The Benefits Of Classroom Technology Carts
By: Miles Konopka
When you look at the specialized classroom technology carts of today, they are required to perform many tasks. They must meet the requirements of ever-changing AV gear and laptop design. They need to be cost-effective and secure our investments like a vault. But, when it comes down to their main task, they are all transporters.
That's right; a cart's not a cart unless it has wheels and can move your gear. So, why is it that some carts move your classroom technology gear better than others?
Wheel Design
Certain wheels and their size just move your cart better. Here's a good rule of thumb. A 3-inch caster or wheel is a great choice for a cart that stays in the classroom. This size wheel does great on a tiled classroom floor. A 4-inch wheel does even better going from classroom to classroom. This is especially true when you must go over a transition from carpet to tile. But a 5-inch soft wheel caster lets you steer that cart out to the portable classrooms. If you have to go across the grass, make sure the cart has at least an 8-inch air tire.
Who knew wheels played such an important part? Let's look at what holds the wheels. The casters allow your cart to steer and rotate in a tight spot. It's a great device. It's also a dangerous solution when a cart is overloaded and top-heavy. That means that you have probably decided that the top of your cart would be a great place to transport that extra computer down the hall.
Here's the situation. Most carts used in classrooms today are designed with four swivel casters. This means that the cart has no true direction that it steers. On short moves, it's great, parks easily, and turns on its own length. Taking it on a longer straight run, it can go down the hall sideways. Get a long cart turned sideways, and it can tip over on something as simple as a crack in the floor.
Carts that take long rides are usually equipped with a swivel caster set and a fixed caster set of wheels. Next time you're in the food store, check out the wheels on the shopping cart. This cart takes long rides, and the fixed and swivel caster configuration keeps it tracking straight.
Brakes
Who said anything about stopping? Cart brakes are more for staying positioned than for stopping. Remember a cart with a projector on board only needs to move a quarter-inch to throw that image a foot off of the screen. I watched a presentation completely bomb because the presenter leaned on an unbraked cart and moved the projected image every time he changed slides.
How are you going to move the cart? Well, hopefully, your cart designer has used an ergonomic evaluation to design a push-pull handle on your cart. Believe me, you are the only push power a cart has. When they are filled up with gear, they can weigh up to 450 pounds. That's a lot of weight to control.
Organization
When it comes to organizing, a cart-based technology solution makes sense. It provides a natural podium and workspace. It lives at a point in the room where presenters thrive and becomes the home base for all of the presentation gear. The classroom AV cart pictured in this article represents the modern portability of classroom multimedia technology carts that are available today. It not only transports the gear, but presents it and optimizes its outcomes.
The mainstay of any AV cart is a digital projector. This device illuminates images from computers, VCR DVD players, and digital document cameras. Having all of those devices integrated in the cart and ready for use is the process that keeps the teacher's lesson flowing smoothly. The transition of support medium is critical when you move from a live Web site on your computer to a DVD and then to a real-time image that's happening under the document camera.
I have watched skilled educators engage their students with this type of presentation. And, it's just not the teacher making the presentation happen. The preschooler and second-grader featured in the pictures are using a digital document camera. This real-time device is connected full-time on this cart. It even has a fold-out side shelf dedicated to it.
The students are making an active contribution to the lesson and have been provided an ergonomic work surface from which to present. Remember that all of this is happening in a space that is only 20 inches by 30 inches, and, when they are done, it folds down and parks even tighter. Now, that's value.
Learning Styles
When you teach a student today, you want to be able to offer as many mediums as you can for learning. One area that is often overlooked is dynamic sound. Most modern classroom AV carts are going to consider this as a main feature of their product. Some are even assembled with subwoofers for rich bass and quality sound. It's the dynamic range that a quality-built AV cart uses that makes the presentation and the lesson adhere to the learner.
Value
When it comes to value, there is no better value for deploying technology in a classroom than a cart. Why? It's simple—versatility. A cart can perform multiple functions and be deployed at many locations when needed.
Dollar for dollar, a fully loaded AV classroom cart costs about one-third of the investment of a ceiling-mounted solution. Most modern specialized AV classroom technology carts have already been tested to support their equipment and allow it to integrate seamlessly into a smooth-running multimedia presentation for the classroom teacher.
The classroom AV cart can also be standardized with its equipment and allows a simple learning curve for presenters and maintenance technicians. The cart has a way of grouping all of your AV gear into a compact assembly and allows a quick inventory of all components.
Expanding a cart-based solution is less expensive, as well, since most upgrades can be deployed without interruption. Just roll in a loaner and take the upgradeable cart for expansion.
The AV cart has been around for a long time, and, with the modern versions available, it still proves to be a winner for the classroom.
Miles A Konopka is president of Interactive Communications Research Inc., www.discoverycartav.com.
