3/12/2018 Multimedia Projectors: A Key Component in the Classroom of the Future -- THE Journal

Multimedia Projectors: A Key

Component in the Classroom of the
Future
06/01/02

Classrooms have changed dramatically over the last decade with the advent of new technologies
and equipment developed to make teaching and learning more diversified and interactive. Today,
more teachers than ever are using multimedia projectors in the classroom. Students no longer have
to crowd around a computer monitor to view presentations, Web sites or training programs.
Multimedia projectors are becoming the centerpiece of classroom technology hubs that directly
engage students and add impact to each lesson.

Identifying Classroom Needs

The education market's growing interest in multimedia projectors has led to increased research
and development efforts from product manufacturers. In the past, educators had to adapt
projectors that were intended for business use. When educators wanted a portable projector, they
often settled for reduced image quality, fewer connection options and a machine that could get very
hot if run over long periods. However, when educators wanted a projector to perform at a high
level for many hours, and could accommodate multiple connections, they likely settled for a large
machine stationed in a multimedia center or other shared room where they had to relocate their
class for that lesson - making it impractical for daily use. In both cases, these projectors were often
difficult to operate, requiring assistance from an audiovisual specialist. The good news is that more
products are being introduced to meet specific classroom needs.

To get a better understanding of exactly what teachers, media and AV specialists are looking for,
Philips recently worked with Quality Education Data Inc. (QED) to survey 500 educators and
media specialists in U.S. public schools to learn more about technology and equipment trends in K-
12 classrooms. Most significantly, the study uncovered how highly educators value multimedia
projectors as essential classroom tools. In fact, AV specialists who participated predict a projector
in every classroom within the next five years (see chart below).

Important Features and Classroom Applications

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3/12/2018 Multimedia Projectors: A Key Component in the Classroom of the Future -- THE Journal

Educators identified the following key features as what they liked best when purchasing a
projector, in order of those most important to them: picture performance, resolution, long lamp
life, product portability, brightness, PC connections and quiet operation. Other attributes
considered critical included overall projector performance, ease of use, purchase price and cost of
operation. In short, the study showed schools need affordable, high-performing, highly versatile
and easy to use projectors.

When inquiring about what applications multimedia projectors are being used for (see chart
below), 91 percent of the educators surveyed who are currently using a multimedia projector
indicated their most common use is for multimedia presentations. Educators commented that
disseminating information to students in more than one form -whether through the combined use
of text, audio, graphics or full-motion video - increases the student's chance of grasping and
learning the lesson. Approximately 89 percent said they used the units for projecting computer
screen images of the Internet or other PC applications while teaching, and 45 percent said they
used them to display movies in the classroom.

Teacher, Student Benefits

When asked how multimedia projectors affected the teaching and learning experience, several
areas of influence were identified, including visual aid, greater flexibility for alternative teaching
methods, enhanced teacher demonstrations, heightened student awareness and customized
curriculum applications.

Visual aid. Multimedia projectors allow teachers to provide diverse content to all students in the
classroom at once, allowing students to have a visual and colorful learning experience during a
given lesson. These projectors are perfect for this generation's visually oriented youth because they
help make abstract concepts easier to understand.

Alternative way of teaching. By not forcing a teacher to rely solely on books, a multimedia
projector makes more educational information available to students. It changes conventional
habits and rituals in the classroom. In fact, some survey participants believe a multimedia
projector could soon replace the chalkboard and overhead projector.

Makes teaching easier and better. Instead of having students crowd around a PC, the entire
class can view one big screen without difficulty. The multimedia projector has made the teaching of
Internet-related subjects and the demonstration of new software applications much easier -
heightening stu-dents' awareness and expectations, while captivating their attention and
increasing their motivation. The projectors also accommodate the electronic submission and
viewing of student work.

Customized curriculum applications. Projectors are being used for a variety of curriculum-
specific applications. In language arts, a teacher linked up to an author's Web site to provide
greater insight and impact to a reading assignment. A science teacher created a PowerPoint
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3/12/2018 Multimedia Projectors: A Key Component in the Classroom of the Future -- THE Journal

presentation to demonstrate a frog dissection. In social studies, a teacher developed a tornado

presentation for increased audio and visual impact. For math classes, projectors have been used to
teach students how to work with spreadsheets, calculate formulas, and utilize charts and graphs.
Athletic departments show practice and game films, as well as illustrate plays, with the ability to
pause, reverse and update them spontaneously.

Summary of Findings

With an average of 30 classrooms per school, 68 percent of respondents indicated they are
currently using multimedia projectors. Among these users, more than 80 percent are using
portable units in the classroom to display multimedia presentations and project images from the
computer screen for teaching. Teachers believe the minimum number of projectors each school
should have is 16, even though most schools average less than four. Despite keen interest in
multimedia projectors, more than 90 percent of those surveyed have traditional technologies
available to them (see chart below), including: TVs (97 percent), VCRs (96.2 percent), PC networks
(86.4 percent), and laptop or desktop computers (82 percent). In addition, fewer than 25 percent
of those surveyed have access to interactive whiteboards and DVD players, which are perfect
complements to multimedia projectors.

We gained valuable insights from the survey. We learned that although educators have strong
opinions and ideas of what tools they need to succeed, the majority of technology currently being
installed in classrooms is fairly traditional. This includes TVs and VCRs - equipment that trends
show could be replaced in the near future by multimedia projectors and DVD players. So, if you're
making technology investments that need to last for several years, keep in mind the future of
multimedia equipment.

Philips' TechOver Sweepstakes

Register by June 30, 2002, for Philips' TechOver Sweepstakes and your school could win a
complete multimedia system from Philips. Two winning schools will be selected in July to receive a
classroom 'TechOver' prize package, which includes a cSmart projector, VCR and DVD player,
portable audio system, monitor, and CD-RW drive. For more information, visit
www.philips.com/education.

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