Common Classroom Tech Errors and Solutions

  • Lapel mic not working: 
The button on the mic will toggle between Green and Red lights for on and off. Powering on can take up to take 6 seconds.  The GREEN light indicates ON.  The RED light indicates OFF or MUTE.  A blinking light indicates that the mic has lost it's programming and cannot connect to the base station.  The volume control is pre-set and cannot be raised or lowered.

  • No sound from speakers and/or microphones: 

In your Zoom window, click the microphone icon arrow in the the bottom left-hand corner. Select "Test Speakers & Microphone." Follow the steps and change microphones and speakers as needed.

Click the "Slide Show" ribbon in PowerPoint. Uncheck "Use Presenter View" and select "Primary Monitor" from the drop-down menu.

  • Microsoft Office applications require users to sign in:

Close and reopen the software (i.e. PowePoint, Word, Excel, etc.).

The infrared (IR) connection is easily disrupted on some remotes. Make sure the path from the remote to projector/camera is not obstructed (i.e. the rolling transparent petition in front of the lectern). You may need to step closer to the device to directly point the remote at the device. 

Make sure that you are selecting "Camera 1" input on the camera remote controls.

The confidence or secondary monitor is an extension of the primary monitor. The projector mirrors what is displayed from the lectern/primary monitor.

Use the following two keyboard shortcut methods to correct the display options:

  1. change to "extension mode" by pressing Windows + P.
  2. move windows from the secondary monitor to the primary monitor(s) by pressing Windows + Shift + Left/Right Arrow Keys.

Power on the device from the document camera. In your Zoom window, select "Share Screen" icon in the menu. Then, click "Advanced" and "Content from a 2nd Camera."

A personal laptop can be used to share content, but the lectern/podium computer must be used to "drive" the Zoom session, control the cameras, microphones, and classroom speakers.  Once the class is started with the desktop computer, go to share.zoom.us and type in your meeting ID and password to wirelessly connect your personal laptop to your Zoom session. Use this option for classes with remote and in-person students. 

Instructors may use the wired lectern connections to share your laptop for classes with in-person students only. 

Sharing/streaming video is possible with some tweaks to the default settings.  This must  be done with the Chrome browser and the Zoom app.  Read this full instructions here.