Redlands College
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Classroom audio visual (AV) systems provide the best possible learning environment for students. In the College’s new science building, this means interactive whiteboards and data projectors in every classroom. An Extron control system, supplied and supported by RGB Integration, is helping teachers maximise the time they spend working with students in classrooms and minimise time spent setting up AV.
Controls had to be consistent in every room, compatible with a broad range of input devices and, above all, easy for teachers to use. “In some of our other buildings, getting AV set up in a room takes teachers 10-15 minutes, as they need to switch inputs and adjust amplifier settings,” says Robert Richmond, the College’s IT Manager of Operations. “That either costs them time out of lessons, or means they avoid using the technology altogether.” Extron: A tick in every box “I wanted to get the entire solution from one vendor so we could be sure that every component would work together seamlessly and we’d have a single point of contact for support,” Robert states. “With RGB Integration, we have those single vendor advantages as well as the broad range of Extron equipment to cover all our AV infrastructure requirements.” In the new science block, the College’s IT team installed an Extron MLC 104 IP Plus controller in the teacher’s desk at the front of each room, with inputs for video, audio, network and VGA. This allows teachers to easily connect anything from a DVD player to an iPad and have its output displayed via the room’s data projector Underneath the desk, the controller is connected to an MLS 304 SA switcher, which in turn connects to the data projector to switch video sources, and sends the audio signal to the roof-mounted SI 3CT speakers. Ease-of-use “The most important thing is that it gets teachers up and running quickly in the classroom,” Robert states. In the science block, he says teachers are ready to go in the time it takes to press two buttons: one to turn on the power, the other to select the source. Teachers no longer lose the 10-15 minutes it otherwise takes to set up AV in other buildings – time they can ill-afford given the limited number of hours they have with students. “Teachers are getting exactly the same result that they would in other rooms, but they’re getting it much quicker. It’s easy, intuitive, flexible and means they can get straight on with the job of teaching,” Robert says. The easy-to-use controllers also provide a flow-on benefit for Robert and his staff, who now deal with significantly less connectivity issues from teachers. “Since introducing the Extron-based system, we rarely receive support calls from teachers trying to connect to the projectors. This means they’re saving time, and allows us to focus on other tasks.” Service and support “To start with, I was offered a free training course on configuring the equipment,” he says. “That course showed me how to configure the College’s Extron equipment, saving the time and money we would have had to devote to a third-party systems integrator.” RGB Integration’s support again proved invaluable during setup. Extron has a substantial library of projector drivers for the MLC 104 IP Plus, but the College’s specific model wasn’t included at the time of installation. According to Robert, RGB Integration immediately collaborated with Extron US-based engineers, ensuring a custom driver was developed – free of charge – and delivered within a matter of days. With the College relying heavily on the reliability and robustness of its Extron equipment, the high levels of support afforded by RGB Integration are crucial. “The comprehensive nature of the support we get from RGB Integration ensures students and teachers have a virtually seamless AV experience in the new science building,” Robert states. Future-proofed scalability The extensive library of projector drivers already available, and the quick turnaround from Extron’s American engineers, means the transition will be smooth if the College ever changes to a different data projector provider. Inputs on the controllers can also be easily reconfigured if teachers require different input formats in the future. “RGB Integration provides us with great support, and the quality and reliability of the equipment is second to none,” Robert concludes. “Even more importantly though, the Extron controllers are making things easy for our teachers and helping them focus on their students. At the end of the day, that’s what matters the most.” |
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“Since introducing the Extron-based system, we rarely receive support calls from teachers trying to connect to the projectors. This means they’re saving time, and allows us to focus on other tasks.”". Robert Richmond |
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Left to Right - Dale Lopez- ICT in Learning Co-ordinator
and Robert Richmond - IT Manger of Operations |
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