Technology How To

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to convert an oldVHS tape into a digital file that will never lose quality.

1. After placing our videocassette tape into the VCR2PC VCR and making sure it’s rewound to the beginning, we begin by double-clicking the “EZ VHS Converter” icon on the desktop.

2. We next click on the “VCR 2 PC” option in the main menu.

3. Next, we type the filename of the move we are digitizing. In this case we’ll call the video “My Home Movie.” We also choose how long we would like the computer to record from the VHS tape. Be sure to insert a time larger than the actual tape, as we can always choose to stop recording manually later. Finally, click record and immediately press the play button on the VCR to begin transferring the video.

4. At any time, you may stop recording manually if you are satisfied with what has been recorded. Once the time has elapsed or once you have manually stopped recording, move your cursor to the top left of the screen and click the back button to return to the main page.

5. We now click on “Videos” to see our newly digitized VHS content.

6. We can see that our home video is now displayed in this folder, from here we can choose to burn the file to a CD or make some primitive edits to the content.

7. Often times, we want to save the file to a thumb-drive or media source other than a CD. In this case, we’ll have to exit the VCR2PC program and find the file in My Documents>My Videos. Begin by finding My Documents from the start menu and clicking “My Videos”.

8. The “My Videos” folder now shows our videocassette turned into a digital file. We can now save it to a thumb-drive or (if it’s a small enough file) email it to ourselves.

To Install the New Printers:

1.Confirm you are logged on to STUDENT WIRELESS

2.Go to your Start > Run

3.To install Black and White copier/printer (most) Type: \\washington\zsrlibrarybw

4.To install Color copier/printer (only one in ITC) Type: \\washington\zsrlibraryclr

5.To install copiers/printers on Apple Computers, use http://washington.deacnet.wfu.edu/uniprint/macintosh.html

NOTES:

All print jobs will be available at all copiers in the library!

Students receive their free copies/printouts as money in their account ($4 for undergrad; $20 for graduate)

B&W copies/printouts are 8 cents per page. Color copies/printouts are 50 cents per page.

In order to assign clickers to individual students the user must first create a participant list

To create a participant list:

• Enter the TurningPoint 2008 tab and click on the Participants option
• Scroll down to Participant List Wizard to begin

• Select the Educational Template and click Next
• Add any information fields necessary for the testing you are using and click Next
• Use the Add Groups section of the wizard to create groups within your participant list to allow for team answering or certain types of demographic statistics. Click Next when complete.
• Lastly, create a name for your Participant List. Click Finish to begin entering clicker and participant information.

The most important field on the Participant List is the Device ID field. In order to assign certain students to particular clickers, you must enter the correct Device ID for the clicker that the individual student is using. The Device ID is located on the back of each clicker and is a 6-character code that begins with a zero. Enter the Device ID in the proper field and also enter any other information required for each student.

When you complete your Participant List and are ready to begin your session, you must first do the following:

• Reset your session by clicking on the TurningPoint 2008 tab and selecting Reset

• Select your Participant list on the side menu and click Use Selected List

• Run your slide show, opening and closing polls appropriately, allowing the students to answer each question
• To observe individual results for each student, under the TurningPoint 2008 tab select Tools>Turning Reports
• Next, select the Reports tab and check off the Participant Results Reports box
• Then click Generate Reports - this will open an Excel sheet that grades each individual student’s answers

Installing and Configuring

• Install TurningPoint Software
• Insert the receiver into a USB port.
• Launch TurningPoint from your desktop icon. You will notice that it opens up PowerPoint but gives you a new TurningPoint toolbar just above the presentation area.

Adding TurningPoint Slides to a Presentation.

• You can create a new PPT presentation or open up an existing one and insert slides where needed.
• From the Insert Slide menu on the Turning Point Tab select the kind of slide you wish to insert.
  

• Once you have chosen an option - just replace the standard text on the slide with your questions and answers.
• When you click away from the answer area, you will see your chart option divide up into the number of options you have given.
• NOTE: Be sure to use the numbering option rather than typing or cutting and pasting.
• Always check your chart to be sure it is registering your possible answers correctly.
• You can always move around or resize the text box or the chart if you need to.
• You can use Design Templates with Turning Point slides, but be aware that some template designs create problems in reading your text. Test it out before hand.

Saving Your Presentation

A TurningPoint presentation is just like any other PowerPoint presentation. Use the File > Save or Save As option or the save icon on the PowerPoint (NOT TURNINGPOINT) tab.

Preparing to Present

• Plug in the receiver to your USB port. TurningPoint recommends using the same port each time.
• Test that you are receiving by running the Polling Test on the Response Device Wizard screen.
• Reset your presentation using the Reset > Session option on the Turning Point tab.
• This will blank out all of your charts. This is how ALL SLIDES should look before you have students use clickers in the class!

• Run your presentation in Slideshow mode.
• When you are running your presentation, your screen will have a TurningPoint Status Bar in the upper right of the Slideshow screen. When the far right box goes green and says polling:open then it will register answers.
• When all responses are in, click the mouse button or the right arrow key to display the results on the screen.

Saving Data

• If you want to save your session data, click the Save icon on the TurningPoint tab. If you try to close a presentation without saving, it will ask you.
• The default location for it to save is in Userdata > TurningPoint > Sessions - it is fine to leave it there, or you can opt to save it in another location in Userdata.
• The default filename is in this format (New Session 6-15-2007 12-31 PM). You may want to change New Session to another name, but may find it helpful to leave in the date and/or time for reference.

Viewing Saved Session Data

• To view your session data you need to launch TurningPoint and use the Tools > Turning Reports option from the TurningPoint tab

• Click on the Reports tab
• Select Results by Question and then click the Generate Reports button
• This will launch and MS Excel file with two tabs: Graphical Results by Question and Results by Question.

The Insert Object menu on the TurningPoint tab allows you to add several things to your TurningPoint slides. Before inserting any of the objects from this menu, go ahead and have your question and answers set on the slide. All of these objects are moveable once inserted so you can arrange you slides as you wish.

1. Charts: This allows you to change the type of chart you have inserted in your slide.
2. Answer Now: This is a box (you have a choice of many different shapes) that says “Answer Now” that comes on the screen when polling is open and disappears when it is closed either through a countdown timer or clicking to see the results.
3. Countdown: This will put a graphical element (lots of choices) and numbers on the screen to count down time for your students to answer. To change the time, insert the timer and then click on the number and it will prompt you to enter a number from 1-999. NOTE: You must click two times on the slides to first bring up the polling and then the counter.
4. Response Counter: will put a graphical element that will show how many people have answered your question.
5. Response Table: this puts a table on your screen that will indicate as responses are made. You will see the number of squares per number of response devices you have configured.
6. Correct answer Indicator: Before inserting this object, select the correct answer from the menu that appears on the side of the slide. Then, select the graphical element you want from the Correct Answer Option in the Objects menu. This icon will appear when you click your mouse AFTER the results are shown.
   

Example shown below:

Forward

This quick guide is designed to provide a reference to the use of Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing in the ITC Mini-TV Studio. It will help you in taking the raw footage you have created and putting together a final movie, and will take you through the basic functions needed to do so. It is not designed to give you a full knowledge of the many features of Adobe Premiere. For help with more advanced features available, please use the help feature built into the program itself, including a number of useful tutorial videos at http://tv.adobe.com/#pg+1600

Getting Started

To begin editing movie footage, start Adobe Premiere Pro by double clicking the shortcut icon located on the desktop of the TV Studio Thinkpad. After a short loading period, a screen should appear asking if you wish to start a new project, open an existing project, or go to the help menu. If you have already begun editing footage, and want to resume where you left off, select open existing project, or select the project from the list of recently opened projects presented.

If you are starting a brand new project, select the new project option. This will open a dialog box allowing you to adjust settings in regards to your film itself as well as give the project a name and a location to be saved. Select the appropriate settings to your footage, widescreen mode in the Mini TV Studio, give your project a name, and select a location in which to keep your files. A good suggestion is to create a folder with your last name in the My Videos folder in Userdata, and save all projects and footage there to make it easier to locate. (Note: Make sure to back up any files to removable media, such as a CD-R or flash drive, before shutting down the Thinkpad. ITC is not responsible for any data left on the machine, and any and all files are subject to being erased at anytime.)

Once done, hit the OK button to proceed to the main screen of Premiere. You should notice a number of different tabs in which your footage will be edited. Each of these can be moved or closed to your liking.

Importing Data (Videos, Pictures, Music)

To import your resources into Adobe Premiere Pro, go to File>Import, or press Control + I. This will open up a window allowing you to open any files you wish to use in your film. Navigate through the folders to find the files you wish to use, including movie files, pictures, music clips, etc., select these files, and hit the Open button. The file should now appear in the Project window located in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Repeat the process for all files to be used in the project.

Editing Video Footage

Once you have imported your data, you can begin creating your movie. Click and drag a video clip you wish to edit from the project screen into the source screen located in the upper middle of the window. A preview of the video should appear on screen. Below this preview is a list of controls, you can mouse over each icon to get a basic understanding of their function or refer to the in-program help guide located in the help menu.

The most common editing needed for footage is cutting pieces of the clip. Doing so removes extra parts of the clip and leaves you with only your desired footage. In the source screen, you will notice a timeline located below the preview and above the control panel. Use the mouse to move the small slider to the beginning of the desired clip, and use the Left In Point button, which appears as a { icon, to set an In point. Now drag the slider to the end of the desired clip and use the right In Point, which looks like a } Icon to set a right In Point. You should notice that the desired footage is now highlighted on the timeline. Click and drag the preview screen to the video 1 channel in the timeline tab at the bottom of the screen. You should now see the clip, both a video and audio track, appear in the timeline, as well as a preview appear in the program tab located in the upper right hand corner of the screen. This is how your final product would look if you compiled to movie now.

You can now add addition clips to the timeline using the above method. CAUTION! If you drop a clip over a clip already in the timeline, it will replace the older clip. If you would like to rearrange clips, put both in the timeline, and click and drag one while holding the Control Key. This will allow you to move clips ahead of one another while pushing the other clip to the end.

Once a clip has been added to the timeline, in can be removed by selecting it with the mouse and hitting the delete key. You can also use the Razor icon, located in the control panel next to the timeline to make quick cuts separating a long clip into two clips at the point clicked.

Adding Pictures and Sounds/Music

Adding other forms of content works just like adding video. Simply import them into your project window using File>Import, and drag them from there into the timeline. You can still pictures directly into the video 1 channel for them to appear as their own separate clip in the movie, or place them in one of the additional video tracks to create layered effects.

Pictures and videos placed in the higher video tracks, video 2, video 3, etc. will appear over the footage below. You can adjust the opacity of these by dragging the yellow line located in the middle of the clip down, making the image more transparent. If you can’t see the yellow line, you probably need to expand the video track by clicking the white arrow next to the track name.

You can also adjust the scaling of images by right clicking the image in the timeline and clicking the “Scale to Framesize” option, or editing the image in Photoshop. You can also adjust the duration that the picture plays in the movie by mousing over the edge of the clip until a red bracket with arrows appears. Click the edge and slide the clip to the desired duration.

Another handy feature of Premiere is the ability to import Photoshop files directly, meaning you can piece together and animate each layer of an image created in Photoshop, as well as overlay image layers over movie footage.

Music files work much the same way as picture files. You can add music directly to the main track or to one of the other Audio tracks, adjust the volume of the clip by using the yellow line, and change the duration of the music playing.

Transitions and Effects

Premiere has a giant library of effects and transitions to add to your movie file. These can be located in the library tab in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, under “effects”. You can find everything color corrections to camera blurs, and apply these to your clips. To do so, search through the folders to find the effect you want to try, and drag it onto one of your clips. You can then edit the effects by highlighting a clip and going to the Effects Control Tab in the Source Tab. Here you can adjust numerous settings for the video clip and the effect itself, as well as turn the effect completely off if so desired. Usually, the best way to learn about effects is to try them out, and find the best setting for your film. If you are looking for specifics on each effect, simply go to the Help menu and search for that effect.

Also available within the effects menu are a number of presets that can be used and edited. You can also create custom presets by saving the effect settings you have created on a clip already. Simply go to the edit screen and right click the effect title, and save preset. This allows you to apply the same effects to multiple clips quickly and easily, instead of having to make adjustments to each clip independently.

Transitions are very similar to effects in that they are drug from the effects library onto the desired clip. However, they differ from effects in that they appear directly on the timeline on the clip desired, and can be adjusted in length in the same way pictures and music were, by dragging one end to the proper duration.

Another useful tool in regards to transitions and effects is the ability to define keyframes in your media. Keyframes are anchor points located on the yellow line mention above, controlling opacity and volume, and can be set by selecting a clip, sliding the timeline slider to the desired point, and pressing the icon that looks like a small white circle in the track header. A small white dot should appear on the yellow line in the middle of the clip, indicating a keyframe. By establishing another somewhere else in the frame, you can gradually fade in and out both opacity and volume in respective media just by dragging a keyframe maker up or down.

It may seem tempting to load your video down with numerous transitions and effects, but often this approach leads to very messy and amateurish finished projects. Much like PowerPoint presentations, it is often simple, clean transitions and well placed effects that make the best videos.

Creating Titles and Credits

To add a title to the movie, click on the Title Menu and go to new title. You will be prompted to give a name to the title, after which it will appear in your project tab. A dialog box will open giving you a wide range of options in regards to your title. Here you can input text, select from numerous options such as font size, color, shape, opacity, movement, etc. Once you have finished editing your title, simply close the dialog box and drag the title from your project tab onto your timeline, just like any other media clip. Credits work through the same process.

Finishing the Movie

Once all editing is complete, make sure to watch the preview in the program tab to see how the final product will look. Once satisfied, go to File>Export>Adobe Media Encoder. A dialog box should open, allowing you to save your movie as a number of different file formats, including formats for the computer (AVI, Flash, Quicktime, Windows Media) as well as DVD and Bluray options. Select the format you prefer and hit OK to begin the rendering process. This may take a while, up to twice as long as the actual footage in some cases. The program should give you the option as to where to save the movie, preferably your folder in My Videos.

Once the Video is done compiling, close out of any windows still open and make sure your movie is acceptable. You can now save to disc or flash memory, or upload the video for viewing over the Internet.

Forward

Adobe OnLocation is the program used in the ZSR Mini TV Studio to capture video footage. When using the program, you may notice the screen blinking green. This will not appear in the footage collected or your final movie product, just the on screen preview.

Getting Started

To begin capturing your movie footage, double click the OnLocation shortcut located on the desktop of the TV Studio Thinkpad. After a short load, a screen should appear giving you the option to start a new project, open an existing project, or access help resources. If you have already begun filming at an earlier date and want to collect more footage, you may open an existing project by clicking the appropriate button or locating it in the short list of resent projects, if applicable.

If you are starting a new project, click on the New project button. You should be prompted to save the project by giving it a name and a location to be saved in. The program defaults to a folder in Userdata specifically for OnLocation, which has a shortcut on the desktop for easy access, but feel free to save your project elsewhere, such as in a personal folder created by you in the My Videos folder of Userdata. (Note: Please backup all data before leaving the Mini TV Studio. ITC is not responsible for any data left on the machine, and any data is subject to deletion at anytime.)

Once your project is created, you should notice two important parts of your screen. The first is the input preview window, which should show whatever the camera is currently recording. If there is a problem with this, please refer to setup instructions or find an ITC Student Assistant or ITC Staff member for assistance. This window also contains the recording controls, located underneath the black bar used to show audio recording levels. The red circle icon represents record, setting both the computer and camera to record footage. The blue square represents stop, which stops both the camera and the program and compiles the footage captured into a file saved in your project folder under clips.

The other main window of the screen is the Shot List, showing the clips that OnLocation has created from your recording.

Recording

Before recording, you should make sure the camera in the proper location, level, zoom, etc. to capture your movie properly. You should also test the audio by looking at the vertical bars located next to the preview window. If there are no color bars moving in the audio window, make sure microphones are properly plugged in, turned on, and on the correct channel. If any of these settings are unacceptable, please refer to the setup guide or an ITC Student Assistant/Staff member for assistance in getting everything setup properly.

Once these settings are acceptable, hit the red circle icon to begin recording. Proceed with recording your movie. If you feel you make a mistake during filming, you can just start over and edit out the bad part later. It is typically easier to simply cut out parts of a long piece of footage than to try and keep up with numerous similar clips on the computer.

Once you have reached the end of the filming material, return to the computer and press the blue square stop icon. You will notice that your footage will appear as a clip in the short list. This make take several minutes depending on the length of the recording. If nothing appears, give the computer several minutes to compile the footage into clips.

Exporting to Editing Software

While Adobe Premiere Pro recognizes the .m2t file type OnLocation records in, other editing software does not. If you prefer to edit in Windows Media Player, an easier but less functional editing software, use the Adobe Encoder software located on the desktop to convert your .m2t files to a format such as .wmv or .avi. Double click on the Adobe Encoder icon on the desktop, and after a short loading screen you should see a window open. To begin, click the add button in the upper right hand corner. This opens up a window that will allow you to explore your folders to find your footage, most likely located in the OnLocation file or in My Videos if you chose to save the footage there. (You can also drag files from open windows into the large grey space in the middle of the program.)

Once you have the files in the encoder list, use the pull down arrow under the Format heading to choose your desired format. Once you have selected the format for all your footage, click the Start Queue button and your footage will be encoded in that file format and saved to the same file as the original, to be used in any program you choose.

Forward

Windows Moviemaker is a simple editing tool to create quick, basic videos. It lacks the features of more advanced editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, but works well for lower quality movies for use in PowerPoint presentations, etc.

Getting Started

Windows Moviemaker can be found in the start menu, under Digital Media Tools, Video Tools. Once open you should notice that the screen is divided into four separate areas, each with a specific function in the movie making process. On the left side of the screen is a Movie Task Bar, which contains a number of pull down links for the most important aspects of movie editing. In the upper middle of the screen is your collections workspace, where the clips, transitions, and other media will be shown while creating your movie. You can toggle this task bar on and off by clicking the Task icon in the menu bar. To the far right is a preview window, allowing you to preview clips, transitions, or your entire movie project, as well as create cuts in the clips. Finally, along the bottom of the screen is the timeline/storyboard, where your final movie is created.

Importing Media (Video, Audio, and Images)

To import media into your collections screen, you can either go to File>Import to collections, or under Movie Task click the down arrow next 1. Capture Video and click the Import Video tab. (To import other media, select the appropriate option under capture video). Windows Moviemaker recognizes media types such as .wmv and .avi, but will not recognize other proprietary formats, such as .mov, or the raw footage from the Mini TV Studio camera. To load this media, first converted it to a supported format, such as .wmv, in the Adobe Media Encoder, described elsewhere. Your media should appear in the collection area in the middle of the window after a short load. The computer will automatically separate videos into separate clips, if you do not want these clips to be created, press cancel on the pop up box.

You may now preview the clip in the preview window once you select it. You may cut the clip into two separate clips in the collection window by clicking the cut icon in the preview window. The cut icon looks like two pieces of film separated by a dashed line, it is located in the bottom right hand corner next to a screenshot tool that looks like a camera.

Creating and Editing your Movie

Once your media has been imported, you can begin creating your movie. Simply click and drag the desired clip from the collection window into the timeline/storyline at the bottom of the screen. (You can switch between the timeline view and storyline view anytime by clicking the Show Storyboard/Show Timeline button above the storyboard/timeline. Timeline view shows you how long each clip lasts, as well as the audio and overlays on the movie. Storyboard shows each clip and transition as its own icon, making it easier to navigate to specific clips.)

While you have a clip selected in the timeline, you will see its preview in the preview window. You may cut any clip in two at the point the blue cursor line is by clicking the cut icon, explained above. You can also click and drag any clip in the timeline to another location, as well as clip either end of the clip by clicking the black arrow in the middle of the clip and dragging it in to the appropriate length. (Use the magnifying glass icons to zoom in and out in timeline mode if these black arrows are not visible.) You can delete a clip at anytime by selecting it and hitting the delete key. Other media can be manipulated in the same way as video.

Adding Titles, Credits, Effects, and Transitions

The Movie Tasks Bar contains numerous options for the creation of titles and credits, and the addition of effects and transitions to your movie under the Edit Movie pull down. To create titles or credits, select the Make titles and credits from the list. Select where you want your title or credits to appear and add your text to the window that appears. You can adjust the title animation as well as the text font, size and color using the options presented below the text field. Once finished, select Done, add title to movie.

To add a transition or effect, select the appropriate option from the edit movie pull down. The collections window will show the available transitions or effects, which you can preview in the preview window. Once you find your desired transition or effect, click and drag it to the timeline or storyboard.

Titles, credits, effects, and transitions can be edited just like other media once in the timeline or storyboard.

Finishing your Movie

Once you have finished moving and editing your clips in the timeline, you may finish your movie by compiling it into a single video. To do so, use the options under Movie Tasks, 3. Finish Movie. The best option is to select Save to my computer. Give your movie a name and select the location in which to save. Click next, and a screen will appear detailing the file to be compiled. The recommended option should be fine for most Moviemaker videos, but additions formats and qualities can be found by clicking Show more choices… Click next, and your movie will be complied. Once finished, you can view the movie in its entirety, as well as save it to an external memory source, such as a CD-R or a Flash Drive. ITC is not responsible for files left on the Mini Studio Cart Thinkpad, and all files are subject to deletion at anytime.

Guidelines for Use

• The ITC Mini Studio must be reserved prior to usage.
• Food is not permitted in the ITC Mini Studio. Drinks in approved, closed containers will be allowed, but must remain away from the equipment cart at all times.
• The walls in the ITC Mini Studio are not sound proof, so noise should be kept to a reasonable level. Filming during high traffic times, such as lunchtime, in the Library ITC is not recommended.
• ITC is not responsible for files left on the ITC Mini Studio ThinkPad. It is recommended that you back up all data prior to leaving the ITC Mini Studio. CD-Rs are available for purchase at the Circulation Desk.
• All equipment should remain on the ITC Mini Studio equipment cart when not in use. The Camcorder and ThinkPad should remain on the cart at all times. While reserved, you are responsible for all equipment, so please treat with care.

Resources Available

The ITC Mini Studio has several pieces of equipment to help you create video content. Some include:

• Canon VIXIA HV30 High Definition Camcorder
• Lenovo ThinkPad T60p with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and Windows Moviemaker 2
• Sony WCS-999 Wireless Microphone system as well as a wired microphone system
• Large screen display for PowerPoint and other presentations
• Decorative background and green screen capabilities

Reservation

Anyone may reserve the ITC Mini Studio for use, and is located in the Information Technology Center (ITC) behind the staircase of the ZSR Library’s Wilson wing, second floor. Simply contact the ITC Desk, in person or by phone at ext. 4649, and ask to reserve the ITC Mini Studio. A student assistant or employee will reserve the room under your name for the allotment of time you desire.

Once you arrive, the ITC Student Assistant or one of the ITC Staff will open the room, set up the equipment, and help you get started filming.

Setup

An ITC Student Assistant or Staff Member will help in setting up the equipment cart, lighting, monitor projection, and background screens.

Studio lights are mounted on the ceiling, and should not be moved without permission of an ITC Staff member. Light controls are beside the door, a set of slider switches allowing the lights to be adjusted to optimal brightness. Once recording is finished, please make sure to turn the lights entirely off (the switches will click into place when fully off) in order to save energy.

The camcorder is mounted directly to the equipment cart, and is fully adjustable. It is also directly connected to the ITC Mini Studio ThinkPad through Firewire cable. If either end of the cable is not attached, please ask for assistance.

Please make sure the camera is set to the camera position before recording. To record footage, go to Adobe OnLocation, shortcut on the desktop. (Instructions for this program are provided) Use the preview window in this program, the camera LCD monitor, or the camera viewfinder to center and zoom in on the area to be filmed.

Wireless microphones should be clipped to the speaker, and the wireless receiver should be plugged into the camera’s microphone port. Both units should be turned on and set to the same channel. Adobe OnLocation will give you a preview of the incoming sound as well, so make sure to test the microphone settings before recording. To set up wired microphones, contact an ITC Staff member.

If you wish to use a background or green screen, please let the Student Assistant or Staff member know, and they will retrieve and set them up. In depth green screen instructions for Adobe Premiere Pro can be found at http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/premiere/articles/ppro15sdgrnscren.html

Capturing and Editing

Please see Quick guides for Adobe OnLocation (Capture) as well as Adobe Premiere Pro and Windows Moviemaker (Editing) for more detailed instructions.

Cleanup

Make sure to back up all of your data, including all raw footage, to a removable storage device, such as a CD-R or a Flash Drive. Shut down the ThinkPad and turn off any equipment used, such as the camera, microphone, microphone receiver, and monitor. Tell the ITC Student Assistant or Staff member you are finished, and allow them to put away the equipment cart and any other materials used. Please leave the room in an orderly fashion after use, placing the high chair and laptop stand back in the corner of the room, as well as fully turn off the studio lights.

The 10 study rooms in the ZSR Library are equipped with interactive white boards called SMART Boards^TM. SMART Boards allow users to not only navigate the computer via a pen or finger on the interactive whiteboard surface, but also draw or write, capture screenshots and capture movies of action on the desktop.

Install the SMART Board software by following the instructions given at the following URL: zsr.wfu.edu/smartboard

The SMART Board is a very useful presentation tool, but students can also use them in various amounts of ways.

This particular post focuses on how to use the SMART Boards with the following programs:

A Web Browser

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

First, follow the instructions given in your particular study room to connect your laptop with the SMART Board

In order to begin writing on the SMART Boards, you must load the SMART Board toolbar. To load to the SMART Board toolbar go to:

Start>Programs>SMART Technologies>SMART Board Drivers>SMART Board Tools

The SMART Board Toolbar will appear:

The Toolbar has many options including

1. Pen Tool
2. Highlighting Tool
3. Shape Tool
4. Line Tool
5. Spotlight
6. Recording Tool

To add more options to your Toolbar, click the advanced options button at the bottom of the Toolbar and select more items to include

Now you are ready to write!

Using SMART Boards with a Web Browser

Open up any web browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.) and find a page where you would like to add notes

Use your finger to choose what tool you would like to use, then lift a pen from the pen tray. When the pen is in your hand, a border should appear on the screen, showing that you can now write on the screen. Begin writing.

When you complete your ink layer, place the pen back in the pen tray and push the screen in with your finger. On the menu that appears, choose Save Ink Layer and your screen will be captured and saved into the Notebook Software

Using SMART Boards with Microsoft Word

With the SMART Board Toolbar still open, load a Microsoft Word file that you would like to create notes on.

For students who use their laptops to take notes in class, the SMART Boards can be used to highlight notes that are particularly important when narrowing down information for a midterm or final.

Lift a pen from the pen tray and a Microsoft Word menu will appear titled “Aware Tools” as shown in the image below

The first option in the Aware Tools menu allows the user to draw within their document and save those drawings as images. This option is the most useful because it is very easy to save exactly what you wrote in the file.

The second option in the Aware Tools menu allows the user to take the words written with the pen tool and turn them into typed text. However, sometimes the SMART Board struggles with decoding human handwriting, therefore this tool is less useful

The third and final option in the Aware Tools menu takes a screen capture of the document and saves it within the Notebook Software

Using SMART Boards with Microsoft PowerPoint

Lastly, the SMART Boards can be used to run a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation

To switch slides, perform the following:

• Next Slide- tap the SMART board consecutively, one time at any location on the board, followed by an immediate tap to the right of the first
• Previous Slide- tap the SMART board consecutively, one time at any location on the board, followed by an immediate tap to the left of the first

Users can also use the pens to create notes on top of their presentation. For example, a presenter can check off items on a list of topics within their presentation as shown below