Technology@Wooster

After reviewing the inventory of computers deployed in classrooms across campus, IT plans to replace the computers in the following rooms:

• Morgan 116, 201 and 307
• Severance 009, 123 and 221
• Taylor 010, 110, 206 and 308
• Wishart 104

These changes will take place during the current semester. Academic departments will be notified beforehand.

IT plans to replace the laptops currently located in these classrooms with Mac Minis. It is our general plan to move away from the deployment of laptops in classrooms in favor of computers like the Mac Mini. We do not wish to pay the mobility premium required for laptops in situations in which the computers are to be secured in place. In addition, we expect that the non-laptops will be less tempting targets for theft. The switch from laptops to other devices will also facilitate IT’s use of Apple Remote Desktop to remotely manage classroom computers. Questions should be directed to Mary Schantz at mschantz@wooster.edu.

The campus is currently experiencing an unplanned cable TV system outage. Technicians are currently working to replace failed parts. We hope to have this problem corrected by 5:00 this evening and regret any inconvenience this outage may cause.

A new website dedicated to the classroom technology demo room in Taylor 210 has now been launched. The site will always feature information about the technologies currently deployed there and will also indicate which technologies are in the queue for deployment. In addition, the site will feature the policies and procedures associated with the demo room’s operation, and updates on the latest developments related to the room. In the future, the site will also allow faculty to make suggestions as to which technologies should be evaluated in the demo room, and to provide comments and feedback with respect to the technologies already under evaluation. To access the site, go to http://www.wooster.edu/technology, click on the “Computing Resources” tab and follow the “Classroom Technology Demo Room” link on the subsequent page.

A ceiling-mounted document camera has been installed in the classroom technology demo room for evaluation by the faculty and instructional technologists. This particular camera is a Wolfvision EYE-10. A document camera is special video camera designed to display documents and three dimensional objects via a projector, monitor or similar device.

For additional information on the classroom technology demo room, see these earlier posts:

• Classroom Technology Demo Room Established, 04/03/2007
• Smartboard Installed in Technology Demo Classroom, 07/27/2007

The demo room will soon have its own website! The site will provide a good deal of information about the demo room and all the technologies installed there. Watch this space!

Colleague will be unavailable between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 1 and 8:00 a.m. on Monday, September 3. (ScotWeb will also be unavailable.) During this period IT will be working to copy large amounts of data from the legacy administrative software system to Colleague. This process is a critical part of the implementation of Colleague Advancement–the Datatel module dedicated to the Development and Alumni Affairs Offices. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Questions can be directed to Marlene Brown at x2304.

Planning an audio, video or web-based project for your students? If you would like the assistance of Instructional Technology (i.t.) in defining this project, or would like Instructional Technology to assist students with executing the project, you are encouraged to consult with the i.t. staff as early as possible. While i.t. is anxious to help, the staff will be shorthanded as the semester gets underway. Early consultation will allow i.t. to better plan its activities and will result in better service. Contact Jon Breitenbucher (jbreitenbuch@wooster.edu or x2207) or Joe Benfield (jbenfield@wooster.edu or x2204).

Over the summer the Media Services group installed new presentation equipment in Sheide’s Gault Recital Hall. The group mounted a projector above the control booth and designed a technologically-enhanced podium for use on the stage. The podium contains a scaler and a VCR/DVD combo unit, and easily accommodates a computer and monitor. Sound generated by the devices within the podium will be delivered via the recital hall’s sound system. Built into the top of the podium is a Pixie Pro control unit. This unit, very similar to those installed in Kauke Hall classrooms last year, literally puts control of all the presentation equipment at the speaker’s fingertips.

The new equipment provides a more professional environment for presenters and a better experience for the audience. It also greatly reduces the time required to setup for multimedia presentations. This will benefit not only the technical staff, but also the Music faculty and students utilizing the recital hall for other purposes. The new equipment will also require less storage space backstage.

Throughout the design and installation of the new components, care was taken not to diminish the recital hall aesthetically or acoustically. IT is very grateful for the assistance and collaboration of Peter Mowrey and the Department of Music.

The previously announced renovation of classroom Wishart 102 has been completed just in time for the beginning of the new academic year. Last spring, the Office of Information Technology and the Departments of Theatre and Communications collaboratively formulated the new classroom design. With the considerable assistance of Purchasing and Physical Plant, that design has now been implemented. The room features a ceiling-mounted projector, ceiling-mounted speakers and a motorized screen. In addition, the room contains a document camera, dvd/vcr combo unit and an amplifer. The latter two items are rack-mounted within a custom made podium located at the front of the classroom. The document camera is housed in a podium drawer that extends to one side for use. All the technology is controlled using a Pixie Pro unit mounted on the surface of the podium. (The Pixie Pro is the same control unit installed in Kauke classrooms during last year’s renovation.) The podium also accommodates the classroom computer. In this case that computer is a Mac Mini. The computer itself is located within the rack. The flat screen monitor sits atop the podium. The podium features a sliding drawer to house the wireless keyboard and mouse. The podium top also features the cabling and connectors necessary to accommodate a laptop should the instructor choose to bring one to the classroom.

The renovation goes beyond equipping the room with new classroom equipment. The original tablet chairs have been replaced with 18 two person tables and 36 slide chairs. The tables are on lockable wheels. The furniture can be arranged in front-facing rows for a lecture presentation, in an inward-facing square along the room’s perimeter for a seminar, or in clusters to accommodate small group collaboration. The furniture was chosen so that its configuration can be changed on the fly–quickly and easily. The room’s drop ceiling, lighting fixtures and shades were also replaced. New carpet was installed and the walls were painted. Chalkboards were replaced with five whiteboards–there are whiteboards on each wall to accommodate work in small groups.

IT had a number of motivations for initiating this renovation. We very much wanted to develop a podium to house the equipment described at the front of the classroom. Some applications require that the instructor interact intensely with the classroom computer. More casual interaction is sufficient for other applications–like PowerPoint, for example. It is hoped that the technologically-enhanced podium will accommodate both effectively. When interacting intensely with the computer, the instructor stands behind the podium facing both the monitor and the class. The podium provides space for the materials that the instructor requires. The instructor can easily shift his or her focus between these materials, the computer monitor and the class. When using the computer in a more casual way, the instructor can move freely about the classroom, interacting with the computer via the wireless keyboard. We also wanted to design a podium capable of housing a document camera and making it conveniently available to the instructor.

IT learned a great deal during the renovation of the learning spaces in Kauke Hall and the desire to apply these lessons in a new space was an additional motivator for IT. We hope to perform a series of renovations like the one just completed in Wishart and that the lessons learned in each will result in ongoing improvements in the design and implementation of classroom technology. A series of such experiments conducted in conjunction with academic departments will do much to prepare the college for the next major renovation of an academic building.

We very much look forward to receiving feedback from the faculty who teach in Wishart 102. We look forward to applying the lessons this feedback brings, and we look forward to continuing to partner with academic departments to enhance learning spaces across the campus.

We are very grateful to our collaborators in Theatre and Communications. We would also like to thank Jim Fishburn of Purchasing, Jackie Middleton of Auxiliary Services and Peter Schantz and his staff in Physical Plant. Without their contributions this project would not have been possible. IT is also grateful to our own Vince Di Scipio, Director of Networks, Telecommunications and Systems, who inherited management of this project as a result of recent organizational changes.

Prior to the beginning of each academic year, the Office of Information Technology conducts a week-long series of training events for the students who will be working for us during the year. This week of activity is informally known as bootcamp and this year’s edition got underway earlier today. During bootcamp, new student workers are introduced to general IT policies and practices, to IT facilities, and to specific technologies in use on our campus. These technologies include the presentation equipment and control systems in our classrooms, our public printing facilities and systems, our anti-virus and anti-spyware applications, our multimedia creation and editing applications, technologies related to the campus network, and the MacIntosh and Windows operating systems. Bootcamp also provides returning student workers with opportunities to become familiar with relevant changes that have been implemented over the summer. This year, our student workers will be introduced to the Network Access Control (NAC) system newly implemented for our residential spaces. During the final three days of bootcamp, our student workers receive on-the-job training as they provide walk-in assistance to new and returning students at the newly relocated student help desk, and on the fourth floor of Morgan Hall. Bootcamp is organized by our tireless Manager of User Services, Mary Schantz.

We welcome our new student workers and welcome the return of those who have worked with us in the past. We wish each of them a productive academic year.

IT will be seeking additional student employees and will hold a job fair for students who might be interested in working with us. Details will be released shortly.

Routine hardware and software maintenance is typically carried out between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Tuesday mornings. On Tuesday, August 21, IT will upgrade the operating systems of our print servers during this window. These upgrades are intended to improve the stability of print services. Printing and copying services may be briefly disrupted during the upgrades. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  Questions should be directed to the employee help desk at 330 287-3000 x1111.