For many years, Apple TVs have been an essential part of the instructional environment in Jordan School District, permitting teachers and students to display their digital screens through the classroom projector. One significant limitation of these devices has been their compatibility solely with the Apple platform, leaving Windows and Chrome platforms without options. A new device has recently entered the marketplace that solves this dilemma.
The Vivi company produces devices that permit all three major computer platforms to project through a single device (see attached for more specifics, reference the company website at http://vivi.io/product/, or view informational videos at the Vivi channel in YouTube, such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjHO-hO1X3U and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTEj0EKy9GI). This is a tremendous advance in classroom technology, particularly for Jordan District, where the majority of student devices are Chrome-based.
Because of the potential value that Vivi units advertised, Information Systems purchased and tested a number of them at multiple locations throughout the district. The results of these tests indicated that the Vivi units live up to performance levels as promoted. For references, reach out to Curtis Jenson (principal) or Matt Gates (tech), at South Jordan Middle, to discuss their school’s experience with Vivi.
Information Systems wants to ensure that all schools are not only aware of this new technology, but also have an opportunity to try it out so that it can be considered when planning future technology purchases. For schools that have interest, Information Systems will provide one Vivi unit for testing among the school’s instructional staff. If there is sufficient interest, the school can retain the single Vivi unit, and then pursue the purchase of additional units on their own.
The cost for a Vivi Pro unit is $499.00. These units are great not only for classroom purposes, but also for digital signage and other advanced features. Vivi also offers a “Lite” version, which could be considered where additional features are not necessary. The cost for these units is $399.00 each. This pricing is valid through October of 2023. While the pricing for these units is clearly higher than Apple TVs, Information Systems believes that the advantage of projecting screens from computers of any platform makes these devices worth serious consideration.
To arrange for delivery of a Vivi unit to you school, please contact Mark Sowa at 801-567-8392 or mark.sowa@jordandistrict.org. We would like to have these units assigned and distributed by the end of November. If we have not heard from you by that point, it will be assumed that you are not interested in Vivi, and the unit previously reserved for your school will be redistributed to a different location. We look forward to your response.
