How to use the Interactive Classroom in WCC235

Owned by Liz Evison
Last updated: Mar 19, 2015 by JordiKai Watanabe-Inouye
8 min read

Table of Contents

What to put in your WCC 235 toolkit:

  • OneCard for door access
  • Dry erase markers
  • Whiteboard erasers
  • Mac laptop dongles

The Space

The interactive classroom hosts two projection screens, eight individual monitors, eight tables fully equipped with connection cables, microphones for each table,  a main podium to control all interactive media, and three of the four walls double as white boards.

Getting Started:

1)    Turn on the computer. The Power button is located on the lower right-hand corner of the back of the monitor. Log in with your Carl ID and password.

2)    Touch the AMX panel to the left of the computer to activate it. The screen will be divided into two panels: "Projectors" and "Monitors." You may proceed to activate a variety of combinations:

                                                                    

  1. To activate the projectors
    1. Select "Turn on" under "The projectors are turned off."
    2. The AMX panel will indicate when the projectors have loaded fully.  
    3. After the AMX panel indicates they have loaded you may select what media source you would like to appear on the screens.
  2. To activate the monitors 
    1. Select “Turn on” under “The monitors are turned off.” 
    2. The monitors will take roughly 30 seconds or more to boot.
    3. After they have loaded to a blue screen you may choose what media source you would like to appear on each screen.
  3. To activate both the projectors and the monitors
    1. Select both “Turn on” options

Class Layout:

The AMX panel assigns numbers to the monitors and tables. If you are standing at the podium looking towards the wall with the doors, they are as follows:

Selecting Source:

Projectors:
  • After the left portion of the screen loads, select your media source on the touchscreen (ie: will you be projecting information from a laptop connection, the main computer, a DVD, the doc camera, or auxiliary input?)
  • Your chosen source will be projected onto both screens.
  • Keep in mind that both screens can only show one source of media. For example, you cannot display a DVD to one screen and the computer desktop to another.
  • To display one of the student stations onto the projectors, select the option “Student Stations.” Eight tables will appear on the screen. Choose which table’s monitor you want to project. It will be highlighted in green when displayed on the projection screens.
  • If at any point you would like to project from a different monitor to the projection screens simply select another table number.
    • In order to change which monitor is being projected make sure that you are choosing the table from the "Projectors" half of the AMX panel.
  • To blank the screens, press “Blank screen.” Select whether you would like to blank projectors, monitors, or all of the above.
Monitors:
  • Each monitor corresponds to its own table. On the panel in the center of the table there is an “On/Off” button in the lower right-hand corner. Press it.
  • Each table has its own supply of connection cables. Connect the appropriate cable to your laptop or personal media device.
  • Select which source you would like to project to the monitor by pressing the corresponding button on the panel in the middle of the table. 
  • Keep in mind that only one monitor can be shown on the projected screens at a time.                   

Note: Your connection options include: VGA #1, VGA #2, HDMI #1, HDMI #2, Disp. Port #1, Disp. Port #2, and Comp. Video. See "cables" section for more information.

Your media device will display to the table’s monitor now.

  1. To select another table, press another number.
  2. To display the projector on all monitors, press “Projector Source”
  3. To blank all the screens, press “Blank screen” on the monitors side.
    1. You can then choose if you want to blank the projectors, the monitors, or all of the above.
  4. To turn off all of the monitors, press “Turn off”

The Podium


    From right to left the podium is equipped with a small compartment of external cables, an AMX panel, and computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Beneath you will find the DVD player and plugs for more external AV hookup.     


At the podium you will find a small compartment box with four cables and an outlet. From right to left the cables are: Mini port (will connect to most Macs), VGA cable (will connect to all PCs and Macs--although Mac requires a dongle connector), an ethernet cable, and a mini jack that will connect external sound (ie: an iPod).

The Tables

Each table hosts its own monitor, microphone, selection panel, and connection cables.

 

Once you hook up your personal media device (computer, iPad, etc.) you can choose which source you would like to display onto the monitor. By pressing a different button you can switch from one source to another quickly and with ease.

Your options (see below) are as follows: VGA #1, VGA #2, HDMI #1, HDMI #2, Disp. Port #1, Disp. Port #2, and Comp. Video. *

*When using VGA #2 at any of the tables the screen refresh rate must be set at 60 Hz.

Table Cables:

Each table has RCA cables, 2 VGAs, 2 HDMIs, 2 mini display ports, and an audio device connection. All are labelled.
          Yellow: Video input/output

          Red: Right-channel audio

          White: Left-channel audio

VGA:Video Graphics Array

         Can connect computers, laptops, monitors, and projectors, among other things. PCs will connect directly; Macs need a connecting dongle.

          There are two available VGA cables at each table.

HDMI:High-Definition Multimedia Interface

         Can connect compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, projectors, DVD players, camcorders, laptops, video game consoles, tablets, and phones.

          There are two available HDMI cables at each table.

Display Port: Mini Display Adapter

       Whereas the HDMI cable is wider and more rectangular, the mini is a small square. It connects to Macs.
       There are two available mini display adapters at each table.

Composite Video: Comp. Video

This button will activate the RCA cable connection and the audio jack.

(RCA cables)
(Audio Jack)

Microphone: Tabletop Mic

Each microphone is hooked up to its individual table. There should not be connection problems. If there are, please call PEPS at x7070.

Sound

At the Podium:

In order to have sound from the computer, "Computer" must be selected on the AMX panel. If you have switched the output source (ie: plugged in an iPod or other auxiliary device), you must re-select the output destination.

1. Go to the Apple button in the upper left-hand corner.

2. Click System Preferences. Go to "Sound."

3. Click on "Output." Select "Internal Speakers."

Your iPod will still function if plugged in; just remember to reactivate the computer sound.

Plug your iPod or audio device into the audio jack. Select "Auxiliary Output" on the AMX panel.

How to Record from the Document Camera

Here is an overview of how to record video from the WCC 235 document camera onto the classroom computer.

Using Mac:

1) Turn on the teaching station computer.
2) Select the Mac side and log in.
3) Open the document camera drawer, turn on the document camera, and adjust arm as needed. The ring around the power button should be blue when on.
4) On the computer, you have two options, (a) and (b):
     a) Open "Quicktime" from the "Applications" folder on the dock at the bottom of the screen. 
        - Under the "File" menu, select "New Movie Recording"
        - Once that window opens, your Mac will automatically choose your internal iSight camera. Toward the right side of the control bar that comes up is a small triangle pointing down. Click on that triangle and a menu will come up giving you your camera options. Select "Samsung Digital Presenter" to switch to the document camera view.
        - To start recording, press the red dot in the middle of the control bar. 
        - To stop recording, press that dot again, now a black square.
        - To save your movie, navigate to the "File" menu, then select "Save As".

     b) Open "Photo Booth" from the "Applications" folder on the dock at the bottom of the screen.
        - Photo Booth defaults to taking still images from the computer's internal iSight camera. On the left side of the control bar, there are three icons in a row. Select film strip icon, the one on the right, to make a movie. To switch to the document camera view, navigate to the Photo Booth "Camera" menu, and select "Samsung Digital Presenter", the name of the document camera.
        - To start recording, press the red circle in the middle of the control bar that sort of looks like a camera. The program will give you a countdown before it begins recording.
        - To stop recording, press that dot again, now a black square.
        - To save your movie, drag and drop the thumbnail of your video to the desired location.

Using Windows:

1) Turn on the teaching station computer.
2) On the classroom touchscreen, turn on a display source (projector, monitors, or both).
3) Select the Windows side and log in.
4) Open the document camera drawer, turn on the document camera, and adjust arm as needed. The ring around the power button should be blue when on.
5) Navigate to the "Start" menu, select "All Programs", and then select "Windows Live Movie Maker".
6) Under the "Home" tab, select "Webcam Video".
7) The "Windows Live Movie Maker Options" window will open, asking you to "Select an audio device and webcam". 
     i. From "Available audio devices:", select "Microphone (Cirrus Logic 4206A (AB 09))" from the drop down options.
     ii. From "Available webcams:", select "Samsung Digital Presenter" from the drop down options.
8) To start recording, press the red circle called "Record" in the upper left corner of the window. 
9) To stop recording, press the square called "Stop" to the right of the record button, which should now be blue.
10) When you select "Stop", the "Save Video" window should pop up. Select the location where you'd like your video to be saved, and click "Save". 

If you've accidentally selected the wrong video and audio options (wrong camera, wrong mic, etc), how do you get that options screen to pop up again? 
1) If you are in the video recording window, select the red X called "Cancel".
2) Click on the blue rectangle in the upper left of the application windows that has a file-like icon on it. It's the one to the left of the "Home" tab.
3) Select "Options", with a checklist icon.
4) Select "Webcam", and you're there!

Note: the document camera will not turn on if you have not turned on at least one of the classroom system devices with the touch screen (the monitors or the projector). You must turn on a display source.