I'm a divider, not a uniter

Education
#1

The Classroom Committee is undergoing a redo of the Interactive Classroom.

We are requesting funding from the BOD for two larger monitors. They will be mounted on the south wall, effectively turning the room 90 degrees to the right. The net effect is to lessen the problems viewing the screens from the “back” of the room.

This reorientation opens up a possibility to divide the room into two smaller classrooms as needed. What do you think about buying some dividers like these: http://www.versare.com/shop/operable-wall-sliding-room-divider.html?utm_source=gshopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ows&gclid=CO2KlIrohtUCFYy2wAod-s4JqQ

They are less expensive and easier to install than dividers attached to a track in the ceiling.

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#2

I like it. I’m assuming we want as tall as we can go (for noise) and as wide? so the cost is in the $2500 range + TVs.
will that create a problem in calendar? Someone wanting the left or right or all? if ALL is selected will left and right automatically get blocked out. I know I’m jumping the gun here, but it should all be considered. like I said - I like it.

#3

I believe the main issue with be sound. 2 Classes going on right next to each other will make it hard to learn in either class. The dividers that do a good job of blocking sound tend to be heavy, mount on ceiling track, and are expensive.

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#4

I’m not disagreeing. Of the 3 classes I teach, I prefer the isolation of a class room and a closed door. But for things like committee meetings these would work fine.

#5

Do the classroom utilization data suggest it would be useful?

EDIT: Oops. Pressed the wrong key.
Anyway, I haven’t looked at data recently (unless we can get a data extraction somehow each class must be manually entered into a spreadsheet). The last data I have (1Q17) shows:

It spikes to over 90% on Tuesday evenings in Interactive, but that’s RBNO and they would probably need all of Interactive.

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#6

Committee meetings seem a very low use case. I think you see 1 to 3 meeting per month on average.

#7

Let’s talk about the floors they are atrocious.

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#8

I envision a way to reserve one or the other or both. The only real issue without a solution right now is how to work out access to the east/left/front/back room to less impact to the other room.

#9

I think whatever is done to the floors should be as minimal an investment as possible since we are only renewing the lease for two years. No point in investing much in something we’ll walk away from. Rent a floor sander to break the sharp edges of chiopped paint and then just repaint.

Re: Monitors: I’ve been assisting @Bill Gee at looking/watching for monitors wherever I go into places like Sam’s, Costso, Fry’s etc. Here’s examples from online, however I often see models on that in-store specials that are several hundred $ cheaper.
Sam’s 70" Vizo UHD $1,248
Sam’s 75" Vzio UHD $1,898
Costco 80" Vizo UHD $3,000

IMO, the 75" monitor is an excellent compromise been largest size and bang for buck. Larger monitors are best when teachers software classes where you need to see the tool bars that are being clicked.

So
2 x 70" = $2,500
2 x 75" = $3,800
2 x 80" = $6,000

So two of these 75" monitors would cost $1,400 but would be a significant improvement especially if shifting them to the long wall as the seating would be closer and would make it more likely to be usable if the classroom if split.

As these are long term investments to aid teaching, I’d favor allocating $4,000 to getting 75" monitors. It should also be noted, that one of the larger monitors will be shifted to Purple Classroom, giving it a larger monitor, and Purple’s smaller monitor going to the Conference Room which needs a Monitor. So part of the cost of getting the larger monitors includes proving a larger monitor for Purple and a monitor for Conference Room (which is good for classes up to 7 people in my experience.

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#10

My family was in the restaurant business. We had an accordion divider on a track and it was very effective. A full height rolling divider should be just as good.

The unit in the linked page is probably not the only one or the best; it is the first I found which was in line with what I was visualizing.

#11

The empirical data I have is the number of classes and meetings being held in the Conference Room and the Digital Media Room.

It will only get worse as all of the several committees have a meeting or two each month.

#12

Now that we are sure we are staying put, the floor will get attention.

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#13

I say put some of this down, and call it a day till moving. Then decide if it’s worth taking along…
example 1

example 2

https://www.garageflooringinc.com/tiles/nitro-tiles.html

example 3
https://www.amazon.com/BlockTile-B0US4230-Flooring-Interlocking-30-Pack/dp/B009RI6DW0

Cheaper end is ~$2.00/ft^2
Upside: it MIGHT be able to come with us, or otherwise relocate.
Upside: minimal prep needed on existing floor

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#14

@jast that flooring doesn’t do that well when you have a bumpy floor under it. The bumps tend to pop the seems up making a tripping hazard and the floor can pop apart. This tends to be a larger issue with the cheap options and smaller tile options.

#15

Agreed. I don’t see that kind of problem in the Interactive. But maybe I’m not looking carefully enough.

There are other options in the same vein that might work better, too, if that’s a problem:

#16

Is this a done deal?

Yes, please. the monitor was useful to show reports on.

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#17

Flooring solution should accommodate wheeled things (white boards, wheel chairs) easily, as well as general chair movement while under load. Also need to consider ease of cleaning, especially spills like paint and glue and ???.

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#18

The Home Depot product is $1 per square foot. The Nitro tiles twice that and the Amazon one a bit more. The Interactive Classroom is just over 800 sq feet, so that is relatively inexpensive.

I like something which will not require extensive prep work, meaning little down time and dust or smells.

Edit: Something I will look for is non-static since we do work on electronics in that room.

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#19

How about the carpet floor tiles? Those are pretty easily replaced if soiled badly. You can replace them & just use spray adhesive to reapply.

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#20

Bill has you covered!

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