5 Signs Your School AV Setup Isn’t Working (Even If It Looks Flash)

The AV gear looks great. The screens are high-spec. The sound system cost a small fortune. So why does it all sit quietly, barely touched?

Flash tech doesn’t guarantee practical use - and in many New Zealand schools, the biggest AV issues aren’t about what you bought, but how it’s set up, trained, and supported.

The uncomfortable truth is that even well-funded AV can fail in the classroom when it’s not aligned with the real-world needs of teachers and tamariki. And often, that failure is quiet - not spectacular crashes or dramatic outages, but quiet underuse, workarounds, and missed opportunities.

Read on as I unpack five subtle signs your AV setup isn’t doing its job. Plus, share some tips around what to do instead - so your tech becomes something staff actually want to use.

1. No One Knows How to Turn It On

You’d be surprised how often this comes up. A stunning new display, mounted proudly in a classroom or shared space, sits unused for months because no one knows how to get it going. Maybe the controls are confusing. Maybe the remote’s missing. Maybe it just feels easier to avoid the whole thing.

This is where AV fails - not at the hardware level, but at the human one.

What this looks like in schools:

• Relievers avoiding the AV because it’s “too hard”
• Staff needing help to run basic video playback
• Teachers relying on their own devices instead of the installed tech

Why it matters: Tech that isn’t accessible isn’t useful. And if turning it on is a barrier, everything else that tech could offer is already out of reach.

What you can do:

• Mount a simple, printed ‘How To’ near the AV (with visuals, not just words)
• Assign someone to do a 5-minute walkthrough at the next staff hui
• Record a quick Loom video for relief teachers and support staff

2. Teachers Use It, But Only for One Thing

Maybe it’s the daily slides. Maybe it’s the sound system for events. But if a high-functioning piece of AV is only doing one job - it’s under-delivering.

Examples we see often:

• Panels used only for displaying PDFs or Google Slides
• Projectors turned on for assemblies and not touched the rest of the week
• Audio systems only used for the school bell or Spotify

This isn’t about pushing staff to use every feature - it’s about creating comfort, confidence, and experimentation. One-trick tech usually points to undertraining or poor fit-for-purpose.

What this tells you: There’s likely untapped potential. And with just a bit of targeted PD, you can unlock way more value from what you already have.

Quick wins:

1. Run a weekly “try this” idea at staff briefing
2. Highlight classroom stories in your school newsletter (peer modelling)
3. Invite a confident user to demo something new every term

3. You’re Relying on One Person to Run It

There’s often an unofficial AV hero in every school - the person who knows how it all works, saves the day before events, fixes weird bugs, and replaces dead remotes.

That person is gold. But they shouldn’t be the only one.

Why it’s risky:

• They leave, take leave, or burn out
• The system becomes siloed and mysterious
• No one else learns how to troubleshoot or explore

In practice: We’ve seen schools pause their panel rollout because their “AV go-to” left unexpectedly. Or struggle through a parent event with no sound because no one else could switch the mic input.

What to do instead:

1. Build redundancy - at least 2-3 staff should be across each AV setup
2. Document processes in simple shared docs
3. Encourage syndicate or year-level leads to take ownership of local rooms

4. Setups Are Inconsistent Across Spaces

Walk into any 3 classrooms and try plugging in your device. If it takes a different cable, login method, or setup in each one - you’ve got friction.

Friction = hesitation = non-use.

Typical signs of inconsistency:

• Some panels require HDMI, others USB-C
• WiFi casting only works in some rooms
• AV in the hall uses totally different interfaces from the classrooms

Why this matters: Every difference increases the mental load. Teachers can’t rely on habits or routines. The time and headspace spent figuring it out chips away at confidence and willingness.

What to aim for:

• Standardise connections where possible (e.g. all HDMI or all USB-C)
• Use consistent signage across rooms
• Audit what’s actually in each space and identify where upgrades or simplification are needed

5. It’s Technically Working - but No One Feels Good Using It

Here’s the quiet killer of classroom AV: it technically works, but teachers avoid it.

Why? Because it feels clunky. Or slow. Or risky. Or like one more thing that could go wrong right before the bell.

This shows up as:

Teachers saying, “I just use my laptop instead”.

Panels staying off all day.

Classrooms where tech isn’t included in planning, because it’s not seen as reliable.

It’s not always a training issue. Sometimes it’s design. Sometimes it's fear. Sometimes it’s about trust - teachers need to know that when they touch the tech, it will just work.

What builds that trust:

• Low-pressure, opt-in PD
• Honest kōrero about what’s frustrating and how to fix it
• Tech support that’s responsive and human - not just “raise a ticket”

Rethinking What “Good” AV Looks Like

A flash install means nothing if it doesn’t get used.

True success in school AV looks more like:

• Teachers starting lessons without needing a workaround
• Students confidently casting their screen for a group task
• A reliever walking into any room and knowing how to connect
• The PTA using the hall AV without calling a staff member

Ask yourself:

1. Can our teachers troubleshoot basic issues themselves?
2. Does the tech support our pedagogy - or get in the way?
3. Is there enough consistency to build confidence across classrooms?

If the answer’s “not yet”, that’s not a failure. It’s just a sign your setup needs tuning.

Final Thought

We don’t need every school to have the newest, smartest tech. We need setups that actually work.

That means...

• Easy-to-use controls
• Confidence across your staff
• Thoughtful training and support
• Tech that’s aligned to your teaching - not just installed for show

If your AV isn’t quite landing, you’re not alone. And often, the fix isn’t a full upgrade - it’s a rethink of the human experience around the gear.

Because the best classroom tech isn’t just visible. It’s dependable, usable, useful and enjoyable.