Microsoft Teams is a great way to collaborate with your colleagues and the app has become more and more popular on campus! While Teams has its own cloud storage capabilities, you and your team may already use Box to store and collaborate on documents. If you think that you have to choose between one or the other, think again! MS Teams allows you to connect Box folders so they appear in the Files section of team channels. Let’s go over how to set it up in this quick video! Continue reading OIT Quick Tip: Adding Box Folders to Microsoft Teams
Category: Tech Tips
Easily Create and Edit Closed Captions with Panopto
We have all been there, you are trying to listen to something, and you miss it. “What is that? What did they say?” These days, my daughters prefer to watch TV with the closed captions enabled because the other one is always “making too much noise.” While for them it is a convenience, but for others, it is a necessity. In this post, we are going to look at how easy it is to add closed captions to your Panopto videos to make them accessible to all. Continue reading Easily Create and Edit Closed Captions with Panopto
Troubleshooting Tips for Classroom AV
Technology glitches are inevitable no matter how hard we try to eliminate them! It’s even more stressful when you are standing in front of the classroom with all students staring at you! Here are a few troubleshooting tips to remember if you arrive in a room and the technology is not working as expected.
- The Podium is the Host: If a podium computer is installed, it must be used as the source for your Zoom meeting. You may join with a personal device as a Co-Host, but the podium must be the main Host for the meeting
- Run the Zoom audio test: When you first launch Zoom, it is always a good idea to run the quick test of your speakers and microphone. In most rooms, you will need to adjust the speaker setting within Zoom in order for your remote participants to be heard in the room.
- Click the arrow next to the Mute icon.
- Click Test Speaker & Mic.
Don’t hesitate to try the different microphones and speakers until you have a successful test.
- Microphone batteries are low: If a microphone battery is low, you can switch to either the webcam microphone or even the document camera microphone for that session.
- Can’t hear audio: Double check the touchpanel and ensure that the room and microphone mute buttons are Off. In most cases, the buttons turn red if the mute is on.
- Please Note: The projector must be ON for audio to transmit in the room. If you do not wish to see the content of the screen, hit the Blank Screen button on the touch panel. However, the projector must be turned ON for audio to work!
- The projector isn’t working: Have the students join the Zoom session on their laptops or phones from within the room. The students will not need to join with audio from those devices.
- Issues with the built-in camera: While this is a bit more difficult to troubleshoot, we can quickly deliver a webcam if needed to provide video. Of course, you could also join the Zoom session from your phone (with no audio) to provide video if needed.
Remember, if you encounter issues and need on-site assistance, please call the Classroom Support line at 214-768-8888. We will dispatch a technician immediately to assist in the classroom.
Enhance Your Study Skills with LinkedIn Learning
A new semester is upon us at SMU, which means new beginnings and new academic goals for everyone. Sometimes, going back to the basics can be the best thing to do when working towards new accomplishments. LinkedIn Learning provides students with courses like Learning Study Skills to pick up easy tricks to save time and effort within their academic endeavors, and to start the semester off right.
LinkedIn Learning is a free online learning platform provided by the Office of Information Technology at SMU. The platform enables students to develop various skills by watching short video tutorials presented by experts from all types of fields. Students can personalize their learning experience and even share their accomplishments on their LinkedIn account. In the course, Learning Study Skills, Paul Nowak instructs on how to become a better student, and ways to make the learning process easier. The course covers speed reading techniques, more efficient ways of note-taking, memory tricks, and testing tips. Skills like these tend to be overlooked, but with the help of LinkedIn Learning, students can go back to their basics and be well on their way to academic success.
To learn more about LinkedIn Learning itself or make your own account, visit the SMU’s LinkedIn Learning webpage.
FERPA & Class Recordings: What You Need To Know
As every COVID-era instructional modality necessitates entirely virtual and online technological course elements, many faculty and students alike have many questions regarding how to best protect student privacy—especially privacy relating to class video recordings, since SMU faculty will be recording all synchronous class sections this fall. Most simply, online and SMUFlex classes and any activities therein (course recordings, online proctoring, Zoom sessions, etc.) are covered by FERPA protections in the exactly same ways that traditional classes are covered. SMU Canvas offers a password-protected, secure environment which makes it easy for faculty to share all class recordings in a safe, secure digital environment. If you are leveraging non-SMU systems for hosting class recordings or any other media that feature students or their work—please review the information below and consider using Canvas and university-supported course management systems instead. Continue reading FERPA & Class Recordings: What You Need To Know
