Mexico. The line of Casio LampFree projectors was selected by the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, ITAM, to be part of the teams that join the process of renewal of technological and computational systems that the institution carries out continuously, and that seeks to provide the best tools available to both students, as well as its teaching and administrative staff, to facilitate their daily tasks.
So far, ITAM has installed 65 Casio LampFree projectors in various classrooms, computer rooms and multipurpose rooms of the campus located south of Mexico City.
LampFree projectors have benefited ITAM by reducing lamp maintenance and replacement costs, while consuming less energy and producing less heat, which represents savings in the use of resources such as air conditioning or electrical energy itself.
Technology at the service of education
The Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México was one of the first higher education institutions in Mexico to promote the use of computing in academic areas with the creation of the Computer Center, which began operating on September 20, 1979 with a PDP-11/34 minicomputer. Since then, the now Directorate of Technological and Computer Services (DSTI) is given the constant task of keeping the institute at the forefront, through the adoption of new technologies for the development of solutions that support academic processes.
Engineer Kent Brailovsky, director of the DSTI at ITAM, comments: "When I joined ITAM the project was that communications will work. There was a very old, saturated switch and a project was made that was carried out 100%, which has been maintained and evolved until today, 25 years later. At that time, computers were beginning to be part of academic and institutional life, they were very expensive and limited, but the Instruction of the Rector was to reinforce the institution with technology, which we have continued to do throughout this time."
With human potential and technology as driving axes, ITAM provides its students, teachers and academic staff with various tools and solutions that help facilitate the teaching-learning process. In this sense, the DSTI plays a fundamental role in the attention of internal customers, as it is responsible for key services such as electrical installations, telecommunications, wireless network, software licensing management, computer equipment and peripherals. Tasks that are managed under an ERP system and is complemented by the personalized attention of help desks or an innovative direct line that allows the report and solution of any technical incident in a few minutes.
The DSTI not only seeks the deployment of new technological systems and more modern computer equipment, but the total improvement of the learning system through technology, while promoting ecological awareness from environmentally responsible solutions.
"We have a five-year strategic plan for the technological development of the institution that is reviewed every year according to the trends and changes that are marking the market," adds engineer Brailovsky. "ITAM's academic plan is very flexible and has to be constantly adapted to change, because change is constant."
Management of technological resources and budgets
Part of that plan consists of the scheduled renewal of equipment and systems by more modern, fast and efficient ones that better fulfill their functions and meet the needs of internal customers. For example, in the case of computers it is considered a life cycle of five to six years, so newer equipment is made available to students and then assigned to other departments where the demands are lower.
As for the projectors, it was decided to make a programmed replacement of the equipment with mercury lamp, by models of the LampFree line of Casio, chosen not only for their image quality, but for their ease of use, versatility and laser-LED technology, which guarantees a much longer life cycle, in addition to significant energy savings.
"We require the projectors to be working ten hours a day," says engineer Brailovsky. "The lamps were a headache because they burn, spoil and are very expensive to replace, and there we can say that Casio's solution has been one of the most interesting since it uses a laser system whose duration is significantly longer than the traditional ones, "adds the head of the DSTI of ITAM.
In the first phase of the renovation project, ITAM has already installed 65 Casio LampFree projectors, 63 XJ-V110W model of the Core line and 2 XJ-F20XN model, of the Advanced line. These are mainly used by teachers during daily classes, for the projection of presentations, videos and other audiovisual materials. For their part, students can connect their devices to teams to display their tasks and projects in a more dynamic and efficient way.
In multi-purpose rooms, where conferences, talks and special events are held, the various ports and connectivity options of LampFree projectors are very valuable tools for academic activities to flow without interruptions.
Commitment to the environment
Being equipment with laser-LED light source, free of mercury lamp, Casio projectors have fit very well into the technological and environmental plan of ITAM. With strong arguments such as lower total cost of ownership, low maintenance, service life of up to 20 thousand hours, energy savings and minimal heat generation during its operation, LampFree equipment has found its space within this institution.
In this regard, says engineer Brailovsky, "... Another factor that pleased us was the electricity consumption, since it has decreased and due to its characteristics, they generate less heat, and by generating less heat we have fewer problems with air conditioning; this is a benefit for students and ecology."
In addition to this solution, ITAM implements other ecological actions as part of its strategy of responsibility with the environment, such as the replacement of CRT monitors by LED monitors and the installation of LED luminaires in classrooms and computer laboratories. "At the institutional level, ITAM has an agreement with the company Fuerza Eléctrica del Istmo, which supports us by transferring clean energy from its wind farm. That is a part of the institution's overall savings," adds engineer Brailovsky.
The future
In addition to the deployment of more Casio LampFree projectors and other modern peripherals in its classrooms, ITAM is already venturing into the use of technological innovations such as videoconferencing and distance classes, without forgetting that the main focus of the institution will continue on face-to-face activities and classes, since that human approach has been the essence of ITAM since its inception.
"The future is changing. Currently education at ITAM is mainly personal and face-to-face because it is the way in which the institution has been constituted. However, the future is marking technological changes which will have to be faced. More challenges are coming, but the network is still the backbone of change," concludes engineer Brailovsky.
