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Exciting news - our Bid Again Now iPad app has been approved on the iTunes App Store.  This means people using our brilliant new innovative bidding system at silent auction events can use any iPad to submit their bids.

We are replacing our existing touch screen system with iPads.  We have decided to do this because we feel that iPads provide a much easier system for our bidders to use than our existing touch screens.  Our iPads can be installed in booths at the event or can be used by volunteers who can circulate around the venue helping people to place their bids.  We feel this is a big advantage to our PC based system.

We are currently looking to port this to other mobile platforms such as iPhones as well as Android based phones and Blackberrys making it as easy as possible for bidders to place their bids and to raise funds for charities.

Currently Bid Again Now is raising 30% more money than traditional methods and the iPad app will help raise even more.

This year’s Suffolk Head Teachers’ Conference will take place over the period 12th-14th October at Five Lakes Hotel in Essex. Attended by Head Teachers working in Primary Education, the conference is designed for delegates to share best practice and discuss the challenges facing the education sector. With a range of international and national speakers, the conference provides a forum for academic discussion and the consideration of new ideas. The event also aims to improve cooperation and collaboration between the Education Authority, Governors and Head Teachers.

AV Unit will provide technical support to the two day conference but will also be exhibiting. The stand will demonstrate the latest audio visual technology available to schools and have an installation technician on hand to answer technical questions and queries. In particular, delegates will be able to see the benefits of Digital Signage, reviewed elsewhere in this newsletter, and the Visualizer, a high-definition short throw multimedia projector. Designed to meet the needs of educators, the Visualizer is so adaptable that AV Unit will be offering a Lumens version, valued at £799, as a prize draw.

Digital signage is the new message runner in schools, a state-of-art communication tool that is immediate and flexible. With an LCD screen in Reception and perhaps others at key areas around the school, critical messages can be relayed to staff, pupils and visitors.

Digital signage has the advantage that it can be programmed to show information at times appropriate for those who need it; for example, Staff and Pupils arriving in the morning or breaking for lunch can be told about room changes, the school menu or key absences. Visitors can read of recent sports or academic results, and weather and traffic information can be displayed for the trip home.

Easy to install and programme, Digital Signage offers a means for schools to distribute essential information in a timely manner. It also offers the opportunity to carry advertising from local businesses to offset the cost of installation. AV Unit has installed Digital Signage in a number of schools and will be happy to discuss the benefits and costs.