>> Glenda Thompson: Hello and welcome to PATINS TV. I am Glenda
Thompson and this is Episode number 72. Today I have invited my friend David Buist. He is
a return guest on PATINS TV. David is with Lightspeed Technologies, Incorporated. He
is going to show us a little bit about what is new in the audio world for the classroom.
David what did you bring today?
>> David Buist: I brought a whole load of treats.
>> Glenda Thompson: Alright.
>> David Buist: Thanks for having me here first of all.
>> Glenda Thompson: You are welcome.
>> David Buist: I have been with Lightspeed for 10 ½ years
and over the last 18 months we have basically revolutionized everything, as far as what
we are doing with classroom audio. I am going to keep reaching over here bringing you treats
and that type of stuff.
>> Glenda Thompson: Sure.
>> David Buist: This is one of our existing infrared classroom
audio systems. We have been using infrared for I would say 12 years now.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: Infrared has kind of been the standard, as
far as the industry goes. You have the ability to do two microphones. This one has four auxiliaries.
All of our equipment has a mixed audio out on it for recording purposes or for a special
needs student hearing impaired so that we can patch them in. Cochlear implants, personal
listening devices so on and so forth.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: That has kind of been the standard of the
industry. I was here last year and last year we talked about a product called the Flexcat.
The Flexcat was something that was designed for small group instruction, project based
learning, collaborative learning, whatever the term is that people are using and this
product is slowly starting to gain ground. It is probably something that the industry
developed before the need was there or before the mass marketing need of it was. The way
that product works is the teacher wears a microphone similar to the one I am wearing
and these pods would go onto the tables where the small groups would go. The teacher has
the ability to insert an earbud and then using this remote if I press the center button I
am talking to the entire class. That may be through ceiling speakers or a wall-mounted
flat panel something along those lines. If I wanted to talk to just group number two
I would press number two and because this is a speaker and this is a microphone I can
carry on a conversation. So if I am using a collaborative learning lab or basically
my curriculum is designed…my teaching style is designed for small group instruction this
allows the teacher to interact, to redirect, to mute your microphone and check in on groups
to find out what kind of discussion is going on. It is something that is purely driven
by that curriculum, that teaching style.
>> Glenda Thompson: Sure.
>> David Buist: I have had a number of people that have said
oh yes let’s try that out. They have demoed it. They have played around with it for a
month or so and then they realize well we are only doing small groups like 5 percent
of the time. This is something that is really driven by someone that is focusing on that.
I cover Michigan and Indiana. I probably sell 6 to 10 of these a month.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: So it is slowly gaining strength. The company
has signed a project a little less than a year ago for a suburb of Houston where they
are doing 7000 classrooms over a four year period with four pods and a flat panel in
every classroom. They just signed another one in Florida for a large scale. So as education
goes more into those type of teaching styles this is a product that will enable us to do
it and facilitate the needs of teachers.
>> Glenda Thompson: That project based learning is gaining ground
in Indiana so I can see where that would be interesting to add in the classroom.
>> David Buist: I have had some grasp on to it and others
are playing around with it. A number of superintendents, curriculum directors, instructional technology
directors within some of the larger districts start playing around with it and go you know
I can see that this may not be something that we need right now, but it is definitely that
direction where we are headed.
>> Glenda Thompson: Now I notice there are four colors on your
remote. Does the Flexcat come with four pods?
>> David Buist: It currently comes with six.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: I am going to let you go behind the curtain
also.
>> Glenda Thompson: Ah…
>> David Buist: I didn’t even ask HQ if I could do this.
Part of Lightspeed’s belief is that as we get more and more digital…you know we are
getting rid of textbooks.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: Everything is going one to one devices. The
students are going to be electronic. The teacher is electronic. We believe that this is what
is going to be controlling the classroom. Whether that is an iPad, a Chromebook, an
iPhone, whatever, as far as that goes everything is going to be driven that way. So we are
going to incorporate digitally our equipment. I mentioned that the current version of this
has the ability to use six pods. In the spring we are coming out with a Bluetooth controllable
remote which basically this is a remote that has the ability to have six pods. A Bluetooth
controllable remote which would just basically still sit in the charging base off to the
side somewhere and then the teacher will download software to whatever this device is and have
as many as 12 pods.
>> Glenda Thompson: Oh I see.
>> David Buist: You can select the pods. You can control the
volume. You can control outputs, inputs. On the pod there is actually a call button so
the students can go…need to talk to the teacher…then it flashes on the screen that
group number three needs some attention.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay you said spring David now Tech Expo is
April 14th and will you have a little demo for us perhaps in April?
>> David Buist: I will have a new Flexcat product to show
in the April Tech show.
>> Glenda Thompson: Nice. Alright. Excited.
>> David Buist: This whole Flexcat product took our engineers
at Lightspeed a number of years to develop. It is probably close to five years from when
they first started playing around with this concept of the background of the developing
a product that could have multiple levels of communication. That was something that
the engineers tried infrared. They tried radio frequencies. They tried a number of things
and ended up settling on what is called DECT.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: DECT is Digital Enhanced Communication Technology.
Your cordless phone at home uses a version of DECT so the phone and the receiver are
paired. With this the microphone and receiver are paired.
>> Glenda Thompson: I see.
>> David Buist: The first version of the Flexcat came out
with it is called a Redcat Access. Redcat Access is a product that is used as a flat
panel technology. The microphone is paired with the Redcat Access and this as you see
can sit on a shelf or the feet convert to a wall mount bracket and then it can hang
on the wall in the back of the classroom.
>> Glenda Thompson: We have these in our lending library if you
are interested in seeing one.
>> David Buist: The benefits of the Access technology versus
our infrared line which we will continue to carry for a number of years is that it is
paired so I don’t have to worry about any of the aspects with infrared transmission,
the infrared signal from the microphone getting lost or whatever.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: This being paired will actually cover a 2500
square foot classroom. So I have eliminated infrared issues and able to expand what I
am capable of doing.
>> Glenda Thompson: David how do they do in a learning environment
where you have very tall ceilings or perhaps glass walls or something? Do they do well
in that kind of situation?
>> David Buist: That is the benefit of it.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: With no IR transmission issues this will pair
from 1000 feet.
>> Glenda Thompson: Great. Go to know.
>> David Buist: So there is the difference of saying with
IR I could move my microphones from room to room and it was just an infrared signal being
paired with a receiver.
>> Glenda Thompson: Sure.
>> David Buist: This the microphone and the receiver have
to be paired together.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: That equipment the Redcat Access has been
out for a little over a year. Let’s go into the closet of fun things.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: The first one that came out this one started
shipping in December. This is called the Topcat Access. The Topcat Access…
>> Glenda Thompson: You are like Santa Clause today bringing out
all kinds of new fun toys.
>> David Buist: Yes, Santa Clause with a cold. Redcat Access
drops into the ceiling.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: It is powered up into the ceiling so it plugs
into either the outlet that is being used for the projector, taps into the electrical
up there, it plugs in to some type of an outlet that may be existing in the ceiling. The benefits
of this are, again, the microphone is paired with this. It is up there and it has an audio
in jack, so a 3.5 audio in. What I will do is I will take the audio out of the projector,
run the audio into the Topcat and by doing the audio in on the Topcat I am now controlling
all of the audio remotely. I have volume control on the microphone. I have volume control from
the source. A lot of districts are getting to the point where they are using the Apple
TV or Chromecast.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: Broadcasting to their projector, again they
are controlling everything from this device.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: So I don’t have a drop for electrical. I
don’t have a VGA cable going up to my projector because now I am doing it all from here. So
I don’t want to have a drop where I have to hook up a speaker wire or anything along
those lines. This being powered up into the ceiling taking the audio out of the projector
into the audio in on this I now have total wireless control of everything. I don’t
have to have a drop where the teacher’s desk has to be over in this corner of the
room.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: The teacher is anywhere and everywhere and
roaming around controlling the video and audio from this device and the microphone with volume
control allows up and down that way.
>> Glenda Thompson: Pretty seamless.
>> David Buist: Yes it is. That started shipping in December.
The next product started shipping in April. If you have more inputs than just coming from
the projector and you wanted to do something more with individual student’s devices or
multiple like you still may have a TV or VCR or something along those lines a media connector
can be added to this solution. This has four Aux ins. This is DECT paired with this device.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: Now I can have multiple audio inputs that
go beyond just the projector and it can be paired with a Topcat. It can be paired with
a Redcat Access. Not often is that being used, but it is a solution that is available. That
I said started shipping in December…tell you what I am going to slide that off the
screen.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: Because it takes up too much room. The next
product started shipping in April. This is an Access Link. This is just a wireless microphone.
This will plug into an existing amp. So Bartholomew, if they are using Extron control systems…
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: …and you talked about some of those unique
classrooms and unique designs.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: They have a couple buildings there which were
built in the 1970’s when architects were kind of out there. Open designs, no real walls
and I know one of the buildings had classrooms down here then there was a classroom up here
and then down there and it was just a terrible environment for infrared, fantastic environment
for …
>> Glenda Thompson: …for this…
>> David Buist: …for access. Again, the microphone is paired
with the receiver. So they have had to do a couple buildings with this instead of doing
infrared. Also you may have an existing sound system in your media center, your cafeteria,
your cafetorium and you wanted to add a microphone this is very easy to patch into an existing
amplifier. In fact I am going to do one over at IPS 14 this afternoon. They wanted a microphone
in their gym. With the microphone having volume control, patch this in to that existing amplifier
whether it be an Extron, a Crestron, a PVM or a Calypso control system. Whatever it is
this is hesitant, but you can run down to Radio Shack if you can still find a Radio
Shack.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: And get a cable that patches into this. That
is really easy. I am able to because I travel with all kinds of cables I can add a mic like
this into a gym or media center and it takes me about three minutes.
>> Glenda Thompson: These products obviously benefit all students.
>> David Buist: Obviously it is not directed specifically
at the IEP applications or whatnot.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: We are talking now where I can add audio to
just about any solution. I have gotten to the point now where I am comfortable saying
if you want to add audio microphones to a room there is a 99.7 percent chance that I
will be able to do it. I actually put that on a dry erase board at the ATTC Conference.
>> Glenda Thompson: Oh sure.
>> David Buist: Which stimulated a number of conversations.
People thought well what about this.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: I am going okay well here is how I would do
that.
>> Glenda Thompson: Very good.
>> David Buist: Then finally this product started shipping
in the middle of September. I referenced the older IR version. This would basically be
a DECT version of a classroom audio system. So this would go with four speakers on the
wall, four speakers in the ceiling or whatever, as far as that may go, but the microphone
is paired with the receiver. So I don’t have to worry about installing infrared sensors.
I don’t have to worry about the double sized classroom, having dropout issues, having exposed
beams, whatever. This can go in just about any environment. I am going behind the curtain
again. I showed you the Topcat.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right:
>> David Buist: We have a speaker which is coming out in the
spring also, which I will have for the PATINS Tech Expo.
>> Glenda Thompson: Wonderful.
>> David Buist: A speaker which is a one by two.
>> Glenda Thompson: Okay.
>> David Buist: Which will cover a 1400 square foot room,
but it is an 8 Ohm speaker. If you don’t understand electric that is not that big of
a deal, but what it means by 8 Ohm speaker is that this can power up four of these. So
now I am talking about one system being able to do a 5600 square foot room with no sensors,
no dropouts and volume control on the end of the user. So being the techy geek that
I am all the opportunities are endless.
>> Glenda Thompson: A very evolving technology. It just keeps
getting better and better.
>> David Buist: It does.
>> Glenda Thompson: Lightspeed has it. David’s information is
on our website as our Featured Solutions for the month of December. You can see his contact
information and the specs on these products. Reach out to David if you need more information.
>> David Buist: If he is still alive.
>> Glenda Thompson: Yes. Get better David.
>> David Buist: I will.
>> Glenda Thompson: I bet you want that for Christmas.
>> David Buist: Drink plenty of water.
>> Glenda Thompson: Right.
>> David Buist: And take your vitamins.
Glenda Thompson Well, thank you for joining us today and thank
you for joining us. Next time will be our first episode for the New Year and our Director,
Daniel McNulty, will be here to show you and tell you about some new things for the upcoming
year in PATINS. So please join us. Thank you.
(Closing music)