Hello Tosh
Today a number of us are being shown some of the latest Toshiba technology. Two parties of Kent colleagues were invited; one lot have apparently broken down at Clackett Lane Services on the M25, and the others are a no-show, so we're light on numbers. A shame since Toshiba have gone to a lot of trouble to ensure we meet the right people.
So, what did we learn? here's the
Reduced Shakespeare Company Version:RFID, what is it? Radio Frequency IDentification. Its a small and cheap 'tag', can be sticky or built into something. It doesn't need power, and when activated by a reader sends out an identity.
Uses? tracking the location of assets, school meals, (attendance) etc. etc. There is an
RFID blog.
Tags are cheap (around 10p). Setup infrastructure costs, high. You need to have a basket of applications to make the technology viable in an educational setting.
Our challenge to Toshiba! Technology must demonstrate how investment in technology either saves money, reduces workload or adds educational value.
We saw
Toshiba printing solutions, and were intrigued by the use of
eCopy as a standard for printer document management.
The future's bright ... Orange projectors seem to be the thing for schools. This is to reduce their desirability to thieves. Most feature removeable keys to prevent their use. The Toshiba has to be reset if the power is removed and a pin number entered.
Our feeling is that insurance companies should recognise security features and use this to reduce premiums.
We also want to see fully networked projectors. Education has high volumes of projectors, and their management is an issue. We also think that a fully networked projector will allow streaming and signage! No signs of these yet.