Label Matic

Whether it’s for visitor tags, shipping labels or even organizing the boxes and drawers in the typical classroom, every school needs at least one label printer. OKI Data’s LE840 uses thermal technology so there’s no ink or ribbons needed to print a variety of labels. It can connect via the school LAN, USB, serial or parallel ports, has a resolution of 300-dots per inch and can even print bar codes for equipment tags.

 

Two-For Scans

Multi-function printers are a great way to print copy and scan items, but the devices that end up at schools rarely have a dual-element scanner to digitize both sides of a sheet in one pass. Samsung’s $6,950 CLX-8640ND and $8,340 CLX-8650ND have dual-scan technology and the ability to pump out between 40- and 51-pages per minute, depending on which model you get. Inside is a 1GHz dual-core processor and the printer’s functions are controlled with a 7-inch touch screen that’s easy to figure out.

Teaching without the PC

The digital classroom requires a computer and monitor, right? Not anymore with a bunch of new thin or zero clients. The latest from Samsung and ViewSonic are so simple, powerful and secure that you might not miss having a PC around.

Samsung’s newest thin- and zero-clients are built right in the company’s displays, the TC191W, TC241W, NC191 and NC241, which rely on VDI and desktop virtualization technology to make them more than just screens. Both systems are available with traditional 4:3 aspect ratio 19- and wide-screen 24-inch LCD displays.

The TC series is a thin client built around a 1GHz AMD Ontario processor, 2GB of RAM and Radeon HD6290 graphics. It uses the familiar Windows interface so it’ll be easy to figure out and the system can be run as a Citrix or VMware system or to log onto the school’s network via the built-in Web browser. The more minimalist NC series is a zero-client display that uses a Teradici Tera 2321 processor and relies on PC-over-IP technology that grabs everything that’s needed from a server.

A big bonus is that either can client display save lots of money on acquisition, maintenance and electricity because they use only about 30 watts of power. Pricing starts at $477 

By contrast, ViewSonic’s lineup of thin and zero clients place the emphasis on value by not including a screen. This is usually the least expensive part of the equation and most schools have several monitors sitting around just waiting to be reused. With pricing that starts at a hard to beat $200, these devices have the ability to fit into any school’s infrastructure.

The SC-T35 thin client use TI’s ARM-based DM8148 processor and Linux software to work with Citrix ICA/HDX, VMware and MS RemoteFX protocols in a school setting. The SC-T45 setup is based on an Atom N2800 processor for a Windows interface that everyone will be familiar with. Both have Ethernet and WiFi networking built-in and can drive an HD monitor while using less than 36 watts.

If a minimalist client infrastructure is in the future of your school, ViewSonic’s SC-Z55 could help out with a zero client that provides accelerated VMware PCoIP operations. Inside is the Teradici Tera 2321 processor and the system gets all its software from a server.

Listen Up

There’s nothing like classroom amplification to make any teacher sound better and louder. Crestron’s MP-AMP40 amplifier is small, lightweight and can save on electricity. The Class D design and doesn’t require a fan, so its whisper quiet. It puts out 40-watts of power and has RCA and mini jack inputs as well as terminal block outputs. It has bass, treble and volume controls and because the MP-AMP40 meets the UL 2043 standard it can be installed behind a wall, in the ceiling or just about anywhere. 

The Monitor Hangs Out

Classrooms and projectors go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Well, a new generation of inexpensive flat-screen monitors and TVs could make that adage obsolete. The problem is how to set up a 60-pound display for the whole class to see. The answer is purpose-built mounting hardware that can stand up to the stresses involved and allow the screen to be moved around. 

It’s a well-kept secret that most big monitors and TVs (plus a good deal of smaller ones) have mounting screws on them that, thanks to standardization by VESA, mate with the mounting hardware. The only question that remains is how big do you want to go?

For really big screens, Premier Mounts’ AM501 comes through with the ability to securely hold up to a 500-pound display. It can accommodate a screen size of between 80- and 90-inches and the monitor can be set up in portrait or landscape orientation. It sturdily holds the display in place yet can tilt up and down 4-degrees and swivel 90-degrees to provide a variety of viewing angles. It costs $1,600.

By contrast, Ergotron’s Neo-Flex mounting kit has a cantilever arm that allows the screen to pivot out from the wall to divide the room into two separate teaching areas. It can also fold right up against the wall providing a good view for all in the room. It’s “X” mount allows the Neo-Flex to work with monitors and TVs from 23- to 42-inches and tops out at 80-pounds. The kit costs $179.

Visicec’s VFS-DH desktop stand doubles up on monitors by accommodating a pair of 24-inch screens, creating a roughly 42-inch composite display that can show one large image or two independent items. It may have a black line down the middle where the monitors meet but it is a unique way to display how a science experiment works or show the video of a political speech on one screen and the text on the other. Made of extruded aluminum, the mount can be adjusted so that the screens can move up to 20-degrees in any direction, handle up to total of 26.5-pounds and work with touch-screens. It occupies a modest 16.6- by 12-inches of desktop space and sells for $239.

The WLB243 may not be able to support the big screens, but it is the cheapskate’s choice because at $7, it’s less than the sales tax on some of the others. Small and light, it is made of powder coasted aluminum and is able to securely hold up to a 35-pound 24-inch monitor or TV the kit has a universal “X” mount. The screen can be swiveled, tilted and panned so everyone gets a good view. In addition to all the hardware you’ll ever need, it has a secret weapon: a bubble level to make sure it sits straight.

What if you don’t have any walls big enough to mount a monitor? Chief’s MCSV mounting hardware can let it hang from the ceiling. The mounting kit allows the display to be rotated between portrait and landscape orientations. At the touch of the fingertips, it can tilt 5-degrees forward or up to 20-degrees back and tops out at a 55-inch screen that weighs 125 pounds. It costs $140. 

The Keyboard is the Computer

Look carefully at DiabloTek’s U310 keyboard because it has a full PC inside with a 1.8GHz Atom processor, 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. This makes it perfect for use in a small computer lab, library or kiosk in a school's public areas. It has wired networking as well as WiFi, a pair of speakers and comes with Linux software installed. The whole thing is remarkably quiet and uses less than 20 watts of power. All you'll need is a monitor.

 

The Big Board

Tired of annoying shadows interrupting your projector-based lesson? Samsung’s E-board Touch 650TS-2 can help with a classroom-sized touch monitor. With a 65-inch display, the E-Board Touch is large enough for the whole class to see and can rival classroom projectors with brighter, sharper images. It uses tiny cameras mounted at each corner to interpret finger movements so you don’t even have to touch the screen to get a response. Because it has an estimated lifespan of 50,000 hours – more than 30 years of typical classroom use – you’ll never have to buy or change a projector lamp ever again. On the downside, it costs $7,952.

Follow-Me Cam

Looking for a video camera that has the bonus of following the subject where he or she might go in the classroom? Satarii’s Swivl holds an iPhone so that its camera can record a lesson. The key is Swivl’s electronic handheld marker, which controls the camera and can pivot 360-degrees horizontally as well as up 10-degrees and down 20-degrees automatically keeps its holder on camera at up to 33-feet away. The $180 device can turn a lesson into a downloadable video for a sick child and works with most iPhones and recent iPod Touch models, but not with an iPad.

Point and Teach

Who says you can’t do two things at once? Tripp-Lite’s Keyspan Presentation Pro Gyro remote control is a small handheld device that lets you take control of a computer, move slides and highlight items on-screen, all while roaming freely around the classroom.

With its pair of AAA batteries, the handheld remote control weighs just 2.2-ounces and is 4.3-inches long. Its sculpted black and blue case fits comfortably into a teacher’s hand, but might end up being too large for smaller students to use.

The remote comes with a tiny USB transmitter that can be hidden inside it when not in use; there’s also a handy soft pouch. After plugging it into a PC or Mac, you press the tiny connect button on the back and it takes a few minutes for the automatic installation process to be completed. Have a sharp pencil ready because the button is slightly recessed.

The beauty of the remote control is that the remote remembers the computer so that the controller can travel with a teacher all day going from room (and computer) to room. On the downside, there’s no software available to set it up with an iPad or Android tablet.

Inside is the combination of a gyroscope, accelerometer and sophisticated software that can translate its motion into movements of the computer’s pointer around on the screen. All you need to do is wave the Pro Gyro in the air to nudge the pointer around. The handheld can perform right- and left-clicks on any item and mimic a standard gaming controller pad.

The Pro Gyro has a variety of controls, including a four-way arrow ring, plus and minus keys as well as an escape button. There’s a power switch on the side that lets you turn it on as well as select Gaming or Presentation mode. My favorite, though, is the remote’s ability to wake up a computer that has gone to sleep for instant access.

Overall, the action is a little jittery and using the handheld controller takes some practice, but just about anything you can do with a mouse, you can do with the Gyro Pro, from across the room. There are controls for moving a PowerPoint slide show forward or back a slide at a time as well as raise or lower the volume. Its button at the bottom of the Pro Gyro that promises to blank the screen in PowerPoint didn’t work with Microsoft’s PowerPoint Viewer, but was fine for the full version of the software.

A big bonus is the Pro Gyro’s red laser that can help highlight anything, projected or physical. With a wireless range of 48-feet, the Pro Gyro can be used in even a large classroom or lecture hall. It is so versatile and useful that no digital classroom should be without one

A

Tripp-Lite Keyspan Presentation Pro Gyro (PR-PRO4)

Price: $75

+ Quick automatic set up

+ Works with Windows and Mac computers

+ Inexpensive

+ Good range

+ Small and light

+ Laser pointer

 

- Doesn’t work with an iPad or Android tablet

- No mute button

 

 

 

Power Printer

Say goodbye to waiting for tests and worksheets to print with Samsung’s $300 CLP 680ND. The color laser printer can pump out 25 pages-per-minute, print on both sides of a sheet and can connect via USB or a networking port. Able to deliver bright and vibrant 9,600 by 600 dot per inch documents, the CLP 680ND uses Samsung’s latest polymerized toner. It features smaller more uniform toner particles that translate into sharper text and lower electricity bills. The printer’s ReCP technology sharpens the edges of images and text by adding extra dots along the edges, ensuring excellent prints.