The partnership between AV and education began with a simple
slide projector in science class decades ago, and has swelled to
a seismic shift toward AV technology in the classroom. Essential
teaching tools like documents cameras, networked projectors and
projection screens, interactive whiteboards, and room control
systems have changed the pedagogy of K-12 and higher education
alike. Distance learning is an important outcrop of AV and
education, allowing long-distance collaboration and creating
virtual learning environments that would otherwise not exist.
Investments in classroom, building-wide, and campus-wide AV
systems are coming at a time when student ranks are growing
fast. According to the National Center for Education Statistics,
in the United States alone, a record of nearly 49.8 million
students were attending public elementary and secondary schools
in the last quarter of 2009. A record 18.4 million students are
attending U.S. 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities. To
better serve students' nee