latest news & information
New Equipment on SmartClassroom Lecterns
For Fall Quarter 2011, you will see two new items on SmartClassroom lecterns:
Computer Lab Renovations
Several OIT Instructional Computer Labs have received SmartClassroom style upgrades with new audio, projection, and control systems:
Mac Laptop Brightness Issues
Have you noticed a significantly dimmer image lately when connecting your Mac laptop to a SmartClassroom podium? Your problem may be due to a change Apple made in a recent update to Mac OS, resulting in a much darker default image when using the external display.
Perform the following calibration to obtain a better projected image. When you are done, you should be amazed at how good the new projected image looks!
- First, connect your laptop to an external display (you can use a smartclassroom VGA cable, or connect to a projector or monitor elsewhere)
- Open System Preferences
- Open Displays, and select the external (VGA) display
- Hit Calibrate
- Check the box enabling Expert Mode, and follow the directions as you are guided through the calibration process
UCI Replay
OIT has introduced a new audio/screen capture service which can be voluntarily used by instructors, employees, and departments who wish to easily record classes or presentations. UCI Replay is available on all SmartClassroom computers, and can also be downloaded to office or personal computers for UCI use.
For instructions and additional information on UCI Replay, visit: http://replay.oit.uci.edu/About_UCI_Replay/
Audience Response System - i>clicker
What is audience response? At UCI, it means that we have equipment available to collect responses from handheld devices purchased by the students. These devices (commonly called "clickers") enable students to respond to a question by pressing one of the keys on the clicker, much like using a TV remote control. The instructor determines when students may use the clickers and can optionally show a histogram of student votes at the end of each response period on the projection screen.
Faculty are using this technology now to get immediate feedback on student comprehension and as a means of encouraging students to keep up with assigned reading and attend lecture. Some courses are even using the system to conduct weekly quizzes.
To participate, students will need to buy an audience response clicker. These are inexpensive, and a student only has to buy one, because they will use the same clicker in any UCI class that uses the technology. When the clicker is purchased, the student visits a website to register their device's serial number so that they can receive credit for using it in classes. Over 5000 UCI undergraduates have purchased these devices since Fall 2006.
For more information about this technology or for help in using it, please visit our web pages on audience response at UCI. You are also welcome to contact Dave McCue at (949) 824-4210 or dmccue@uci.edu.
If you would like to read more about the audience response equipment we use from the maker of the system, please visit http://www.iclicker.com/ (opens in a new browser window).
