Technology@Wooster

SMART Sympodium interactive pen displays have been installed in Mateer G01, 203 and 305.  The Sympodiums, small flat screen devices, have been installed on the tables or work benches in front of each of these three rooms.  They are connected to the classrooms’ computers and ceiling-mounted projectors. The Sympodiums allow instructors to project images from the computer onto the classroom screen.  While facing the class, instructors can add notes to the projected images in multiple colors.  At the end of the class, the presentation–including both the projected images and the instructor’s notes–can be digitally saved and, if desired, distributed.  This distribution can take place via Moodle. 

Also added to Mateer is a mobile cart with a projector and document camera. A document camera is special video camera designed to display documents and three dimensional objects via a projector, monitor or similar device. Document cameras can also be used to project the performance of small-scale lab demonstrations onto a wall-mounted screen.

This equipment was funded by a Hewlett-Mellon grant. The proposal was developed by Sharon Lynn of Biology and Janet Russell of Instructional Technology. The grant application sites the following benefits of these technologies:

• Increased student interaction during class
• Greater flexibility for instructors during class
• Development of notes with students that can be further adapted outside of class
• Improved demonstration of laboratory techniques
• Enhanced motivation on the part of students
• Enhanced retention of material

Installation of the new equipment was overseen by Vince Di Scipio, Director of Networks, Telecommunications and Systems. This role fell to Vince when Media Services was shifted from Instructional Technology to NTS.

A Sympodium and a document camera are currently available for inspection and experimentation in the Classroom Technology Demo Room. Questions about them can be directed to Jon Breitenbucher or Joe Benfield.

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.

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!

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.

Back in March, IT announced that the DVD/VCR combo units in all Kauke classrooms would be replaced. Ten units were replaced during spring break. (Those in rooms 141, 142, 143, 236, 237, 238, 242, 243, 244 and 305.) The remaining units have now been replaced. The new units are capable of playing DVD regions one through six, and video cassettes in PAL, NTSC and SECAM formats. The original units supported a much more limited range of regions and formats. This replacement does not impact the way in which users interact with or control the devices.

Should you encounter a problem with any of these devices or with any technological equipment in any classroom please contact the help desk. The number is posted in each classroom. If the help desk worker is unable to resolve the problem over the phone, he or she will dispatch an appropriate technician.

This summer, a number of important responsibilities shifted from Instructional Technology to Networks, Telecommunications and Systems (NTS). These responsibilities include the installation and maintenance of projectors, smartboards, projection screens, speakers, DVD players and similar devices in classrooms and presentation spaces. They also include providing media support for College events. To facilitate these changes, Media Technology Manager Anthony Liccardi has joined NTS and now reports to NTS Director Vince Di Scipio.

These changes will allow us to leverage the NTS group’s considerable experience in equipment installation and support. This will be particularly useful as IT looks to pay increased attention to campus classrooms, meeting rooms and presentation spaces. These changes are also intended to free Instructional Technology of these responsibilities, so that that department can focus more attention on learning space design, the evaluation of new technologies and their pedagogical implications, the provision of new services to faculty and to students, and the provision of more direct support for faculty in the effective use of technology in teaching and learning.

The Office of Information Technology is grateful to Vince and to Anthony for their roles in this transition and is confident that these changes will ultimately enhance the quality of IT services.

Back in April of this year, IT announced the designation of Taylor 210 as a classroom technology demo room. The demo room is intended to provide faculty members and instructional technologists with opportunities to experiment with and to evaluate classroom technologies in a classroom setting. The technologies installed in the demo room will change on a regular basis. The experimentation and evaluation that is conducted here will help the College to determine which technologies are effective in our learning environments, and consequently, which should be deployed in our classrooms.

IT recently installed a model 600i SMARTboard in the demo room. The SMARTboard joins the sympodium already located there. Plans call for the future installation of a ceiling mounted document camera and an audio capture system.

Further information on the demo classroom will be available at the beginning of the new academic year.

Instructional Technology Intern Joe Benfield demonstrates the new SMARTboard.

The Department of Instructional Technology has adopted a proactive classroom maintenance program. Technology-enhanced classrooms are now visited on a weekly basis. During these visits, our technician ensures that the screen and data projector are operating correctly, verifies that the projector is properly focused, checks the quality of sound being produced by the equipment, and cleans the computer and audio/video units. The technician also cleans any overhead projectors that are present and verifies their operation. After visiting all the classrooms in a particular building, the technician emails that building’s administrative coordinators to report on the status of the classroom technology and any repairs or corrections that were undertaken. This initiative complements a similar program for the computer labs. We hope that these efforts will uncover problems before they impact learning activities in campus classrooms.

To report a problem with classroom technology please call x2204. If the problem is an emergency, please call Anthony Liccardi, Media Technology Manager, at 330 201-6165.

In cooperation with the Departments of Physics and Math and Computer Science, the Office of Instructional Technology has designated Taylor 210 an instructional technology demo room. The demo room will provide faculty members and instructional technologists the opportunity to experiment with and to evaluate classroom technologies in a classroom setting. The technologies installed in the demo room will change on a regular basis. The experimentation and evaluation that takes place in the demo room will be used to determine which technologies should be deployed in classrooms across the campus.

The Office of Instructional Technology will be soliciting faculty input as to which technologies should be installed in the demo room. Each installation will be announced here in the blog. Questions? Contact Janet Russell, Director of Instructional Technology.

Stay tuned for further developments!