Furthermore, Epson’s Moderator software allows teachers to see which students are connected to the Epson projector. If a student closes the iProjection app, the color of their name changes, enabling teachers to manage the classroom without having to walk over to a student’s iPad to see if they are focused and working on the task at hand.
After attending FETC, Lewis consulted with BCI Integrated Solutions, a Tampa based integrator of audio visual systems, regarding his interest in implementing the Epson Finger-Touch interactive projectors.
“Tampa Prep has tried to keep up with leading edge technology. The school wanted to work with us to come up with a new platform and between Chad and I we made the decision to implement the Epson projectors,” says Mike Fraioli, vice president of AV sales and design at BCI Integrated Solutions. “It was the first and only projector that did interactive touch with your finger with no marker board necessary. The Epson product was leading edge.”
BCI Integrated Solutions began the installation in 2014, with 20 classrooms receiving Epson BrightLink 595wi projectors.
“All of our active learning environment rooms in the middle school have a minimum of two Epson595wi projectors, one on each opposite wall. Some classrooms have two Epson projectors plus a monitor, and they are all integrated with a distribution app so you can take the same signal from the front and put it throughout the room,” says Lewis. “That was part of the concept of being able to tear down the front of the classroom because every student can face whatever screen is most local to them and get a great visual experience.”
Because the Epson 595wi projectors use wall spaces instead of marker boards to display images, the walls of the classrooms needed to be smoothed-out in order to become an interactive surface.
“Since this was a new product that was finger touch with no marker board, the biggest challenge was trying to get the wall surfaces to be perfectly smooth to make it work with the walltalkers,” says Fraioli. “Since we wanted this to be an entirely collaborative space and not have to work with a marker board in particular, those walls really had to be perfect so it was a challenge to work with the general contractor to get the things right and they did. We met the target date of the customer to get all of these systems online and operational. It turned out really good for a product that was first off the ground.”
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