Tag Archives: Classroom Computers

Classroom Media Equipment Improvements

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LEF Podium Monitors

Faculty teaching in the Lefavour Science labs will be pleased to learn that all podiums are now equipped with confidence monitors. No more turning around to check what’s displayed on the screen—everything you need is right in front of you. Originally, the podiums were designed to be “mobile” so they could be easily disconnected and moved. However, after years of feedback and realizing that the podiums were rarely, if ever, moved, we found a cost-effective solution to add monitors to every lab on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Document Cameras

Document cameras have become more compact, versatile, and affordable over the years. As a result, every classroom on campus is now equipped with one, aligning with our goal to standardize media equipment for a consistent experience across all classrooms. While you may not need to use these cameras for their traditional purpose, they offer a valuable secondary function—they can double as webcams. Simply connect the attached USB cable to a laptop or podium PC, and the document camera can serve as your Zoom camera and microphone. This is a convenient way to show a view of students to a remote presenter on Zoom or capture your presentation for sharing on Panopto or Moodle. (Please note: Many of our classrooms still use Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) computers, which cannot run Zoom, but we are working toward installing full computers in every classroom.)

Assessing the Future of Dual Boot Classroom Computers

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dual_boot_imageIn tandem with the public access computer virtualization pilot program, Technology is working to replace many of the lectern-based classroom computers that faculty use on a daily basis. Currently, eleven of these computers are dual boot, meaning they can be used as either a Windows or Mac computer. Many of these computers are aging and no longer support the current needs of faculty and the ways in which they use technology in the classroom.

Going forward, Technology will use desktop virtualization, a more modern approach, in order to support multiple operating system requirements in classrooms. This approach allows for both Mac and Windows applications to run on the virtualized desktop, eliminating the need to reboot classroom computers in order to switch between operating systems.

As we move forward with this project, we’re going to identify which computers need to be replaced and reach out to faculty to find out what software and other functionality is integral to their teaching. This knowledge will allow us to make informed decisions when purchasing and installing new computers and lead to the best outcomes for faculty and students.

Because faculty experience in the classroom is of paramount importance and the decisions we make now will impact the use of classroom technology for the next 3-5 years, we want to stress the importance of faculty feedback during this process. Technology will be distributing an email about specific classroom computer replacements in the near future. We’re asking faculty members to participate in this process by taking time to respond to the email.