Anthony Liccardi Departs
dwaldron October 9th, 2007
After six years, Media Technology Manager Anthony Liccardi has left the College to accept a position elsewhere. We in IT wish Anthony the best as he pursues this new opportunity.
Archive for the 'Media Services' Category
Residence Hall Lounges get Overhaul
dwaldron September 13th, 2007
A recent article in The Wooster Voice described Residence Life’s initiative to enhance the lounges within College residence halls. The goal of the initiative is to improve the quality of life for students on campus by enhancing the lounges as areas for students to gather and have fun. Over the summer many of the lounges received fresh coats of paint, new carpet, and table tennis or billiards tables. The Media Services group within IT partnered with Residence Life to select and install new large screen televisions in the following residence halls:
- Andrews
- Armington
- Babcock
- Bissman
- Bornhuetter
- Compton
- Douglass
- Holden
- Kenarden
- Stevenson
- Wagner
IT is pleased to have played a supporting role in this initiative. Special thanks to Bob Shipley and Anthony Liccardi who completed the installations during the dog days of August.
Gault Recital Hall Equipped for Multimedia Presentations
dwaldron August 21st, 2007
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.
Wishart Classroom Renovation Complete
dwaldron August 20th, 2007
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.
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Media Services Shifts to NTS
dwaldron August 8th, 2007
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.
Kauke DVD/VCR Units Replaced
dwaldron August 8th, 2007
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.
Digital Imaging System gets Overhaul
dwaldron April 20th, 2007
The digital records storage and retrieval system has recently been upgraded and reorganized to improve service. In 2004, the College entered into a partnership with IBM to license IBM’s DB2 Content Manager System for storage, archiving and retrieval. The initial setup was complete and a limited rollout of service was completed. With support from the Vice President of Business and Finance, The Director of Administrative Services and the Manager of the Digital Imaging Center, a consulting engagement with Silicon Plains was planned. The consultants worked onsite and remotely for four weeks to reorganize the data, rebuild search criteria, normalize metadata and upgrade the application.
Digital Imaging System gets Overhaul
dwaldron April 20th, 2007
The digital records storage and retrieval system has recently been upgraded and reorganized to improve service. In 2004, the College entered into a partnership with IBM to license IBM’s DB2 Content Manager System for storage, archiving and retrieval. The initial setup was complete and a limited rollout of service was completed. With support from the Vice President of Business and Finance, The Director of Administrative Services and the Manager of the Digital Imaging Center, a consulting engagement with Silicon Plains was planned. The consultants worked onsite and remotely for four weeks to reorganize the data, rebuild search criteria, normalize metadata and upgrade the application.