it has been very helpful for me to attend InfoComm, probably the
biggest A/V trade show of them all. While a trade show is different
from a conference, it is a great learning opportunity. Pretty much
every vendor on the planet is there, offering an amazing variety of
classes, demos, etc. It can be overwhelming. I have only been twice,
but each time I have come away with significant, new, concrete knowhow
and much improved awareness of where A/V is going. I've started
working toward the basic level of A/V certification in connection with
the extensive building and renovation project in which Lab is
currently engaged. I believe it is in Las Vegas this year in June.
One example is document cameras; four years ago, I didn't know much
about these, but at InfoComm learned the basics and was able to review
in person six or eight different models with vendors on site (even won
one in a drawing). Now we have about 20 of them on campus and, faster
than any tech tool I can recall, have become indispensable tools in
our Lower School.
Last June, I learned about Tidebreak, a cool software collaboration
tool for sharing screens and documents in small and large groups, and
was able to start building a relationship with the company, working
with them this year on piloting some installations here as they
explore moving into the K-12 market.
Educomm, which really is a conference for A/V in higher ed, runs
parallel to InfoComm and has also been quite helpful. A few other K-12
folks have started popping up there.
Educause is the tech clearing house for higher ed. Their events have
also been helpful since many independent schools run more like small
colleges than typical K-12 schools, and many indie school IT leaders
are more like small college CIOs than anything else. There is a
regional event here in Chicago each fall.
Curt Lieneck
Director of Information Technology
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
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