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Recently, I introduced and previewed Ormiboard, and promised to return with more specifics. Well, Infocomm 2016, one of the largest Audio/Visual (A/V) industry conferences, which is taking place this week in Las Vegas, has provided me that opportunity. Infocomm isn't really an educators' conference, but every year it provides some clues about where the education marketplace is heading. I've watched through the years as the education presence has grown there. So let's talk about what EXO U and Ormiboard are doing this week at Infocomm and what's planned beyond that.
First, let me refresh your memory: Ormiboard is a software presentation platform that provides whiteboarding and activity building for teachers and students. It has the classic authoring and presentation tools of similar products, but has a simplified user interface (UI) that is designed to work on all devices via a web browser. In this second look, I'm sharing the news about the Ormiboard Pro launch at Infocomm 2016 in Las Vegas this week, and giving you a sneak peek at what educators can expect to see at ISTE 2016, later this month, where Ormiboard Go will be launched.
Pro and Go: What's the difference?
The Pro version of the Omniboard is designed for schools and districts and is offered primarily through distribution channels. That was a good reason for EXO U to be at Infocomm 2016 with the A/V market and crowd. You'll find very few teachers there. Ormiboard Pro is a software 
installation that comes pre-installed on new device and presentation purchases. It has a perpetual license and enables complete device integration and collaborative sharing over existing local area networks (LANs) in the school building; no Internet access is required.
That it works locally, without Internet access, is important, because the biggest difficulty most schools have is an inconsistent Internet connection. The last thing a classroom teacher needs is a product that can't be used consistently because of a spotty Internet connection. Ormiboard Pro is optimized for blazing-fast speed and has split-view capabilities for multi-touch panels and tables. Pro also gives administrators multilevel dashboard control over school, classroom, teacher, and user content groupings. Again, this information is more for district and school administrators, who are budgeting for new equipment purchases, in which Ormiboard will be pre-installed. The key is that Pro is designed to work without the constant classroom IT trouble-shooting teachers have experienced with other solutions.
What about the Go version? For me, the biggest news is that teachers haven't been forgotten. I know that this post is about Pro, but there's a really big educators' story yet to come, and I can't resist a bit of a tease as we head toward ISTE 2016 in Denver, June 26-29, where you will find plenty of teachers. Ormiboard Go, the teacher version, will be launched there. Witho
ut letting the cat out of the bag prematurely, I can say that Go is designed perfectly for teachers and is accessed via a web browser using any device. From what I've been told, teachers using Go can easily enable students to connect and collaborate online from their own devices. Go is offered at a subscription rate of $89 per year, which, for most educators, makes it an out-of-pocket possibility, or a good buy with beginning-of-the-year, classroom-enhancement money (which is usually offered by the district, school, or parent organizations). Go integrates seamlessly with teacher-familiar resources like Dropbox, Evernote, Google Classroom, Drive, and other cloud services. Go will be available for purchase after its launch at ISTE. As a teacher, I was always looking for these en
try-level possibilities. On many occasions I was able to get better deals, too, with early-bird incentives. I'm not sure if Go will have that option, but it never hurts to ask!
I will have more to share in my upcoming, final part of the Ormiboard journey to classrooms, teachers, and students, which will be published closer to ISTE later this month. At this time, let's just say that it will be all GO at ISTE for educators! More to come in part 3 of my Ormiboard series!
Where to find Ormiboard this month:
Infocomm, June 4-10, Las Vegas
- Qomo Booth (#C5834)
- Panasonic Booth (#C6308)
ISTE, June 26-30, Denver
- Qomo Booth (#3928)
- Panasonic Booth (#204)
Want to learn more about Ormiboard? Check out Part 1 in Ken's Ormiboard series here.