New @ InfoComm 2016

I’ve been an educational technology director for 25 years, with a significant track record in large educational technology and AV purchases. I returned from walking every aisle of InfoComm 2016, searching for promising trends, developments, and products that might offer value for the education market.

What does an educator see? I look for both memes that make sense in education as well as the practical solution: the product that potentially meet a need or solves a pain somewhere in my organization. Something crisply new and eye-catching can also spark a burgeoning idea in an educator’s mind. And at times, we chuckle when we see the emperor’s new clothes (vaporware, hype, or solutions in search of a problem to solve).

Frankly, this year’s InfoComm hoopla—from an educator’s perspective only—left me underwhelmed. There were no blockbusters, killer educational technologies, nor grand entrances as in past years. There was little to get us to stand to our feet and applaud great educational potential. This was a tepid year—a year of stolid incrementalism at best. Nevertheless, here are some of my ed-market visualizer observations:

A Document Camera Uptick? 

This year I noticed far more document camera companies displaying their wares (Qomo, Elmo, Wolf, HoverCam, et. al.) But does this represent an uptick in document camera sales? Not really. Some data suggest that 60% of U.S. classrooms already have document cameras. So here's a trend I am seeing: It seems each of these companies is moving away from their core competency (manufacturing visualizers) and branching out to ancillary markets by retooling or creating alliances. Thus, these companies were all featuring lecture recording devices, 360° cameras, collaboration software, presentation stations, or other technologies that leverage their know-how. Still, I wish these companies understood a bit better how to reach the remaining 40% of viz-less classrooms, and how to enter the legacy replacement market in a more positive and proactive way. I wish I could hep them more...