Upon returning to your classrooms you might notice some new AV equipment that MSC has installed in order to aid in the Hyflex teaching model. Each classroom will be receiving 2 new cameras, as well as some additional cabling and tripods to aid in the placement of the cameras. Below are the examples of each camera and what their intended purpose is.

This is a wide angle webcam installed on the teaching computer's monitor. This camera is intended to be used to capture the instructor and in some instances even capture part of the teaching board if located near the instructor station. This webcam has a built-in microphone that can be used to help isolate the instructor's voice.

This is a super wide angle 180 degree conference camera. This camera is intended to be installed in the front of the classroom facing the students, with the intent of capturing the class to assist the remote student understand who is speaking. The PanaCast can also easily be pointed at the teaching board if capturing what is written on the board is a priority. This camera currently does not have it's built-in microphone activated. It will be activated at a later time with a firmware update. It is recommended to use this camera in conjunction with the ClearOne chat 170 speakerphone.

This is a 360 degree conference camera. The Owl Meeting Camera uses an array of microphones and a 360 degree camera to give you a full view of the classroom. The camera will also isolate speakers in a frame below the image of the whole classroom. Please note it does take a few seconds, ~5 for the camera to lock onto a new person speaking. This camera also has a very loud built-in speaker. The ideal use for this camera is placing it as close to the center of a table or room as possible allowing the camera to capture its surroundings. This is the ideal camera for discussion based instruction. Due to the built in microphone array and speaker, it is recommended to use the Owl's microphone and speaker in your google meet's setting to get the best experience out of this camera.

The microphones in these cameras are very sensitive and do a great job of picking up voices. If you are using multiple computers to present, one for video and one for screen sharing, it is recommended you mute the speaker and microphone for the screen sharing computer, and only leave the microphone open on the video computer. This will help to eliminate the dreaded echo.

Now with multiple microphones in the classroom and at different locations it will become important to pick the right microphone for your intended use. If you are mainly giving a lecture with not a lot of back and forth, the microphone closest to where you stand will be your best option. If you are giving a discussion, you will want a centrally located microphone, ideally the Chat 170 or Owl meeting camera. Please understand that the Chat 170 and Owl meeting camera microphones are quite good, so good that they will also pick up background sounds, such as rustling papers or pen tappings.