Steve Vickers' tech team keeps thousands of digital projectors up and running each day at Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland. His job is to oversee the service and maintenance of all audio-visual equipment throughout the K-12 district. "I've yet to start a day when the phone stops ringing," said Vickers, Instructional Equipment Program Manager for the district. "But since we standardized on Epson 3LCD PowerLite projectors, it's been easier to maintain the district's projectors."

Among the 50 largest U.S. school systems, the Anne Arundel County district serves nearly 75,000 students in 120 schools. The county is located on the magnificent, blue Chesapeake Bay, near Baltimore and Washington, DC, and home to the state capital Annapolis.

Nearly 90 percent of the Anne Arundel County district's classrooms use digital projectors, which replaced outdated classroom televisions. "The goal is to put a projector in every classroom," said Vickers. So far, the district has equipped several thousand classrooms with Epson 3-chip (3LCD) PowerLite projectors.

Dust Filters Protect Investment

Vickers tries to weed out equipment that drains resources, such as certain filterless DLP projector models that overheat and require major cleaning. "I get many repair calls from all over the district to fix them," he said. "They clog up with dust, overheat and fail. So, we have to take them apart and clean out the dust."

He finds it makes sense to protect the district's projector investment by purchasing 3LCD projectors with dust filters, rather than the filterless DLP projectors. "I am always trying to get rid of equipment that is more trouble than it's worth," he said.

There is a myth that filterless projectors have fewer maintenance needs that translate into lower operating costs. But in the long run, many schools can save money with projectors that have dust filters. "Our technicians agree that it's easy to clean a filter, and it's a bigger chore to take a poorly functioning filterless projector apart for extensive cleaning," said Vickers. Schools can also reduce long-term costs by purchasing projectors that require fewer lamp changes. The Epson 3LCD projectors, for example, offer up to 50 percent more lamp life than competitive models. The energy-efficient lamp has more lumens per watt and lasts up to 6,000 hours.*

More Engaged Learning

While districts need to make cost-conscious buying decisions, they also need to provide the latest digital learning tools for the classroom. "When teachers use the Epson projectors, they love them for the value they add to their teaching," said Vickers. "The district understands that projectors are vital teaching tools and can really bring a classroom to life." The projectors are helping Anne Arundel students pay attention, learn better and retain information.

Whatever the grade level, teachers at the Anne Arundel district present everyday lessons with up to 2,200 lumens white light output, 2,200 lumens color light output** for brilliant image quality. The 3-chip 3LCD optical engine brings amazing color and detail into their classrooms. The projectors come with full sound and communication tools, built-in speakers, and a closed captioning decoder. RJ-45 wired LAN connectivity allows schools to save time and money by remotely monitoring and controlling projectors via the IT network.

New Technology Classrooms

As the district builds new schools and upgrades older ones, Vickers meets with design teams and builders to integrate classroom technology. He also checks to make sure all equipment is ordered and put in the right place before the doors open. The Instructional Technology department has district-wide support to put the right 'classroom technology package' in place, which includes computers, ceiling-mounted Epson projectors, interactive white boards, document cameras and sound systems. The Epson brand is listed on the district's 'master agreement,' which recommends what equipment schools should purchase.

The use of technology like Epson projectors, and the digital content it projects, creates challenging and dynamic learning environments that engage and motivate Anne Arundel students. "We believe these resources help students gain a deeper and more thorough understanding of content while developing digital-age literacy, inventive thinking, and effective communication," said Vickers. Source: Epson

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our Epson PowerLite 410W projector page.