Audio-Visual Center Glossary

(The links take you to pictures or specifications which open in a new browser window.)

Use these terms and you can hardly go wrong.

Services-

Cablecast: We broadcast media from the AV Center to your classroom through the campus closed circuit cable system. You fill out a form at our office or online for this service.

Delivery/Pick-up: Faculty fill out a form at the AV Office or online for us to deliver and pick-up equipment to your classroom. A form must be filled out for each delivery you need.

Over-the-Counter: You come to AV to check out equipment or media.

Equipment:

COMPUTERS:

Laptop: We provide Apple iBooks and Windows laptops. They all have Microsoft Office (Word, Excel & Powerpoint). You hook them to a Data Projector to display on a classroom screen.

Data projector: This allows you to project the image from a laptop or desktop computer onto a classroom screen. We have lots of different names for them, but if you ask for it by this name, we'll know what you mean.

Ethernet cable: Connects from OUR computers to the campus ethernet system. Ask for one if you're using our computers to access the internet. WIRELESS ACCESS IS SPORADIC IN CLASSROOMS.

Floppy Disc: A small (3.5 inch) diskette that holds a limited amount (1.44 megabytes) of data. We no longer support floppies.

Zip Disc: A large floppy. It is meant to store large amounts (100 megabytes) of data. We no longer support Zip Drives.

VIDEO:

Multimedia cart: A four-wheeled cart with a VHS VCR, DVD player, a Laserdisc player, TV tuner, amplifier, speakers and a projector on top. We can hook a laptop or video overhead to the projector. A very flexible piece of equipment, kind of like a classroom console on wheels.

Camcorder: Okay, this may be the definition of obvious, but they are used for video recording. Sometimes you say VCR when you mean Camcorder. We have VHS, SVHS and Digital Video. No HD cameras, sorry.

VCR: Plays VHS tapes only. This is just the VCR, it will connect to the TV in your classroom. Comes in a handy carrying case. We need to know what room you're in so we can give you the right cables to hook it up.

DVD Player: This is a portable unit that can be attached to any TV or console. Let us know what room you'll be in so we can give you the right cables.

VCR/DVD Multiplayer: This little gem can do it all: VHS tapes, commercial DVDs, DVD-R, CDs, CD-R, CD-RW, mp3s, wma, photo CDs. We will need to know what classroom you will be using it in, to assure that the correct cables are included.

TV/VCR: You'd think this was pretty self-explanatory, but people often get VCR and TV/VCR mixed up.

AUDIO:

CD/Cassette: This does three things: play CDs and cassettes in stereo and records cassettes in stereo. It does not come with a microphone. Please ask for one.

Phonograph: We still have a few of these. They are old and have not had a new stylus in quite a while. But they are a surprisingly refreshing trip through the way-back machine.

Sound system: This is a powered amplifier built into a speaker case. It is mono. We also have what is called a "slave" speaker which doubles the output. Some ways to use it:

• Ask for a wireless microphone to amplify your voice. Add a "slave" speaker to really get their attention.
• Ask for a cassette player to amplify music or speech recordings. Ditto the "slave".
• Hook it up to a laptop to hear sound files associated with Powerpoint. Ditto the ditto.

  PROJECTION EQUIPMENT:

Overhead Projector: To project transparencies on to a classroom screen.

Opaque Projector: To project opaque pages (from newspapers and magazines) on to a classroom screen.

Video Overhead/Document Camera: Uses a video camera perched on a overhead arm to take a video picture of whatever is underneath it. You need a data projector to get the image on the classroom screen. Works very well with our multimedia cart.