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Carole, 
Congratulations on the redesign! We are in the middle of a redesign ourselves. I will try to get specifics for the list when they are available. Some thoughts 


SmartBoards - Although not perfect, I really love Smart Technology SmartBoards. More importantly, our instructors love SmartBoards. Behind the hype and tedious k-12 widgets is a reliable product with a nice form factor for recording student presentations, showing powerpoint, projecting media. If you like your iPhone, you like SmartBoards. They save a lot of time. 


Video Conferencing - I cringe at the idea of someone in the Lab having to spend a second of their life dedicated to supporting a proprietary video conferencing beast. Who among us hasn't had a video conferencing crisis? Skype just works. 


Other thoughts: 
Writable Walls - In our new spaces we have WhiteBoard paint from floor to ceiling and they are well used. Our lab also has a chalkboard wall (chalkboard paint) which features rotating student art installations. It has added texture and dimension to the Lab's presence on campus and cost almost nothing. 


It makes sense to build TV studio features into a lab space in the form of additional lighting, video capture carts, and even greenscreens and configurable backgrounds. In our new Lab, we are aiming at a TedTalks type of set in front of which students can present their work, final presentations, etc.. It will be a YouTube "recording salon" that saves teachers time and results in higher quality video and audio. If we are going to record them, why not let them look fabulous by building in some simple production infrastructure? 
The ACTFL video contest finalists are online now and they demonstrate so clearly that the most powerful advocacy of all comes in the form of students SPEAKING / SIGNING in their language of study. Labs can play a role in making video/audio capture easy for teachers and students while at same time improving quality and flexibility. 

Keep us posted! Joseph 





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