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  • 1.  a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 07-21-2021 01:28 PM
    To all,
    I am hoping some of you can share the following information regarding the future of AV equipment and setups for Virtual or Hybrid learning at your school: 

    1. Do you plan to leave webcams and microphones in your classrooms to start next school year?
    2. If yes to the above question, what equipment are you using (make and model of microphones, cameras and other equipment).
    3. If your school is leaving the AV equipment in your classrooms is this
      • only to be prepared for the need to quickly move to virtual or hybrid again or
      • because you have a longer range plan to also offer Distance Learning as an option in the future?
    Please reach out if you have any questions. I will make sure to share back a summary of what I learn with the group.
    Thank you in advance for any information you can share.
    Scott Perloff
    Director of Educational Technology, K-12
    Brentwood School
    Los Angeles, CA

    #SustainingInnovationandLookingAhead
    #ITSystemsandSupport

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    Scott Perloff
    Brentwood School
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  • 2.  RE: a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 07-22-2021 09:22 AM
    Hi Scott,
    We have collected our cameras & mics. We are allowing them to be checked out as needed for outside speakers etc.

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    Larisa Luca
    Manager of Technology Support Services
    The Lawrenceville School
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 07-22-2021 09:22 AM
    We are keeping Logitech C615 webcams in rooms for this year, in case of students needing to quarantine due to exposure, since the vaccine is not approved for younger children yet. With that said, it's possible we will give teachers a choice in future years whether to keep or remove the webcams. We are not planning to support distance/hybrid learning post-COVID, although some teachers have previously done virtual exchanges and thus may want to keep the cameras, and hybrid learning may be useful in lower grades during yearly cold/flu season.

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    David Fulton-Howard
    Technical Service Specialist
    McDonogh School
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 07-22-2021 04:18 PM
    We're assuming full in-person learning in the fall, and have removed the cameras and laptops we had in classrooms to drive Zoom sessions. We're waiting until mid-August to remove the ceiling microphones since they're a little more work to put back should our plans change. But all of this is reversible if the need arises.

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    Dan McCarriar
    Chief Information Officer
    Sidwell Friends School
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 07-22-2021 04:19 PM
    We actually repurposed our iMac lab machines to several classrooms. Teachers were able to easily see the online students and the built-in cameras and mics worked really well. A number of our teachers just used Chromebooks to connect remote students, and Google meet allowed them to record the class and deploy to their existing Google Classroom so all students could review the class. We are able to quickly redeploy the same solutions if needed.

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    Hayley Gunther
    Educational Technologist
    Academy of the New Church Secondary Schools
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 07-23-2021 02:19 PM
    We yanked them all in hopes of never seeing them again. They will be in a closet just in case.

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    Brian Hoyt
    French American School of Puget Sound
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 07-28-2021 08:50 AM
    Moving into the Hybrid whirlwind of 2020 we had inexpensive webcams that we purchased on Amazon that we connected to our Clevertouch interactive whiteboards. The addition of the remote student on the screen in the classroom proved to be a distraction to both sides of the camera. During the summer, we decided to take the cameras out.

    All of our faculty have Surface Pro's that have a webcam on them. When the faculty limited the interaction with the remote students to their laptops and communicated with them via a Bluetooth headset, their were fewer distractions to both sides of the camera. While we are moving forward with a fully in person model, I am hoping with all of my being that we do not have to return to a hybrid or fully remote state again. We are not going to put cameras back on the boards again if we can help it. In the event that we do, I have them stored in a box and can get them back out in a short period of time.

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    Daniel Blystone
    Director of IT
    TMI Episcopal
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: a few questions about AV tools for virtual learning moving forward

    Posted 08-02-2021 10:08 AM
    I gave all of our teachers a bin to hold their webcams, flat disc extendable mics, document cameras, projector remotes and adapters. They were not happy about the hyflex learning stuff being in their classroom since we are headed to 100% in person, but I'd rather they sit unused in a closet than have to run around and distribute them if needed or deal with signing them out.

    I documented who had what during our end of year tech checkout process. The bins are stored in their classroom closet or in my office if there wasn't a place to lock them.

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    Mary Beth Hertz
    Friends Select School
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    Original Message


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