Gary Kayye returned to UB Tech 2019 to paint a picture of the future of classroom technology in his welcoming address on “How Networked-AV will change EVERYTHING on campus.”
A professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism, Kayye is one of the leading voices on AV strategy and implementations and is the founder and president of rAVe [Publications].
He highlighted how technology has dramatically improved the user experience over a very short time. For example, he described how laser technology has replaced lamps in projectors, pointing to a small projector at the back of the hall that was delivering a clear, sharp image to the screen 150 feet away.
“But what we haven’t done as an industry—what we haven’t had to do previously—is focus on the people,” he said. “We are in the midst of a big generational change.”
How is this generational change going to matter?
Unlike earlier generations, Kayye said, Gen Zers are mobile natives. They were preceded by millennials, who were the mobile pioneers, and they’ve always known mobile connectivity.
Pointing to his iPhone, Kayye said the device was the “worst performing consumer electronics product in history,” but also the most used consumer electronics product in history.
“Think about the irony of that. The mobile pioneers went through this thinking: ‘My phone disconnected; something’s wrong.’ But for Generation Z, it’s normal to reboot something to make it work. Perfection, in their world, never existed. They are perfectly fine with the way things are.”
Kayye listed some other points about Gen Zers that will lead to technology changes on campus. For example, they demand a simple interface on the devices they use. They are digital first and have always been that way. It’s what they have known since they were young.
For them, he said, online is “IRL” (in real life).
Returning to his theme, Kayye explained that networked-AV will mean that classrooms will become active learning rooms that are reconfigurable based on lessons. The bulk of content will be digitally delivered, and collaboration will be built into the products they use. Moreover, BYOD will be easier. Networks will be able to accommodate any device that students own, so they can instantly connect.
“The point is that it is happening now,” Kayye said. “Over the next two to three years, everything is going to go across networks. There are universities doing that switch now. Up to 25% of them are on that path. You have the ability now; the question is whether you want to do it.”
All three keynotes at UB Tech® 2019 are available to view live online for any higher ed leaders unable to attend the conference in person, made possible by the exclusive streaming partner of UB Tech®, Mediasite.
Trusted by more than 1,700 colleges and universities, Mediasite Video Platform and Mediasite Video Cloud quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand videos for campus events, lecture capture and flipped learning. Learn more at www.mediasite.com/education/
View Gary Kayye’s keynote here: How Networked-AV Will Change EVERYTHING on Campus
