Center for Academic Technology Support
Announcements
We are pleased to bring you our "A Day in the Life of Academic Technology Support" blog as our announcements.
The Center for Academic Technology Support (Posted: 2009-10-19 14:33:18)In light of the reorganization efforts of IT Services, the Emerging Technology Center is changing its name to the Center for Academic Technology Support. The Center will have responsibility for Academic Technologies, Research Computing, Smart classroom design & support and administrative computing support for Academic Affairs. The Center will also continue services such as support for videoconferencing, equipment checkout and training. But have no fear: we may be changing our name and expanding our services, but we are committed to preserving a high level of customer service.
As part of this reorganization, we are pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Robby Ambler as the Center's new Assistant Director effective immediately. Mr. Ambler has worked at Georgia Southern since 1998, and in that time he has completed both an undergraduate degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Instructional Technology. Robby's responsibilities will include the oversight of the administration of GaVIEW, Wimba and other online learning technologies. In addition, he will play a key role in the creation of the new Multimedia Development Center, a central campus resource that will partner with faculty and other departments such as the Center for Online Learning to assist in the location, modification and development of interactive, multimedia content for instructional use.
If you have any questions about these changes, feel free to contact us via our normal phone number and e-mail address (912 478 0882 and etc@georgiasouthern.edu, respectively).
Last week I discussed our basic functions at graduation. This week, I want to pull back the curtain a little more and discuss the set-up for graduation.
We actually begin set-up on the Thursday morning preceeding the graduation ceremonies. Our set-up (essentially consisting of two computers and a DVD recorder, plus the equipment required to get video feeds to each component; since last year, we have also been setting up a Plasma monitor in the Eagle Club House for viewing of the ceremony) is fairly simple and quick to set up, but we like to be on-hand to assist Communication Arts (video) and the Russell Union folks (audio) with anything they may need. We set up early so we can test everything after lunch. Our test consists of sending a live feed over the Internet and recording the feed to our hard drive. In addition, we also assist in sending the feed to the scoreboard and to the television studio on campus (in preparation for broadcasting the event on cable Channel 97). We spend the afternoon doing any testing or fixing as needed, but we are generally finished by 3:00 PM at the latest.
The following day (Friday), we usually arrive at the stadium first thing in the morning. The President and his stage party come by to see the set-up that morning, and the readers (the folks who call out the graduates' names) also come to test the audio. Again, we spend that morning and as much of the afternoon as necessary testing our equipment, but we are generally done by early afternoon (unless some of the speakers cannot be on-hand until later; then we generally leave and come back when needed).
The fun day is Saturday. We arrive at the stadium at 6 AM (after one of us runs by Daylight Donuts to pick up breakfast), and we begin our testing by 6:30. We steadily perform audio and video tests all morning. Around 8:20 AM, we stop all of our test recordings and streams so that by 8:30 we can have the actual recordings and streams started. From then on, we monitor all of the equipment to make sure there are no glitches or hiccups in the system. We can also monitor the web stream and the feed to Channel 97 to make sure that video and audio are coming through clearly.
When the ceremony ends, we pack up all of our equipment as quickly as possible and, once the crowds clear, take all of it back to our office. We unload the equipment that Saturday, but we leave the actual unpacking for Monday.
So that's a brief look into what we do for graduation (maybe next year I can post some pictures of the setup). We are always looking for new ways to expand our efforts and services, so if you have any suggestions as to how we can improve, please let us know. As always, you can contact me via e-mail at jefloyd@georgiasouthern.edu or call us at 912-478-0882.
Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon! (I'm really looking for a new sign-off)
Graduation is always an exciting event with so many people entering new phases in their lives and preparing to either bid adieu to Georgia Southern or to continue here in a new capacity. We at the Emerging Technology Center try to do our part to make this event as special as possible, so this week I’ll pull back the curtain a bit and let you know about what we (and the departments with whom we work) do during this event. Today I’ll give you an overview of the services we provide for graduation.
We serve three major functions during graduation. Other areas have the hardest AV jobs—Communication Arts faculty and students run the cameras, and the Russell Union AV folks run the audio. However, we still provide important support. The service that got us involved in graduation is our live streaming. We have a Real server on campus that we use throughout the year to stream videos for faculty and staff to share with students or to post on web pages. This server enables us send a live feed of graduation from the stadium straight to home computers. With this stream, people who cannot travel to Statesboro can still see family members and friends receive their diplomas. To view the archive of this stream, click here.
Our next function is to record graduation so that we can produce DVDs the book store can sell. During graduation, we capture a feed to a computer hard drive using a Thomson ADVC 110 Analog-to-Digital Video Converter and Adobe Premiere software. We then edit the video—adding speakers’ names and cutting out any extra video at the beginning and end of the recording—and burn the DVDs. Marketing provides us with images to use as DVD covers and labels, and then we send these professionally packaged discs over to the book store so they can eventually make their way to your home. For more information about purchasing a copy of the graduation DVD, check out the University Store.
Finally, we also set up the AV in the Eagle Club House so that people with special needs can more easily and comfortably view the ceremony. This year we took a 42” plasma monitor from our office and connected it to the existing cable feed in the club house. Since Communications Arts sends a live feed of graduation to Northland Cable Channel 97, all we have to do is turn the monitor to that channel, and we have a live feed for the people in the club house to view without the hassle of fighting the crowds in the stands.
In addition to these services, we also help however we can with sending the feed to Channel 97 and with sending a feed to the score board at the stadium. We are always looking for new ways to expand our efforts and services, so if you have any suggestions as to how we can improve, please let us know. As always, you can contact me via e-mail at jefloyd@georgiasouthern.edu or call us at 912-478-0882. Wednesday I’ll give you some insight into the set-up and testing process.
Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon! (We’re working on this closing phrase. Let me know if you have any suggestions)
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