for this incentive.”

Turk has seen heightened levels of excitement and engagement, and through the system, one largely nonverbal student has even started to talk more and interact. “We’ve done a lot with PowerPoint, sorting site words, sharing, taking turns—which is huge. They have to sit and wait and pay attention to what the others are doing.”

The tech’s ability to project onto anything means other benefits. It eliminates the need for an additional special whiteboard that would eat up classroom space and resources. The ceiling mounted projector displays on a tabletop and is thus ideal for children in wheelchairs and those with other physical disabilities, letting Turk avoid disruptive and upsetting transitions to a computer room.

Turk’s diverse group of K–3 students uses Reading A to Z’s projectable book. “We can pick apart the story, working as a group despite the wide variety of learners and abilities: circling words, underlining them, drawing things in. The story might be more appropriate for the younger students, but the higher-functioning kids can dissect it better.”

Because so much is gained in just two hours a day (early-childhood development and kindergarten pop over to borrow the tech), Turk hopes to take advantage of the tech’s ability to take photos of lessons that she canthen email to parents. Students are already bringing home stories that she hopes will further entice some parents who initially saw more value in traditional pencil-and-paper writing.

“If we give the kids technology, look at what they can do,” Turk tells the parents. “Look what they are capable of!”

Casio 4K Ultra HD Projector

XJ-L8300HN

http://www.casio.com/products/projectors/4k-hd-projectors/xj-l8300hn

This new lamp-free model features 5000 lumens brightness, with potential for advanced image-processing tech and high-speed switching of more than 4 million DMD (digital micromirror devices) with the installation of a DLP chip. The ability to project 8.3 M pixels and achieve 4K Ultra HD res will paint a pretty picture on any classroom wall.

Epson Brightlink Interactive Projector

696UI

https://www.epson.eu/products/projectors/ultra-short-distance/eb-696ui

This interactive ultra short throw projector carries a more affordable initial layout being a lamp-based option, rather than SSI (Solid State light engine). It still features multi-point interactivity, allowing multiple students to draw with pen and finger and can save a session to share with parents or use as study guide and its 3800 color and white lumens will cut through ambient light.

Boxlight Pen-Interactive Projector

P9

https://mimio.boxlight.com/short-and-standard-throw-classroom-interactive-projectors-p9/

This interactive projector brings short throw projected images and collaborative areas to classrooms. Up to five students can work together at the front of the room. The full-featured projector comes complete with the award-winning MimioStudio classroom software and three free MimioMobile device connections, allowing teachers to perform collaboration and assessment activities at the front of the room with almost any student device. Additionally, the projectors’ analog and digital audio/video connections ensure compatibility with virtually any PC.

BenQ BlueCore Laser Projector

LU9715

http://m.benq.us/product/projector/lu9715/

For those wrestling with larger classroom and auditoriums, this laser projector delivers 8000 ANSI-lumen brightness and 100,000:1 contrast ratio for superior viewing even under bright ambient lighting. The BlueCore laser engine provides great color performance through a dual color wheel system, supports 360° and portrait installation, offering a selection of lenses for flexibility in projector placement options.

The world we live in thrives on instant gratification when it comes to information intake. As adults, we can scan the four or five headlines that fit on the screen of our phone without even clicking, or check the trending list on Twitter, and feel caught up on the day’s events. For the kids in our classrooms, it’s the only world they’ve ever known.

Twitter’s 140 characters were too stodgy for them to want to slog through, heck, writing out a full word was too much time and trouble for their busy lives and minds (“lol”). So they turned to Instagram where a picture was worth a thousand words, soon eschewing that for their Snaps, where videos or single word or emoji tossed up with a random selfie sufficed for deep interpersonal connections.

As they say, know your audience. Sometimes to reach them, we need to meet them where they are at. It shouldn’t be a great shock, considering the environment in which they’ve become accustomed, that when the lights dim and a series of word-filled slides marches across the classroom wall, their eyes tend to glaze over. Static slideshows simply aren’t going to cut it, if you want to achieve that magic moment where teaching fires up their little neurons.

Does this mean you have to dump your old gear and steel yourself for a showdown with your school or district’s budget masters for a big spend? Not necessarily. Naturally, scoring a 4K resolution projector whose 8 million pixels send HD video clips and uber-detailed images sailing across the screen with ease would be ideal. But it isn’t the only way to achieve success.

Get Interactive

If you are lacking in the latest tech, interactivity can go a long way. Students don’t want to be passive observers to the teaching process, they want to be part of it. This goes beyond the possibility they might get called on. Interactive projectors that use digital markers (or little fingers) to engage with the material can keep the spark of learning fresh. These can be used on whiteboards, classroom walls or even projected down onto group tables that can accommodate students working together. Bring them to the table, so to speak, and let them work with each other using their favorite medium. A race to trace the migration of Monarchs will set their hearts a flutter. One bonus is that many of these projectors will allow you to save the work including their input for them to use as a study tool, or to share with their parents.

Get Creative

If you need to work with your existing projector, don’t despair. It might just take a bit more of creativity and planning on your part to reach the same result. Many times, projectors aren’t being used to their full potential. Injecting audio or video clips to lessons can bring a PowerPoint to life. Most projector companies offer online tutorials which could reveal additional capabilities to make the most of what you have. Another way to amp up your lessons is to engage all the senses. Talking the Silk Road and trade routes? Pop down to the supermarket; nutmeg was worth the price of gold, dock workers were paid in cloves, Visigoths demanded peppercorns for ransom. A sniff or two of these basic spices can cement facts, or at least perk them up in their desks.

Get Brilliant

All that being said, if you are in the position to request top notch gear for your classroom or have won a grant to improve your school’s tech, a good 4K resolution projector can be a great asset. If you’ve ever viewed an HD channel or program on a non-HD screen (after being somewhat horrified by what your favorite actor actually looks like in real life), there is a strong and distracting sense that something is very off. In the classroom, this can translate a step farther to pixelation or jagged lines marring the image or media, disrupting the focus on the learning material. A 4K will simply offer brilliant clarity and inject vivid action into your lessons.

So your district is ready to enhance lesson plans and engage students with multi-media assets and programs, or perhaps a grant benefitting students who learn in different ways has been awarded. How do you pick between a Flat Screen Display and a Projector? Or perhaps you can opt for a combination, but where would your new tech have the most impact in your school. We look at the nitty gritty of panels vs. projectors to give you a clear vision to how to make the most of your purchases.

Projectors

Where to use: Large classrooms, study areas where ambient light can be controlled, lecture halls and band rooms, gyms or public areas for use in assemblies.

Projectors are the perfect tool for teaching or engaging an audience in larger spaces. At roughly half the cost of similarly sized flat panels, a projected image can cover a wall. The clarity is certainly more affected by the natural light in the room, but in cases of theatres or auditoriums, this isn’t an issue. Some models offer a higher lumens option to cut back on visibility problems.

The flexibility of a projector is a big plus for many schools. The size of the image or media can be controlled to scale, letting a teacher use one section of a wall for the display while taking advantage of a traditional chalkboard or static white board at the same time. It can also be a mobile option for schools with a tight budget, allowing teachers to schedule and sign out the tech to use when it is needed in their own teaching space rather than having to move their entire class.

While some newer models of projectors offer interactivity, there are minor issues with obscured images as students or teachers block the projected image. (Ceiling mounts and ultra-short throw options can help with those issues.) Newer lamp-less options also make using a projector easier, and often feature an instant on/off system rather than the old school options that could take precious minutes away from teaching time to amp up or cool off.

The downside: Lighting can affect the user experience during sunny days. Maintenance needs in terms of time and costs are more involved with traditional lamp projectors (changing filters, bulbs, installing ceiling mounted models), accessories such as carts and other cords might be additional purchases.

Flat Panel Displays

Where to use: Study spaces designed for group projects and interaction, classrooms that might face lighting issues, settings where multiple students need to use simultaneously or as digital signage for school auditoriums/lunchrooms/foyers that can be easily changed remotely.

Using flat panel displays offers a host of benefits. When working with groups of students, interactivity can be enhanced to include the whole class or a number of kids simultaneously using digital markers or finger drawing. This can help overloaded teachers to work through lessons more quickly and in a more engaging manner. One group can come up to the display to practice their capital letters, rather than the interactivity only allowing for a single sensor at a time registering one child’s work.

Group projects can also go digital with an entire table of students working collaboratively, for instance on creating a book report poster, piece of art or “object find” puzzle. Teachers also can teach in a more natural manner from the front of the class, since the projected image won’t be altered by the shadow they cast.

Because the panel’s display isn’t born of a reflected image focused by a projector, lighting issues in classrooms and study spaces where dimming the overheads or blocking out natural light from windows won’t have the same negative effect on visibility as one might find in a projected image. The latest advances in high definition tech also can be taken advantage of when opting for panels. The end result is the overall quality of the image for detailed projects can outdo projectors.

Although massive display panels can certainly be had, another option some schools prefer is to have a multi-paneled approach. This allows teachers to design lessons in which the entire screen can be used as a whole or certain screens can be programmed independently, to run video that is complementary to the graph or other displayed material, or an enhanced zoomed-in view. Students can also digitally cast their work from laptops and devices to particular screens, to compare and contrast with the teacher’s posted image for assessment or to offer a variety of perspectives on the lesson being taught.

The downside: The initial financial hit can be daunting as flat panels could run up to double what a similar sized projector option involves, though operating costs are usually far less for panels so this can be averaged out for a long term investment. If a school’s budget is geared toward shared resources, the fixed nature of a display panel would be a hindrance.

Casio

Ultra Short Throw XJ-UT311WN

http://www.casio-projectors.eu/euro/products/ultra-short-throw/xj-ut311wn/

This lamp-free, green tech projector offers an impressive 3,100 lumens to combat ambient light, with an ultra-short throw ratio (0.28:1) for added versatility in the classroom. The WXGA resolution is achieved via an LED/Laser hybrid that is mercury-free and can function up to 20,000 hours before replacing.

Epson

PowerLite 1781W Wireless WXGA 3LCD Projector

https://epson.com/For-Work/Projectors/Portable/PowerLite-1781W-Wireless-WXGA-3LCD-Projector/p/V11H794120

This portable ultra slim projector weighs in at just 4lb, making it ideal for shifting from classroom to classroom. It provides 3,200 lumens of color white brightness plus WXGA resolution and can wirelessly display content from your tablet or smartphone or can share HD videos using a streaming device (supports Chromecast, Roku and MHL).

ViewSonic

ViewBoard IFP7550 Flat Screen Display

https://www.viewsonic.com/us/ifp7550.html

Featuring 4K Ultra HD resolution and immersive 20-point touch screen, this 75” interactive flat panel lets multiple users write or draw on the screen with their fingers and styluses. The display’s built-in quad-core processor and multiple connectivity options (HDMI, VGA, RS232, RJ45, and USB ports) provide annotation and multimedia playback without the need for a PC. Can be placed on a wall mount, or optional trolley cart.

BenQ

DesignVue Designer Monitor PD2710QC

https://www.benq.com/en/monitor/designer/pd2710qc.html

For a small-scale classroom display option, this 2K QHD monitor offers extreme image detail (109 PPI) and crystal clear pictures with 2K QHD (2560x1440) resolution. The single slim and reversible USB-C cable and connector allows a wide range of connectivity options; charge a device, transfer data, transmit audio and video, and connect to the Internet.

From Hominid Skulls to Michelangelo’s Inventions, the Writing’s on the Wall

When Jeff Faust, director of technology in Charlottesville City Schools, first created the media-rich 30-station workspace Sigma Lab and installed two display video walls (one with a 2x2 array of 46-inch displays, the other using the same displays in a 2x6 horizontal configuration), his aim was to enhance the high school’s advanced manufacturing program. He quickly realized that the space, which boasts a dramatic 20-foot-high ceiling and multiple attached side labs for group projects, appealed not only to those focused on design as he intended, but also to teachers from other disciplines who began clamoring for a slot under the glow of tech.

“The screens are an interactive canvas for our teachers,” says Faust. “Hiperwall software allows teachers to share a single image across all the panels of a wall or students can share the screen from the computers at their workstations. One workstation acts as a control computer for the instructor to implement their pre-designed lesson plan. They can stream a video on one part of the screen, with the project rubric or instructions static on the side. They can pull up reference or resource material for class discussions or to illustrate a concept—they really take advantage of the real estate.”

The lab was originally created for manufacturing, prototyping, and group work projects that could be carried from ideation and design through to creation. One side lab features laser cutters, welding machines, a table saw, and other cutting and joining technology, while another houses four 3D printers. A third side lab handles electronics involved in controlling motion or working part assembly.

“We needed a good visual space to enhance this work, but it didn’t stop there,” says Faust. “Our anthropology class wanted to look at world-famous fossils and early hominid skulls. They used the visual wall and 3D-printed copies to hold in their hands and study. An art history class wanted to see and create replicas of Michelangelo’s early inventions. The [initial] focus was on engineering and STEM initiatives, but we’ve just hired a full-time lab assistant to allow as many classes as

So your district is ready to enhance lesson plans and engage students with multi-media assets and programs, or perhaps a grant benefitting students who learn in different ways has been awarded. How do you pick between a Flat Screen Display and a Projector? Or perhaps you can opt for a combination, but where would your new tech have the most impact in your school. We look at the nitty gritty of panels vs. projectors to give you a clear vision to how to make the most of your purchases.

Projectors

Where to use: Large classrooms, study areas where ambient light can be controlled, lecture halls and band rooms, gyms or public areas for use in assemblies.

Projectors are the perfect tool for teaching or engaging an audience in larger spaces. At roughly half the cost of similarly sized flat panels, a projected image can cover a wall. The clarity is certainly more affected by the natural light in the room, but in cases of theatres or auditoriums, this isn’t an issue. Some models offer a higher lumens option to cut back on visibility problems.

The flexibility of a projector is a big plus for many schools. The size of the image or media can be controlled to scale, letting a teacher use one section of a wall for the display while taking advantage of a traditional chalkboard or static white board at the same time. It can also be a mobile option for schools with a tight budget, allowing teachers to schedule and sign out the tech to use when it is needed in their own teaching space rather than having to move their entire class.

While some newer models of projectors offer interactivity, there are minor issues with obscured images as students or teachers block the projected image. (Ceiling mounts and ultra-short throw options can help with those issues.) Newer lamp-less options also make using a projector easier, and often feature an instant on/off system rather than the old school options that could take precious minutes away from teaching time to amp up or cool off.

The downside: Lighting can affect the user experience during sunny days. Maintenance needs in terms of time and costs are more involved with traditional lamp projectors (changing filters, bulbs, installing ceiling mounted models), accessories such as carts and other cords might be additional purchases.

Flat Panel Displays

Where to use: Study spaces designed for group projects and interaction, classrooms that might face lighting issues, settings where multiple students need to use simultaneously or as digital signage for school auditoriums/lunchrooms/foyers that can be easily changed remotely.

Using flat panel displays offers a host of benefits. When working with groups of students, interactivity can be enhanced to include the whole class or a number of kids simultaneously using digital markers or finger drawing. This can help overloaded teachers to work through lessons more quickly and in a more engaging manner. One group can come up to the display to practice their capital letters, rather than the interactivity only allowing for a single sensor at a time registering one child’s work.

Group projects can also go digital with an entire table of students working collaboratively, for instance on creating a book report poster, piece of art or “object find” puzzle. Teachers also can teach in a more natural manner from the front of the class, since the projected image won’t be altered by the shadow they cast.

Because the panel’s display isn’t born of a reflected image focused by a projector, lighting issues in classrooms and study spaces where dimming the overheads or blocking out natural light from windows won’t have the same negative effect on visibility as one might find in a projected image. The latest advances in high definition tech also can be taken advantage of when opting for panels. The end result is the overall quality of the image for detailed projects can outdo projectors.

Although massive display panels can certainly be had, another option some schools prefer is to have a multi-paneled approach. This allows teachers to design lessons in which the entire screen can be used as a whole or certain screens can be programmed independently, to run video that is complementary to the graph or other displayed material, or an enhanced zoomed-in view. Students can also digitally cast their work from laptops and devices to particular screens, to compare and contrast with the teacher’s posted image for assessment or to offer a variety of perspectives on the lesson being taught.

The downside: The initial financial hit can be daunting as flat panels could run up to double what a similar sized projector option involves, though operating costs are usually far less for panels so this can be averaged out for a long term investment. If a school’s budget is geared toward shared resources, the fixed nature of a display panel would be a hindrance.

These hot products offer added value, at any budget.

View Sonic

PS750W

https://www.viewsonic.com/us/ps750w.html

This affordable alternative to interactive whiteboards has an ultra-short throw lens making the projector flexible enough to be ceiling-mounted or simply placed on the tabletop (also allowing the budget hit to be spread to benefit multiple classrooms). The vBoard software lets users write, highlight and edit documents or images in real-time and features an integrated micro USB cable for easy charging. $1629

Casio Ultra Short Throw Projector

XJ-UT351WN

Casioprojector.com/products/Ultra_Short_Throw/XJ-UT351WN

This well regarded projector includes light sensors to auto-adjust to the room and brightly displays 3,500 lumens on 50” to 110” screen or wall space. It takes seconds to fire up and can be controlled by phone or mobile device via wireless adapter. The lamp-free design saves resources, both financial and time, by omitting the need for changing bulbs and maintenance. Its long life (approximately 18 school years) also adds to a reduced bottom line. $1800

Epson Brightlink Interactive Laser Display

710Ui

https://epson.com/Support/Projectors/BrightLink-Series/Epson-BrightLink-710Ui/s/SPT_V11H877020

As the first to offer a laser projector with both inorganic 3LCD panels and an inorganic phosphor wheel, innovative features contribute to long life with minimal maintenance, resulting in low cost of operation. The 4,000 lumens of color and 4,000 lumens of white brightness with full HD WUXGA display makes this versatile for even well lit environments. The system comes with with built-in pen/touch interactivity and includes a one-year subscription to SMART Notebook for added value. $3500

Sony Laserlite Projector

VPLPHZ10

https://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/mkt-education/mkt-educationk12/product-VPLPHZ10/

Sony is expanding its range of Z-Phosphor projectors aimed at making laser tech more cost-effective. This offers total constant brightness of 4500 lumens for up to 14,000 hours with a max of 5,000 lm. In addition to the long-life design and automated filter for a near zero maintenance bill, the projectors’ 3LCD engines are designed for energy efficiency to further reduce costs. $5000

Whether you are an administrator weighing benefits and costs for classroom tech, or an educator writing a grant or appealing to your district budget leaders, here are a few important considerations to keep in mind.

Get to Know your TOC

Analyzing cost hardly ends with a few rounds of smart shopping. The price tag on your tech doesn’t tell the whole story. To truly come to an accurate and reliable number that will satisfy the powers that be (in charge of funds) there are a few more details to work out to reach your Total Ownership Cost (TOC).

• Installation — Though largely a one time cost, if wiring needs to be adjusted and specialty hardware purchased to ensure student safety, this should be kept in mind. While an interactive whiteboard’s heftier weight could require up to three people to mount, a projector should be a simpler prospect (particularly if a tabletop model will suffice). Remember to include any audio/speaker needs that might be necessary.
• Accessories — Will your choice of tech include all necessary cords, adaptors, audio components, etc. for you to use in the manner required? Will you need to purchase a specialized cart or tools to use the interactive features? Will your new projector be compatible with the software your school already uses?
• Energy Costs — Take the time to analyze energy use stats. These can add up in the long-term and all projectors are not created equal. For example, the Casio Ultra Short Throw UT351WN has an energy cost of one third less than a comparable projector (around $200 savings over life of tech). This might seem negligible, but when you are buying multiple projectors or simply running your numbers for true accuracy, this should be considered. In order to compare your options, multiply the Power Consumption/Projector (watts) by the Service Life (hours) to reach your Total Power Consumption (watts). Multiply this by your Cost/kWh to come to your true Power Consumption Cost.

• Maintenance — After the initial installation, will your choice of projector need additional upkeep and investment (either financial or labor resources)? Is it a system that can grow and develop, or at least remain compatible, with new technologies to avoid a repurchase before the life of the system has been used?

Lamp-Less, Cost Less

One major development has grown in the field of classroom visual tech— the lamp-less projector. New laser tech and digital developments have made relying on pricey and eco-questionable lamps as the projector lighting source, obsolete. This saves teachers a great deal of hassle, but also makes a mark on the TOC bottom line.

Previously, up to nine conventional mercury-vapor lamps would have been required during the life of a classroom projector. While replacement of the lamps themselves might be the most obvious and heftiest of added costs, other associated costs for proper disposal of used lamps, replacement filter costs, labor costs for lamp changes (typically 45-60 minutes for ceiling mounted projectors) and fees for order processing can easily drive the cost of the projector up by an additional $250-330 during the life of the tech. (Not to mention the potential for unexpected lamp-blows to disrupt educators’ schedules and lesson plans leading to precious lost teaching time.)

Casio Ultra Short Throw Projector

XJ-UT351WN

Casioprojector.com/products/Ultra_Short_Throw/XJ-UT351WN

This long-life (approx. 18 school years) lamp-free projector includes light sensors to auto-adjust to the room and brightly displays 3,500 lumens on 50” to 110” screen or wall space. It takes seconds to fire up and can be controlled by phone or mobile device via wireless adapter.

LG Minibeam LED Projector

PH550

www.LG.com

This lightweight pocket projector offers a number of ports for flexibility and includes Bluetooth connectivity. It features a rechargeable internal battery for use anywhere and has a built-in TV tuner, which can be useful for educators who want the ability to share live NASA, Olympic Game or other televised events with their class.

Optoma Projector

ZW300USTi

Optomausa.com

Equipped with a 10-watt speaker and TouchBEAM interactive touch tech, this projector includes a PC-free USB media player to support video, audio, image, and presentation files from any USB device. Compatibility with both Windows and OS X offers flexibility, while laser phosphor tech offers 3,200 lumens displaying a 115” field from a distance of just 19”.

Dell Advanced Laser Projector

S518WL

Dell.com

This 3D compatible laser projector turns on instantly, allows for USB drive plug-in as well as offering 7GB storage to upload favorite teaching files directly into projector. Connect with a network cable and use app on a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

InFocus Projector

IN2120A

Infocus.com/projectors/office-classroom/IN2120a-Series

This affordable projector with 3,500 lumens offers easy video and digital content sharing and can connect to internal networks and sync with Crestron or AMX systems. It displays content from HDMI, USB, or 2 GB of internal memory, as well as 3D content from Blu-ray or PC. Students can share their documents, videos, audio, and photos, by casting wirelessly from a mobile or personal device.

The Mobile—Projector in hand, worth two in the ceiling?

The pocket projector (mobile projector/pico projector/mini beamer) is technology that applies the use of an image projector in a handheld device. It works with those myriad portable digital devices most of us now consider on par with food and water when it comes to daily life.

These smart phones, tablets and digital cameras have enough storage capacity to hold years’ worth of lesson plans and multimedia class lectures — not to mention the ability to access endless resources via apps and online materials and videos. However, inviting your favorite 23 students to crowd around the tiny screen would likely end in a dog pile more suited to the gym than classroom. Handheld projectors spell that issue by projecting digital images onto any nearby viewing surface.

This small device is ideal for educators who don’t have a fixed classroom or course-specific teachers who instruct multiple classes each day. There is no need to rely on a ceiling mounted projector, and no concerns that your viewing field for that fixed projector might be filled with a crop of tissue paper wildflowers hung to celebrate spring. You can skip the hassle of sign outs of traditional projectors from an A/V department or wheeling a carrier from class to class through busy halls.

Coaches can run game film on a gym wall, art teachers can snap a photo and instantly display a student’s work to analyze with the class. This is also, ahem, handy for spontaneous teachers who like to accent their organic class discussions with video or images as an additional means of instruction.

The Short Throw—Short on space, long on perks

Short throw and ultra short throw projectors allow educators to create big pictures in tight spaces. The “throw ratio” is the distance from projector to screen, compared to the screen size. A traditional projector with a 1.5:1 throw ratio would have to be 7.5 feet back to project a 60-inch wide image. This might not seem like much, but this would eliminate 7.5 feet of teaching space at the front of the class or require students to change seating to see (unless you are a fan of “little bunny foofoo” shadow fingers).

A short throw projector with a throw ratio of 0.6:1 can project the same image less than three feet away from the screen while a 0.37:1 ultra short throw projector can manage just 1.85 feet away. This means you can instruct from the front of the class as it won’t be displaying across your body or shine in your eyes as you move in front of it or reference the cells of a plant or show the movement of supplies during the Civil War.

Some teachers take this to the next level by opting for an interactive short throw projector. These can be mounted overhead to create an instant whiteboard of any surface. Geography comes to life as the classroom project table turns into a map of the world, easily accommodating a dozen kids. Cassie Gillespie of Wolf Branch School District in Swansea, IL uses touch light pens that work with the projector to engage students with learning disabilities. “Since so many of our textbooks are online, it’s easy to provide supplemental enrichment activities to really differentiate the learning.”

The Traditional—Best specs for a reasonable cost

The average-sized, everyday video projector receives a video signal and projects the image onto a screen through a lens system using bright light. Newer models correct curves, blurriness and pixelation that used to be an issue and can even be connected to a whiteboard. Resolution and light output are key, as some lamp-based traditional projectors don’t have sufficient lumens (output) to work well unless the room’s ambient light can be dimmed.

Laser projectors and hybrids, which use a combination of LEDs and lasers, have gained in popularity for consistent color and brightness over long periods of time. These can last several times as long as lamps, cutting back on the hassle and cost of changing bulbs and light engines. They also often have “eco” modes that can be used when color isn’t of importance to the lesson.

That is anything but the case for fifth grade teacher, David Beshk of St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, CA. When it was time to learn about the visible spectrum of light and color mixing in science class, he turned to his projector. “I created a large square and used Microsoft Word’s color options to fill it a deep blue, projecting it on the wall. I then took a yellow sheet of paper and demonstrated how the two colors would blend into green. The kids visited our school printing station and loaded up on every color of paper imaginable, return to predict and experiment what would happen when they placed them in the colored light.”

Whatever size use, be sure students will appreciate the extra visual and audio stimulation to day-to-day instruction and the ability to enhance project based learning.

The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of technology is a well-known principle of technology investment for schools. Ensuring that the initial cost of technology and their maintenance cost over time are fully captured, smart districts have used the TCO principle to guide their technology procurement.

We can also find application for the TCO concept across most other categories of assets that districts invest in. By closely tracking those assets, the life of those assets, and how much maintenance each of those assets requires over time, school administrators can improve their management of other assets in addition to technology.

It’s not uncommon for districts to lose 3% to 5% in textbooks every year. It’s not uncommon for districts to lose 18% to 25% of their assets over a three-year period. A comprehensive asset management system provides districts the data they need to understand their total cost of ownership; buy what is needed, better utilize the resources they own, and repurpose or sell what remains.

Students often have a list of district assets assigned for their use and care: textbooks; technology devices; STEM equipment such as calculators, cameras, or lab equipment; musical instruments; band uniforms; and sports equipment. Thousands of dollars of district assets can be in the hands of an individual student. So, the ability to know at any given moment where the assets are and who is responsible for them is key to managing the district’s full investment or total cost of ownership in these assets.

An integrated management system provides district leaders the information they need to make appropriate inventory decisions as they manage the life cycle of each asset. Not only does this result in better cost management, but allows districts to plan asset maintenance or replacement more precisely and with greater accuracy.

Even though it is often the influx of mobile devices that is the triggering event for districts to improve accountability and management of fixed, digital, and instructional resources, the return on the investment can be significant. Better management of district resources not only saves money in the short term, but it can decrease the total cost of ownership for districts by extending the life of some assets and deterring unnecessary spending.

While it is true that the larger the district, the larger the savings, it’s also true that even small districts can benefit from more effective management of their resources and understanding that the TCO principle can be applied to all district assets.

Some variation of this question is asked on a daily basis in most districts. The amount of time and energy wasted in tracking down the district’s “stuff” is significant enough that they would save many hours by not having to do it manually.

The benefits of efficient management of scarce resources can be easily quantified. By knowing exactly where it is and exactly who is in charge of individual equipment, administrators are able to get the exact resource to the exact student or teacher at exactly the right time to impact teaching and learning.

Supporting teaching and learning is the primary activity of school districts, so any system that helps administrators do that more effectively is worth studying. Because general business systems are not set up to meet individual student needs, they are not very helpful for managing education assets.

The ability to import data from other district systems such as the procurement system or the student information system into a centralized database is a key ingredient of efficient resource management. Managed from a simple, browser-based program, an integrated system can house and provide audit trails for every single district asset.

Diana Freeman, executive director of media and instructional technology in Johnston County, North Carolina, reports “we can now prove that we’ve cut waste and inefficiency, and we can allocate the money saved to other areas of need in the district.”

Previous to adopting Destiny Resource Manager, Johnston County administrators had attempted to merge 42 different inventory databases (one for each school). Their need for a new system became clear when the data became unviable and they started losing track of assets. Administrators also wanted to distribute assets fairly across this fast-growing district. By implementing Destiny, they were able to reduce their losses by 75% and eliminate redundant technology purchases.

As Johnston County transitioned to Destiny, the state of North Carolina began requiring purchase tracking and an annual asset inventory. Moving to Destiny also allowed the district to begin changing the faculty’s mindset from teacher ownership of assets to district ownership of assets.

With Destiny, Johnston County now tracks all of its asset purchases maximizing its investments and minimizing its losses. They no longer need to worry about who’s got their stuff, because they know exactly where those assets are and who is in charge of them.

Most district budgets can’t stretch as far as they need to go. As a result, there has been more demand for transparency and accuracy in managing district resources.

Public schools are generally funded with local property taxes, state funds and federal programs, so naturally every taxpayer wants to know how their money is being spent. Also, states regularly audit their districts to assess whether or not districts are good stewards of public resources. District accounting departments need dependable information, and a centralized system helps them become audit-proof.

So, the answer to the question is that the call for accountability is coming from multiple directions – district administrators, state auditors, and the public. Districts want to replace their manual process of asset management with an integrated system that:

• Reduces financial losses by assigning assets to specific individuals, locations or departments.
• Identifies and circulates each and every individual item, 24/7.
• Responds to funding audits by knowing exactly where assets are and who is responsible for them.
• Knows the value of assets from purchase price to current depreciated values.
• Conducts and reports inventory status and value at any time.
• Shares assets across the district as needed.
• Ensures proper asset maintenance by setting schedules.
• Records asset disposition at the end of its life cycle.
• Maintains a secure audit trail history
• Provides a help-ticket system.
• Collects fines & fees.

Mark Choi, instructional application analyst for the Bellevue, Washington school district, reports that they are in year four of using Destiny Resource Manager to track technology assets.

Choi recalls, “The district wanted more accountability for electronic devices. They now have a higher level of confidence in the inventory of assets. Before our system was cumbersome, time consuming, and not necessarily accurate.”

Bellevue is currently implementing a 1:1 initiative. Destiny helps them check devices in and out to the students. They plan to roll out the 1:1 initiative in all middle and high schools over the next two years.

Now that the district has experienced “good” audits of their mobile devices, they want to expand their asset management program to include other assets that are assigned to students such as textbooks, instruments, uniforms, and lab equipment.

Expanding their use of Destiny allows Bellevue to realize all of the aspects of good fiscal management detailed above. Efficient management of resources means that savings can be allocated to other district needs.

In the world of perpetual budget constraints, this alone is a reason to transition to an integrated resource management system.

Believe it or not, this is not a random or ridiculous question; there are numerous news stories on You Tube you can view anytime. It turns out that school districts lose track of all sorts of assets: furniture, band instruments, science lab equipment, uniforms, weight machines, lawn tractors, textbooks, video equipment and now mobile computer devices.

Large school districts often lose hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars in lost assets. Small districts also have losses. One district in the Northeast found a piano, several tubas and approximately $5,000 of other assets when they implemented a district-wide resource management program. Historically, most schools have used spreadsheets to manage their assets. Tech savvy schools have kept their assets in a FileMaker Pro or Access database. But very few districts have an integrated asset management system that allows them to manage assets efficiently.

The tipping point of change has been the flood of laptop and tablet devices into schools. The significant investment that these devices represent highlights the need to have a centralized system. With constrained budgets, it is critical for districts to effectively deploy their resources to support instruction and learning. Essentially, it is about getting the right assets to the right student at the right time.

Some schools are surprised to learn that they already have a tool in their district that can be used to manage all district assets. Destiny Resource Manager is a part of Destiny; an integrated software platform that also includes textbook, library materials, and media management systems. It’s common for schools to use Destiny as their library management system. So, it’s a simple matter for them to adopt Destiny to manage other assets such as textbooks and mobile devices.

Scott Smith, chief technology officer in North Carolina’s Mooresville school district, reports that they use Destiny to keep track of more than 6,000 mobile devices. “Destiny is vitally important to use to keep up with where the device is and who it belongs to. Knowing where the device is allows us to be fiscally responsible.”

Effective resource management can result in cost savings that can be redirected to other district priorities. And these savings are supplemented by the decrease in staff time required to manage a centralized, internet browser-based program.

Here is a short list of why districts should consider an asset management system. It allows them the opportunity to:

• Centralize information and reduce costs.
• Support instructional goals with efficient resource deployment.
• Respond to district and state audits.
• Create transparency for spending of public funds.
• Reduce redundant purchases.
• Reallocate savings to other district needs.

The good news is that by implementing such a system, it’s unlikely your district will lose track of any pianos!