Difference between revisions of "SEM I Classrooms"

Latest revision as of 10:57, 13 October 2026

Classroom AV Quick Guide

For Use Within the SEM I Classrooms • Extron touch panels

Everything in the room runs from the touch panel at the podium. Tap the panel to wake it. The room name and number are always shown along the bottom of the screen. Note them if you need to call for help from IT Support.

Start here

Tap on the Start Screen to activate the classroom systems. Then you have two ways to get a picture on the projector. Pick the one that matches what you are teaching from.

Teaching from the classroom computer (Mac Mini)

Tap the panel to wake it.
Tap Mac Mini. The tile turns green and reads Video Detected when the computer is sending a picture.
If the projector's screen is still up, tap the down arrow under Screen Controls.
Set the volume with the Vol slider on the right edge of the panel.

Presenting from your own laptop

Plug the podium HDMI cable into your laptop. Bring your provided adapter if your laptop does not have a full-size HDMI port. We should have adapters available in the classrooms but they have been known to walk off.
Tap HDMI.
Wake your laptop and keep it awake, a sleeping laptop sends no picture.
If the tile stays grey and reads No video - Check the Source, see If something is not working below.

Note: the room cameras and meeting controls are only available on the Mac Mini source. If you are teaching over Zoom or Teams from your own laptop, the room cameras will not be available to it.

Home Screen and Functions

Control	Where	What it does
Home icon	Left edge, top	Returns to this source selection screen.
Question mark	Left edge	Opens the Support screen: phone number and live system status.
Power	Left edge, bottom	Shuts the classroom AV system down. Use it at the end of class.
Volume slider	Right edge	Speaker volume in the room for whichever source is selected.
Speaker icon	Right edge, bottom	Mutes and unmutes the room speakers.
Microphone icon	Right edge, bottom	Mutes and unmutes the room microphones.
Room name and date	Bottom center	The room you are in. Give this number when you call for help.

Classroom computer (Mac Mini)

Selecting Mac Mini opens two sets of controls.

Display

Blank Screen — hides what is on the projector without turning it off. Useful while you set up, or while you work on something you would rather the room did not see. Tap it again to bring the picture back.
TV Mirror — sends the same picture to the room’s TV displays, for students seated where the projector screen is hard to see.
Screen Controls — the down arrow lowers the projector screen, the up arrow raises it.

Meeting Camera

Tap the camera button to choose which camera is sent to your meeting.
Tap Home, Preset 1, Preset 2 or Preset 3 to move that camera to a saved angle. Presets cover the usual shots - the front of the room, the whole seminar table, the whiteboard.

Your Laptop (HDMI)

The podium HDMI cable works with a laptop, a document camera, or any other device with an HDMI output. Display controls behave exactly as they do for the Mac Mini: Blank Screen, TV Mirror and Screen Controls all still work. The meeting camera controls are not available on this source.

Teaching over Zoom or Teams

Use the classroom computer for hybrid and remote sessions, that is the source the room cameras and microphones are wired into.

Tap Mac Mini on the panel.
Start your Zoom or Teams meeting on the classroom computer.
In the meeting app’s video settings, choose Extron MediaPort as the camera. This is the room camera feed, not the small webcam built into any display.
Check that the microphone in the meeting app is set to the room audio, and that the microphone icon on the panel is not muted.
Use the camera button and the presets to frame the shot for remote participants.

The room picks up sound from the instructor microphone and from the Catchbox microphone passed around the class. Remind students to speak into the Catchbox so remote participants can hear them.

When class is over

Leave the room the way you would want to find it.

Tap Power at the bottom-left of the panel to shut the classroom AV system off.
Raise the projector screen.
Mute anything that you have used, so the next class starts from a known state.
Unplug the HDMI cable.
Log out of the classroom computer.
Return the Catchbox microphone, and instructor microphone to their charging spots.

If something is not working

Most problems in this room are a sleeping laptop, a loose cable, or a mute that was left on. Work down this list before calling.

What you are seeing	What to do
The panel is dark	It is asleep. Touch anywhere on it.
HDMI tile reads "No video - Check the Source"	Wake your laptop and make sure it is not set to sleep. Unplug and reseat the HDMI cable at both ends — the podium end comes loose more often than the laptop end. If you are using an adapter, disconnect and reconnect it. Try mirroring rather than extending your displays.
Mac Mini tile reads "No video - Check the Source"	Move the mouse or press a key to wake the computer. If the tile stays grey after a minute, call AV support.
Projector is on but the picture is blank or grey	Blank Screen is probably on. Tap Blank Screen to turn it off.
Nothing on the room TVs	Tap TV Mirror to send the picture to them.
No sound in the room	Check the Vol slider is not at the bottom. Check the speaker icon is not muted. Check the volume inside the application you are playing from.
Remote participants see the wrong picture	The meeting app is using the wrong camera. Set it to Extron MediaPort in the video settings.
Remote participants cannot hear the room	Check the microphone icon on the panel is not muted. Check the microphone selected in the meeting app. Check the catchbox microphone is charged and switched on.

Checking System Status

Tap the question mark on the left edge of the panel. The Support screen lists every video source in the room, the classroom computer, HDMI, both cameras and the MediaPort, with a plain-English status next to each one. Reading that list to AV support will support getting you an answer faster.

Getting Support

Classroom AV support: 360-867-6270 When you call, have these three things ready:

The room name and number from the bottom of the panel.
Which source you selected - Mac Mini or HDMI.
What the System Status screen says.

Revision as of 10:22, 13 October 2026 (view source) Wdhn2983 (Talk \| contribs) (Created page with "== Classroom AV Quick Guide == ==== For Use Within the SEM I Classrooms • Extron touch panels ==== Everything in the room runs from the touch panel at the podium. Tap the...")	Latest revision as of 10:57, 13 October 2026 (view source) Wdhn2983 (Talk \| contribs) (Undo revision 48773 by Wdhn2983 (talk))
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
(No difference)