Information for Presenters / Use of Projectors and Technology Enabled Classrooms

Information for Presenters

This information will applies in general form both to those speaking at Ohio State, and for when you travel to speak at a conference.

Transporting Data

In general, the presenter is responsible for bringing their presentation in a usable form. The less people involved the less a chance of a mess up.

If there are questions, or help needed the organizers or presenter can contact the Statistics Support staff beforehand, we'll be happy to deal with any specific difficulties. Our e-mail is support at stat.osu.edu

Some common methods of transport are:

  • Bring a laptop

  • Recordable CDs (test to make sure they read)

  • USB memory stick

  • USB hard drive

  • CF/SD/MMC/xD/MS/SmartMedia memory cards (needs a reader)

  • Downloading from the web (if the venue has network)

  • E-mail to local person (avoid as it adds much complexity, and doesn't give you a backup you control.)

  • Overheads

Remember, it is always good to have multiple copies on different mediums, and include overheads are listed, as these can be used as a last resort.

It is highly recommended to test the equipment beforehand, especially if bringing a laptop and projector that you are unfamiliar with.

Note: The support staff are generally around Cockins during normal University hours. However, if no one is in when you need to pick up your reservation, please get a key from the main office staff.

Specific to EA160/EA170 and Our Seminars

Seminar speakers send an abstract to the seminar organizer, who will then forward it to Computer Support for posting on the web. If they have questions about technology available they can call or e-mail support.

In both EA rooms there are both PC and Mac in the podium, though using the PC is recommended. Both have PowerPoint on them.

The PC has front USB ports, though if these do not work there should be USB extension cables from the back of the machine. There is a CD drive and a floppy drive. There should be internet access.

There is also a standard HD-15 VGA port for hooking up a laptop, as well as a standard RJ-45 network jack. Cables are not present, so bring some or let Computer Support know you need them.

There should also be at least one overhead projector in each room, as well as white boards.

Note: EA rooms and classrooms are controlled and maintained by OIT Classroom Services. In the absence of a problem report they assume the room, computer, and projector are fine. Statistics Computer Support has no administrative access to those machines. The machines may be reinstalled at any time, and/or reboots may delete files, so do not store files on them.

How to Use Projectors / Technology Enabled Classrooms

We have a PowerPoint presentation with illustrations from our presentation in the Department meeting. There are pictures showing details on how to use the CH312 classroom, and our laptop and projector. Quick outlines are below.

How to Use a Laptop and Portable Projector

Usually, follow these steps for any laptop and projector:

  1. Plug in power to laptop and projector.

  2. Connect video cable between laptop and projector.

  3. Power on projector, wait a minute or two so it warms up.

  4. Power on laptop.

On most laptops this should work to mirror the screen on the projector. Additional steps that may be necessary depending on the laptop:

  • Set laptop resolution to the projector's native resolution. (Most projectors have a 1024x768 native resolution.)

  • Use the laptop's function keys to enable mirroring.

Also, be aware there may be a mute button. This is a video mute and will blank the screen.

How to Use a Technology Enabled Classroom

Different classrooms have different setups, but they are all fairly similar. Basically:

  1. Power on projector, you may have to wait a minute or two until it warms up.

  2. Select input.

  3. Power on computer.

Unlike a portable projector the order generally doesn't matter as much. Sometimes the inputs are labelled different ways, and it may take trial and error to find the right one.

How to Use a Technology Enabled Classroom with a Laptop

Different classrooms have different setups, but they are all fairly similar. Basically:

  1. Plug in power to laptop.

  2. Connect video cable between laptop and podium.

  3. Power on projector, you may have to wait a minute or two until it warms up.

  4. Select input.

  5. Power on computer.

Unlike a portable projector the order generally doesn't matter as much. Sometimes the inputs are labelled different ways, and it may take trial and error to find the right one. For example, EA is labelled 'Input #7'.

Also, be aware there may be a mute button. This is a video mute and will blank the screen.

Getting Help

Classrooms and lecture rooms are controlled and maintained by OIT Classroom Services. If there is a difficulty the number to call is 4-HELP. This is an on campus number only. If a campus phone cannot be located, 247-HELP or 292-3448 can be called from a mobile phone. They have an army of students and will send one over as soon as possible.

OIT's Classroom Support will be happy have a meeting with a professor the first day of class and demo the equipment the first time. However, they will not send someone out everytime unless there is a problem. If there is a problem in a classroom, Statistics Computer Support can also be contacted and we can try to resolve the problem.

For our seminars, typically the graduate student who works for computer support will be attending. Thus, he may be able to fix the problem, or contact OIT and/or the other support staff.

For our laptop and projector support will be happy to do training on the equipment well in advance of the presentation. If there is a problem with the equipment contact or find support and we will try to help. If there were any oddities with the equipment, please tell us so that we can check it before the next use.