New Projector Technology Increases Student Engagement

(Image credit: Casio Education Solutions)

Schools across the country are moving to lamp-free projectors in order to reduce the expense of replacing traditional mercury lamps and the associated labor costs. The result is longer product life for projectors and better ROI and TCO for schools and districts. In addition, the lamp-free projectors are better for the environment and consume 50% less power.

Casio, the leader in lamp-free technology, has designed a unique optical engine that combines the high luminance of a blue laser with a red LED which lasts up to 20,000 hours while sustaining a high brightness and keeping maintenance costs to a minimum. Schools are able to save money year after year with reduced power consumption and no lamps or filters to replace. 

For years, teachers who used projectors in the classroom had to stay in one place—the lecture position. In today’s classroom, teaching and learning is more collaborative in nature and more flexible and dynamic in terms of classroom design. To meet these new conditions, Casio’s latest lamp-free network projectors include a suite of educational tools to support teaching and learning in the technology-enabled classroom.

These tools yield positive results in the classroom through:

Increased Efficiency:  time and effort spent on establishing cable connections, switching inputs and making wireless settings is now significantly reduced with the One Click Connection, so that classes can recapture instructional time.

Student Collaboration:  the moderator function allows the teacher to select any student’s PC from anywhere in the classroom and project the content onto the screen. This is a practical way to stimulate collaboration through compare and contrast activities. A maximum of 40 devices can be connected simultaneously, including the teacher’s device.

Classroom Management:  students click the One Click Connection icon when they’ve completed an assignment. It alerts the teacher who can select students to present their solutions while moving about the classroom keeping an eye on student progress. Teachers can make these selections on a smart device without connecting to a student’s PC.

Student Engagement:  having the ability to project up to four student screens simultaneously can initiate vibrant conversations and student engagement. The technology supports a higher level of student interaction where students can deepen their understanding of issues and practice critical thinking.

Lesson Pacing:  using a smartphone or tablet as a remote, teachers can choose which screens to project from anywhere in the classroom. They can switch teaching materials, turn pages, or use a document camera, DVD, or other device connected to the projector to moderate the pace of instruction to maintain student interest and check for understanding.

Not only do the lamp-free Casio projectors make fewer demands on the environment and IT staff, they exhibit longer product life and greater utility in the classroom. New technology has also allowed engineers to build in additional tools that impact how projectors are used in the classroom—significantly improving ROI. However, the real benefits of new projector technology   are in how it can support and improve the classroom’s learning environment resulting in deeper learning for students.

For more information: on Casio’s Education Solutions, visit www.CasioLampFree.com

This article was sponsored by Casio Education Solutions.

Annie Galvin Teich has more than 25 years' experience in education writing and publishing. She is an edtech industry expert in content marketing and copywriting. As a regular contributor to Tech & Learning she focuses on the information needs of district decision makers.