Classrooms – Instructional Technology

Classroom Technology Orientation Sessions

On Sept. 22 and 23, Instructional Technology, ITS, and Media Services staff will offer four orientation sessions on classroom audio/video projection technology. If you plan to use a computer or video technology in a classroom this term, we highly encourage you to attend one or more of these sessions!

Here’s how it will work. We’ll offer four simultaneous sessions, four times, in four different buildings. If you teach in Main Hall and Briggs, pick two of the four times that work for you and meet at the designated spot listed below. Your “guide” will take you to different classrooms in that building and give you a hands-on orientation. If you teach in a building that is not listed below or you are unable to attend any of these sessions, please contact the Helpdesk at 6570 to make an appointment for an individual orientation session.

	Briggs	Music-Drama / Shattuck	Main Hall	Youngchild and Science
Mon, Sept. 22 at 1:30pm	meet on 4th floor by elevator	meet in Music-Drama 146	meet on 1st floor by elevator	meet in the atrium
Mon, Sept. 22 at 2:15pm	meet on 4th floor by elevator	meet in Music-Drama 146	meet on 1st floor by elevator	meet in the atrium
Tue, Sept. 23 at 1:30pm	meet on 4th floor by elevator	meet in Music-Drama 146	meet on 1st floor by elevator	meet in the atrium
Tue, Sept. 23 at 2:15pm	meet on 4th floor by elevator	meet in Music-Drama 146	meet on 1st floor by elevator	meet in the atrium

Also, don’t forget that ITS has a classroom emergency hotline that you should call if you have problems using technology during a class. The extension is 7020 or (920) 832-7020 from a cell phone (this information is posted in each technology-equipped classroom). Classroom emergencies are treated with the highest priority and ITS will do its best to have someone standing next to you to fix the problem ASAP!

“Smart Classroom” projects for 2008-09

The results of the Technology Advisory Committee January classroom survey are in. TAC asked the faculty to help prioritize a short list of five classrooms to be considered for video projection equipment this summer. 47 faculty members responded to the survey. A response of “very important” for a classroom received a weight of 5, and a response of “not important” received a weight of 1. A significant portion of respondents answered “don’t know” which, of course, do not figure into the final results. The results of the survey are:

Room	Score
Main Hall 012	90
Harper Hall	88
Main Hall 008	88
Buchanan Kiewit seminar room	74
Briggs 423	53

ITS has been encouraged to put together an estimate for the top 3 classrooms on the list. If the budget works out as expected, the top 3 rooms on the list will be scheduled to be upgraded this summer.

If you have any questions or comments, please let David Berk know.

Conservatory classroom enhancements – part 2

Music Drama 146, 254, 259, Shattuck 04 and 156 all have the new document camera switching functions reported on Nov. 26, 2007. Click here to read the earlier post containing the details.

Conservatory classroom enhancements

This past summer, five of the Conservatory classrooms were outfitted with new wall-mounted button panels to operate the installed audio and video equipment. This made the equipment easier to use, but we lost some ability to independently switch audio and video sources. This was most problematic when using the document camera since instructors were unable to play an audio CD while displaying the document camera’s video.

This problem has been solved in Shattuck 04 and Music Drama 254! The remaining rooms (Music Drama 146 & 259, and Shattuck 156) will receive the same functionality over winter break. Dec. 12, 2007 update — all five rooms now have these features!

You will now find a column of buttons on the panels (see image below) that allow “smart” audio and video switching. The following document camera configurations are now possible:

video from document camera / audio from attached cable (for laptops or iPods)
video from document camera / audio from desktop computer
video from document camera / audio from audio CD player
video from document camera / audio from cassette player

Document camera buttons

As always, if you have questions or problems when using classroom equipment, give the Helpdesk a call at 6570, or in the event of an emergency (during class), call the Classroom Hotline at 7020.