T&L’s judges deemed these higher education technology tools as standouts for helping students, parents, and teachers succeed as they head back to school
As schools get ready for the 2021-22 school year, Tech & Learning’s new Awards of Excellence program, “The Best Tools for Back to School” is designed to help our readers find the most impressive products and solutions that will support their work in any learning environment. Eligible products included hardware, software, curriculum, and more, all divided by grade levels to make it easier for readers to find the solutions they need. “As we head into another uncertain year in education, technology will continue to be one of the key drivers for innovation,” says Tech & Learning Group Publisher Christine Weiser. “Our judges chose the winning products recognized here for their versatility, compatibility, value, and ability to help schools solve challenges and support continuous instruction. Congratulations to all of our winners.” Best Primary Tools for Back to School Best Secondary Tools for Back to School Best Higher Education Tools for Back to School AVID AE-75 Universal Communication Headset (Image credit: AVID Products, Inc.) The universal AE-75 communication headset by AVID Products includes features such as deluxe ear padding, a padded adjustable headband, and an adjustable noise-canceling boom microphone that cancels out ambient noise. « This is a solid headset with durability features that are needed for education, » TL judges said. « The price point is also very appealing. » BenQ WDC20E Wireless Presentation System (Image credit: BenQ) The BenQ InstaShow WDC20E is an affordable wireless presentation system. Educators can share their screen to the classroom’s interactive displays or projectors at the touch of a button. It streams 4K video and 16-bit stereo audio, with up to 32 participants or input sources at a time. The judges said, « We really like that it needs no network configuration and is compatible with a variety of systems that are currently in use. » Crestron Electronics Crestron XiO Cloud® (Image credit: Crestron) Built on the Microsoft Azure software platform, Crestron XiO Cloud’s IoT-based platform enables IT managers to deploy and manage thousands of devices in the time it would ordinarily take to manage just one. « This is a very good solution for larger higher ed institutions that have a large investment in Crestron products, » said our judges. « The cost per month is reasonable and it is built on a solid platform (Azure). » Crestron Electronics Crestron DM NVX® (Image credit: Crestron Electronics) Crestron DM-NVX-363 is a compact AV-over-IP encoder/decoder designed to function as either a transmitter or receiver. The DM- NVX-363 includes secure web-based control and management, a scaling HDMI output, video wall processing, and more. « This is another good solution for various deployments, especially for large institutions, » said TL judges. « The manageability and flexibility are excellent, and we also like the ease of installation and low network latency. » Crestron Electronics: Crestron Flex (Image credit: Crestron Electronics) Crestron Flex is a portfolio of videoconferencing solutions that transform any classroom into a collaborative learning environment. Innovations include the mobile Crestron Flex R-Series rapid deployment collaboration system, which provides a shared resource that helps bring videoconferencing where it’s needed most. The added flexibility of BYOD makes it easy to connect with other platforms. TL judges especially liked the variety of configurations available as well as the scheduling and management features. CTL Chromebox CBx2 (Image credit: CTL) The CTL Chromebox CBx2 is a cost-effective and high-powered computing solution that provides the functionality of a desktop in a compact, high-powered device. A high-powered Intel Celeron Processors makes multitasking quick and easy, and it includes an SD card reader plus USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports to access external media. The judges really liked the features of this Chromebox for the price. “The ports as well as configuration options are excellent,” they said.
