The ITV Classroom: What's There and How it Works
The typical ITV broadcast classroom has a lectern, behind which is a chroma curtain (either blue or green) and a white board. To either side is a large TV monitor. A third monitor is in the center at the back of the room. Three cameras are mounted at vantage points, providing shots of the instructor, the students in the broadcast classroom, and any documents or objects on the lectern. (Some classrooms have a document camera in place of the overhead camera.) Audio speakers and microphones are on the ceiling. A computer with an internet connection is available in each classroom for showing computer graphics presentations and Web sites.
You will be assigned a Distance Education Technician (DET) before the semester begins. The DET will assist you with the classroom technologies.
The DET can play videotapes, audio CDs, and audiotapes. (All material must be cleared for broadcast purposes. The DET will check the online list to confirm that the material has been cleared. If not cleared, the DET cannot broadcast the material.)
You are not bound to a fixed spot in front of a camera. Rather, equipped with a wireless microphone, you can move freely within the classroom, or mark on the board, all with a normal tone of voice. When the DET activates the overhead microphones, students in your broadcast classroom, too, may also speak freely and be seen and heard by remote students.
The student at a remote location dials the 800 number for the originating classroom. The incoming call is one of four available phone lines at a switchboard in the control room. The DET answers the call, asks which location the call is from, then inserts the location, or "caller on line" across the bottom of the screen. When you see the message you can make an acknowledgment, and then when appropriate, the DET will patch the caller through to the classroom. The audio will simultaneously be transmitted to all locations. The technician can patch in each caller in turn, or tie all four lines together in a conference. Of course, students in your broadcast classroom can also participate in these discussions.
Audio feedback is inherent to a system that is this interactive. Open microphones, television speakers, and telephone receivers all contribute occasionally to a high-pitched squeal. This is usually caused by the caller's audio set too high, or the caller is standing too close to the television and may have the phone speaker facing the television speaker. Fortunately, this can be controlled. In most cases the DET will simply adjust the incoming signal of the caller. If the feedback is more serious, the DET will flash a feedback message and instructions on the screen. You can help by asking the student to follow the instructions—basically, moving away from the TV monitor. In severe cases, the caller will be disconnected.