In modern education, technology plays a critical role in everyday learning, going beyond the lecture to make information resonate and bringing new levels of engagement to a classroom. Schools can ignite students’ passion for learning with classroom technologies that allow students to collaborate with each other and with their instructor.
NEC Display Solutions’ new headquarters, therefore, includes an education vignette within its Briefing Center - a 6,000-square-foot space divided into 10 dedicated staging areas for each of its main verticals - to show school administrators and educators the collective power of the latest display technologies.
The Education Vignette
Education has been a major part of the NEC Display business for a long time. While NEC’s solutions and approach are constantly evolving, the technologies and the space’s design came together from years of experience and listening to its education customers’ needs.
The education vignette is intended to show how desktop, large-format and projectionbased display solutions are used in a classroom environment, as well as how each of these technologies can be used together to enable active learning and collaboration.
The Technologies
The UM351Wi-TM interactive ultra-short-throw projector with touch module and wall mount; the CB751Q 75-inch UHD collaboration display with built-in infrared touch, included passive pens, built-in system on a chip preloaded with Mosaic Canvas whiteboard software and Mosaic Connect wireless presenting; the E271N 27-inch narrow-bezel desktop monitor; and Mosaic Powered by DisplayNote all are featured in the education vignette.
The projector displays a 90-inch diagonal image on a low-glare whiteboard surface. Incorporated interactive modules allow for pen-based and touch control of an attached computer directly from the projection surface. In addition, an interactive large-format display is featured on a rolling stand to complement the collaborative experience. A desktop display and attached computer is used as an individual workstation that can be wirelessly connected with Mosaic software.
“The UM351W and CB751Q are uniquely designed for the needs of educators and their students,” said Ryan Pitterle, NEC Display Product Manager for projectors. “Simple solutions with intuitive and consistent user interfaces shorten the technology learning curve and allow educators to seamlessly integrate the technology into their individual teaching styles.”
All of the products used in the education vignette have been designed with this vertical in mind. Ultra short throw UM Series projectors are designed to reduce the shadow that had been common with standard throw projectors, and are ideal for teachers who want to present near their content and interact with their curriculum. The CB Series includes builtin infrared touch as well as passive pens to provide educators with options and the most intuitive experience possible.
Capable of 90- to 100-inch diagonal images, the interactive projector makes it possible for all students to see the screen. The interactive large-format display on a mobile stand validates the notion that small group collaboration is important in an active learning environment. The desktop display completes the circle and provides a space for individual learning. NEC displays are designed to be intuitive for users, and when used with consistent software like Mosaic, the solution makes possible real-time collaboration between users of the interactive projector, the interactive large format display and the desktop.
The Future of Education
The education vignette is a prime example of how NEC hardware, software and partner technology can combine to satisfy a need - in this case, to help educators facilitate active learning and keep their students engaged. The collaboration experience is intuitive and real, providing a glimpse of where the classroom environment is heading in the future.
