Abstract:
A connected classroom system provides for local and remote control and display of media streams. An instructor may, for instance, direct audio/video streams of the instructor to any number of displays and speakers located within a classroom. The system may send and receive control instructions to and from remote classrooms as well, through a network interface. The control instructions may configure any set of presentation devices in any classroom to reproduce any content originating from any source within any classroom. Accordingly, multiple classrooms located in disparate locations may participate in media exchanges arising from any source, including instructors and individual student seating locations within the classrooms.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present patent document claims the benefit of priority to India provisional Patent Application No. 4917/CHE/2014, filed in the Indian Patent Office on Sep. 30, 2014, and titled “Connected Classroom,” the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates to a system for facilitating engaging and collaborative instruction sessions. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Advances in computer and communication technologies have changed how people can communicate, and has both necessitated and facilitated a change in how people communicate and how information and instruction is delivered. Instruction tools have emerged allowing users across the world to connect with one another. Traditional instruction tools like webinars and virtual instructors are used with the intent of pushing content out to users, and typically provide a one directional communication process between an instructor and participant. As technological advances have challenged traditional notions of the classroom setting, given that people may interact globally, a need exists for an instructive platform that provides the ability for an engaging and collaborative classroom environment. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  provides an example of the environment in which the connected classroom system may be deployed. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example classroom layout that may be used to facilitate a classroom session. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  provides examples of additional layouts that may be used in the connected classroom system. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a control that may be provided on a control unit. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  illustrates a system architecture on which the connected classroom may be implemented. 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  illustrates an example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6A  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6B  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0015]      FIG. 10  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0016]      FIG. 10A  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0019]      FIG. 12A  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0020]      FIG. 12B  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
           [0021]      FIG. 12C  illustrates another example of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]      FIG. 1  provides an example of the environment in which the connected classroom system  100  may be deployed. At a high level, the system  100  may include one or more classrooms  110 , each having one or more participants  120  and/or instructors  130 . The participants  120  and instructors  130  may have one or more participant devices  121  and instructor devices  131  that they may use to interact with the system. The participants  120  and instructors  130  may engage the system  100 , for example, through laptops  122 , tablets  123 , or smart phones  124 , which may provide for bidirectional communication with the system, and may provide, for example and without limitation, a device display, a device interface, a device camera, and a device microphone. 
         [0023]    The classrooms  110  may play different roles, where a classroom may have a local instructor  130  (classroom  110   a ) or where the instructor  130  is presenting remotely (connected classroom  110   b ). The system  100  may also allow for the roles of the classroom to be changed at any given moment. For example, an instructive session may include a number of different instructors who may provide instruction from different locations. The remote classrooms  110  may be down the hall, on a different floor, in a different building, down the street or across campus, or in a different city. For example, an instructor  130  at the Chicago location may give a 15 minute introduction (e.g., icebreaker, general introductions) and then hand the presentation off to an instructor  130  at the Paris location for 45 minutes (e.g., lecture and Q&amp;A session), and finish with an instructor  130  in India putting on an interactive workshop session for another 30 minutes. The classrooms  110  may provide internal communication over local networks  150 , and may be able to communicate other connected classrooms  110   b  over external networks  155 , which may include the Internet. The classrooms  110  may, for example, transmit video data to one another or different control signals or messages. 
         [0024]    The classroom  110  may assume different layouts and include different components, which may individually and collectively facilitate an engaging and collaborative classroom environment. The system  100  may provide an instructive platform facilitating collaboration between participants  120  and instructors  130 , who may be at the same or different locations, and allow for an engaging and interactive classroom experience. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  provides an example classroom layout  200 , where the classroom  110  may include one or more tables  210  and one or more chairs  211  for the participants  120  and instructors  130 . The classroom  110  may also include one or more microphones  220 , speakers  223 , telephones  225 , cameras  230 , displays  240 , digital whiteboards, tablet, desktop, or other types of computers, and any other type of interactive device. The classroom  200  may include various tools through which the instructors  130  and participants  120  may interact. Some classrooms  110 , for example, may also include interactive displays  250 , collaboration hubs  260 , and interactive controls  270 , e.g., implemented on a tablet or desktop computer. 
         [0026]    The system  100  is not limited to the example of  FIG. 2 , but may assume a variety of different layouts, which may provide different collaborative advantages.  FIG. 3  shows additional layouts, including, an  10  layout  310   a , an IDC layout  310   b , a local office layout  310   c , small local office layout  310   d , and a triangulated layout  310   e . In the triangulated layout  310   e , for example, the displays are arranged in a triangle eliminating the traditional “front” of the room concept. 
         [0027]    Returning back to  FIG. 2 , the classroom  110  may include one or more tables  210   a - 210   d  at which one or more participants  120  may be situated. The individual tables  210   a - 210   d  may allow for participants  120  to be split into sub-groups, and may facilitate collaborative activities within a sub-group. The tables  210  may also be arranged so that participants  120  at the tables  210  are able to view a stage area  290 , where the instructor  130  may present from. The classroom  110  may include an instructor table or lectern  211  in or near the staging  290 , and could also include a lectern in the center of the classroom where participants  120  could walk up to and speak from. For example, a participant  120 , or a sub-group of participants  120 , may walk up to the lectern  211  in presenting to the class. 
         [0028]    The classroom  110  may also provide for one or more displays  240 , which may be positioned throughout the classroom  110  and may serve different functions based on the instructional context. The displays  240 , along with the system logic, may display and change content (e.g., audio and video sources) in a coordinated fashion in order to enrich the classroom experience. As noted, the role of the displays  240  may change at any time (e.g., changes in content source), which may occur automatically when certain predefined rules or criteria are met. In other cases, a change in the display  240  role may be manually triggered by the instructor  130  or one of the participants  120 . 
         [0029]    With reference to  FIG. 2 , the classroom layout  200  provides for several different displays  240 , which may have different attributes (e.g., size, resolution, etc.). The classroom  110 , for example, may have a table level display (e.g., 40″ LCD display) located at each table  240   e - 240   h , along with large classroom displays (e.g., 85″ LCD or Projection displays) located along the walls  240   a - 240   d . The position of the displays  240  may also help to provide an engaging experience. The table level displays  240  may, for example, display the instructor presentation materials, and in some contexts may be disabled, for example, where the instructor  130  hopes to maintain focus by minimizing distractions. Likewise, with reference to  FIG. 2 , the classroom layout  200  may provide large classroom displays  240   a - 240   d  on the wall across from the stage area  240   a ,  240   b  and at the stage area  240   c ,  240   d . In an exemplary scenario, screens  240   a ,  240   c  may display the same content, for example, the instructor&#39;s presentation materials. Screens  240   b ,  240   d , similarly, may both display a video feed from a connected classroom  110   b . When presenting from stage area  290 , the instructor  130  may look to screens  240   a ,  240   b  to verify the presentation materials are properly displayed to the participants  120  and monitor and interact with participants  120  and instructors  130  in other connected classrooms  110   b . Since screens  240   a ,  240   b  may be within the instructors  130  field of view, the instructor  130  need not look to screens  240   b ,  240   d  and, thus, may be able to maintain line of sight with local participants  120 . Furthermore, because the content on the displays is mirrored between the screens, the instructor  130  may also be able to look at a common location, for example, when moving about the classroom, and may observe the same information or content. 
         [0030]    The displays  240  may also take the form of interactive displays  250  which provide for additional functionality beyond audio and video display functions. The interactive display  250  functionality may be implemented through a software or hardware solution, which may serve to extend the functionality of a display  240 . Interactive displays  250  may, for example, allow for real-time annotation, highlighting of content and other illustrative abilities, all of which may be captured and saved for offline distribution. In order to provide a bidirectional real-time interaction, the system  100  may utilize an enterprise communication framework (e.g., Microsoft Lync) for certain underlying functionality. For instance, the system  100  in providing for interactive communication between a local and remote interactive display  250  may utilize the enterprise communication framework to transmit local user activity for remote display. The communication framework may provide for varying quality of service levels which may allow the system to provide for real-time interaction. One example of a commercial available interactive display  250  that may be able to perform the above mentioned functions is Polyvision Eno One Whiteboard. 
         [0031]    In some classroom layouts  200 , the instructor  130  may be able to leverage the interactive displays  250  to augment a presentation. For example, screen  240   a  may be an interactive display  250 , and the instructor  130  may be able to use the display  250  to illustrate a concept described in the presentation materials. In other layouts, the table level displays  240   e - 240   h  may be interactive displays  250 , allowing for table level interaction and collaboration that can be captured and shared through the system  100 . The system  100  may use interactive displays  250  to support collaborative editing or content creation, for example, in a brainstorming session. 
         [0032]    As mentioned above, the classroom  110  may include microphones  220 , which may be positioned at different locations within the classroom. For example, microphones  220  may be provided at the tables  210   a - 210   d . Additionally, or alternatively, the classroom  110  may include microphones  220  secured to the ceiling or provide a wireless microphone  220  to the instructor  130 . The microphones  220  may, individually and/or collectively, be used to capture dialogue throughout the room, and may be selectively enabled and disabled. For example, the instructor  130  and/or system may activate a table microphone  220  when a participant  130  asks a question. In other situations, like an open classroom discussion, the system logic may activate all of the microphones  220  in the classroom. 
         [0033]    The classroom layout  200  may also place cameras  230  at different positions in the room, which may capture different perspectives of the classroom experience. The field of view  231 ,  232  of the cameras  230  may not be fixed and may be adjusted, depending on the instructive scenario, for example, the camera may be able to pan in the horizontal or vertical directions as well as “zoom” in and out. The camera  230   b  may, for example, zoom in a participant when they are asking a question or otherwise interacting with the classroom. 
         [0034]    While a pair of cameras  230  is illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the system  100  may include several cameras  230  which may further facilitate the learning experience. Additional cameras may, for example, allow the system  100  to account for the nominal delay associated with adjusting a camera, which may provide for an undisturbed visual experience for the user. For example, in a rapid fire question and answer session, the system  100  may facilitate a queue of sorts and may seamlessly transition between participants  120  in the queue, by orchestrating a handoff between the cameras  230 . Any necessary camera  230  adjustments may take place while the other camera  230  is inactive. 
         [0035]    The cameras  230  may be utilized in different capacities depending on the instructive context. The cameras  230 , along with the system logic, may allow the instructors  130  to teach virtually while maintaining a strong connection with the participants  120 . By way of example, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , one camera  230   a  may be placed opposite the stage area  290 , and may have a stage field of view  231  directed towards the stage area  290 . Another camera  230   b  may be positioned at the center of the stage area  290  and may have a classroom field of view  232  directed towards the tables  210  and participants  120 . One camera  230   a  may capture the instructor giving the lecture or presentation while another camera  230   b  focuses on the reaction of the participants  120 . 
         [0036]    Adjustment of the camera  230  may be assisted by the system  100 , which may use a set of pre-determined criteria to determine which camera  230  provides the optimal view, and may facilitate a handoff from one camera to another when the optimal view changes. The system  100  may coordinate cameras  230  across different classrooms  110  to provide a smooth and comfortable collaborative experience. The camera  230  may also automatically track an active participant  120  or instructor  130  in the classroom  110 , which may be assisted by location sensing performed by the system  100  and/or assisted by a device located on the instructor  130  or participant  120 . An example of a commercially available camera  230  that may, independently or under control of the system  100 , be able to perform the above described functionality, is the Cisco PrecisionHD 1080p 12× camera. 
         [0037]    In some contexts, the cameras  230  may provide participants  120  with the ability to network across locations. For example, during a break in a classroom session, the cameras  230  and microphones  220  may become active, and the participants  120  may talk to one another from between different locations. Furthermore, cameras  230  from different locations may be bridged together to provide a shared course experience. For example, multiple satellite classrooms  110  may be assembled as a team and may communicate internally over the bridge and/or collectively communicate to the other classrooms. 
         [0038]    The classroom  110  may also include one or more video codec (VC) units  235  which may be hidden from view in a concealed storage rack area  291 . The VC unit  235  may accept any number of audio or video inputs (e.g., digital cameras  230  and microphones  220 ) and support multiple output streams, which may facilitate various system  100  functions. The VC unit  235  may be responsible for establishing a connection with a remote VC unit  235 , while the system logic may identify what audio and video inputs to select for encoding. The VC unit  235  may also be capable of transcoding and broadcasting the input streams, and may adjust settings (e.g., resolution and/or frame rate) optimized for different network conditions (e.g., bandwidth, latency, etc.). For example, output streams used within the local classroom  110  may be optimized for a higher speed local network, while output streams broadcast to connected classrooms  110   b  may be optimized for relatively slower networks, e.g., the public Internet. While the VC unit  235  is not limited to transmission over any single network, transmitting the VC unit stream over a private network may provide additional security for the system. 
         [0039]    The VC unit  235  may also provide for a programming interface (e.g., through a web API) through which its operation may be controlled. As an example of commercially available technologies, Cisco&#39;s TelePresence Codec (e.g., C40 or C90) may support the above described system  100  functionality. 
         [0040]    In other instructive settings, the system  100  may provide real-time interaction between participants  120  and instructors  130 . For instance, the system  100  may take a live poll of the audience, which may be distributed through the enterprise messaging platform (e.g., Microsoft Lync) to the user devices  121 . The system  100  could allow for a question and answer session, where participants  120  both local and remote submit questions, for example, over Lync or through a Web Interface. The system  100  may also be able to determine the location of the participant  120  who submitted the question within the classroom  110 , remote or local, and adjust the cameras  230  accordingly. 
         [0041]    The classroom layout  200  may provide collaboration hubs  260  at each of the tables, which may allow participants  120  to share content locally, at the table level or classroom level, or system wide. The system  100  may facilitate the sharing of numerous content types including, documents, presentations, hyperlinks, media, or the like. The participants  120  may also share content from participant devices  121  (e.g., share their laptop  121  computer screen). At the table level, the collaboration hubs  260  may facilitate content sharing between participants  120  at the same table (e.g.,  210   a ), and at the classroom level the participants  120  may share content with users at different tables (e.g.,  210   b - d ). The collaboration hub  260  may also provide participants  120  with the ability to connect with instructors  130  and experts outside of the local classroom (e.g., at connected classroom  110   b ). The collaboration hub  260 , with the aid of other system  100  components, may be able to facilitate collaboration and content sharing at different levels simultaneously (e.g., between participants at table  210   a  and table  210   c , and between participants at tables  210   b  and participants  120  at connected classroom  110   b ). 
         [0042]    Furthermore, as noted above, any display  240  can be extended to become an interactive display  250  through hardware and/or software solutions. The system  100 , through the collaboration hub  260 , may allow participants  120  at one table (e.g., table  210   a ) to annotate or otherwise interact with content shared by participants  120  at other tables (e.g., table  210   b - 210   d ). Also as mentioned above, the participants  120  may be able to network with participants  120  in other locations and the collaboration hub  260  may be used to augment this networking activity. 
         [0043]    The system  100 , through the collaboration hub  260 , may also allow participants  120  to virtually interact with participants  120  at different tables  210  and different classrooms  110  (e.g., connected classroom  110   b ) and to solve problems together and/or in a distributed manner. For example, the collaboration hub  260  may allow participants to lead presentations in the classroom  110  (e.g., presenting their solution to a problem presented by the instructor  130 ), or perform other activities and simulations (e.g., simulating a mock client interview). The collaboration hub  260  may also allow a group of participants  120  tasked with solving a problem to divide the workload having individual participants  120  perform needed tasks in parallel (e.g., perform research on the Internet, prepare a presentation deck, or compile and analyze data in a spreadsheet). 
         [0044]    In other instructive contexts, the collaboration hub  260  may allow participants  120  to connect and interface directly with instructors  130 , regardless of location. Furthermore, this collaboration may occur at the table or individual participant level. For example, a sub-group of participants  120  (e.g., participants  120  at table  210   a ) may be able to interact with remotely located (e.g., connected classroom  110   b ) instructors  130  or experts. In such a scenario, table level displays  240  may display the instructor  130 , and web cameras  230  positioned atop the table level displays  240  may provide the remote instructor  130  with a view of the participants  120  at the table. Communication between the participants  120  and instructors  130  may also be aided by enterprise communication software and a speakerphone  233 , 235  at the table  210 . An example of a commercially available speakerphone  233 , 235  is the Jabra SPEAK410 USB Speakerphone, which may utilize a USB connection to interface with the collaboration hub  260  directly or indirectly through a participant device  121  or instructor device  130 . 
         [0045]    The system  100  may be able to adapt various commercially available devices to provide the above described functionality of the collaboration hubs  260 . For example, the system may include the Barco ClickShare wireless presentation and collaboration system or Steelcase media:scape. 
         [0046]    The system  100  may also utilize various interactive controls  270 , which may be provided to individual participants  120  or to a table  210 , where it may be shared by several participants  120 . The interactive controls  270  provided to the participants  120  may be a physical device or electronic (e.g., provided through a web interface). The system  100 , for example, may provide participants  120  with a device having various buttons, which they may use to respond to questions presented by the instructor  130 . The interactive controls  270  may provide different inputs to the system, which the system logic may process to provide certain functionality. For example, a table  210  may be provided with a physical button  270  (“look-at-me” button  270 ) that the participants  120  may press in different contexts. Pressing and releasing the button  270 , for example, may cause the system  100  to trigger one event (e.g., pushing the participant&#39;s  120  content to the entire classroom  110 , including connected classrooms  110   b . Pressing and holding the button  270  may trigger a different event. The system  100  may also respond to unique sequences of input from the interactive controls  270 , for example, triggering an event when the button is tapped in short succession (e.g., double tap). The system logic may also provide the instructor  130  with a notification that a certain event has been sensed. 
         [0047]    The system  100  may also include a control unit  280 , which the instructor  130  may use while moving through the classroom  110  and may be docked at the instructor table  210 . Through the control unit  280 , the instructor  130  may be able to control the learning experience, by coordinating the various system components in the classroom  110 . For example, the instructor  130  through the control unit  280  may be able to share content across any of the displays  240 , both local and remote (e.g., displays  240  in connected classroom  110   b ). 
         [0048]    The control unit  280  may aggregate control of the various system  100  components into a single device through which technical adjustments may be made. The functionality of the control unit  280  may be facilitated by additional system components and system logic, which may be responsible for certain “behind the scenes” tasks and operations. The control unit  280  may also provide a control interface  281 , which may allow the instructor  130  to intuitively control and switch between different teaching modes. 
         [0049]    The control unit  280  may provide instructor driven controls to adjust the various components of the system  100 . The instructor  130 , through the control unit  280 , may be able to adjust various settings, for example, where the cameras  230  are pointing (e.g., by panning or zooming a particular camera  230 ) and corresponding capture settings (e.g., resolution). For example, the control unit  280  may allow the instructor  130  to choose from different views of the stage area  290 . These views may include a close-up view of the instructor  130  themselves or a view covering the instructor  130  and interactive display  250 . 
         [0050]    The control unit  280  may facilitate multiple layers of control, allowing an instructor to use pre-programmed views or manually control the cameras  230 . The control unit  280  and control interface  281  may provide pre-programmed scenarios to adjust settings (e.g., camera positions and capture settings). For example, the control unit  280  may have pre-programmed views for each table  210   a - 210   d . The pre-programmed views may provide for a crisper experience (e.g., adjusting pan and zoom simultaneously) as the camera  230  adjustment may be controlled by the system logic, and may not be subject to problems associated with manual control (e.g., over correction, disjointed adjustment of pan and zoom). Furthermore, the control unit  280  may allow an instructor  130  to store additional custom pre-programmed views 
         [0051]    The control unit  280  may also provide the ability to control the content (e.g., video source) that is presented on displays  240  throughout the classrooms  110 , both local  110   a  and remote  110   b . For example, the control unit  280  may be able to select a remote video feed, the video feed from a particular camera  230  (local or remote), or participant  120  content provided through the collaboration hub  260 . The control unit  280  may allow individual control of the displays  240  or allow the displays  240  to be controlled in groups (e.g., wall displays  240   a - d , or table level displays  240   e - h ). 
         [0052]    The control unit  280  may also provide the instructor with various notifications, allowing participants  120  to provide real-time feedback. For example, the control unit  280  may provide notifications from the enterprise messaging system, including questions submitted by the participants  120  or participant  120  responses to a poll or questionnaire. The control unit  280  may also present feedback from interactive controls  270 , including, for example, and indication that a participant  120  has pressed the look-at-me button  270 , along with the response that is to be triggered based on the button pressing sequence. The system logic may automatically trigger a response (e.g., automatically push the participant  120  content to all of the screens) to the feedback received from the look-at-me  270  button, or it may provide the instructor  130  with the ability to manually trigger the response or to ignore the request. 
         [0053]    The control unit  280  may also allow the instructor  130  control over what functionality is available to participants (e.g., enable or disable certain functionality). For example, in some cases the instructor  130  may want to give an uninterrupted presentation, saving questions for the end, and through the control unit  280  may disable the look-at-me button  270  functionality. In other situations, the instructor  130  through the control unit  280  may be able to enable or disable participant  120  microphones  220 , for example, to disable the microphone  220  of a disruptive participant  130  or table  210 . The system logic may also use this ability to facilitate collaborative interactions, for example, by implementing a (“Jeopardy” styled) timer, enabling feedback from interactive controls  270  after a certain pre-determined period of time has passed. The system  100  may also let the participants observe when interactive controls  270  are available, for example, providing the active status of the interactive control  270  through a web interface. 
         [0054]    The control unit  280  may also allow the instructor  130  to record and capture, in a media database in communication with the system components, all of the above described interactions, at the touch of a button. The system  100 , for example, may capture video content passing through the system, content created using an interactive display or whiteboard, and audio content from individual or group discussions. The system  100  may also record different coordination information, including, for example and without limitation, event timing, transitions, and triggers, which may allow for a better orchestrated playback experience. 
         [0055]    The AMX Touch Panel is one example of a commercially available control unit  280  that may be adapted to provide the above described control unit  280  functionality. 
         [0056]      FIG. 4  provides an example of a control interface  281  that may be provided to an instructor  130  on a control unit  280 . The control interface  281  may be presented to an instructor  130  in a local classroom ( 110   a ) or a connected classroom ( 110   b ). As the classrooms  110  that are local or connected may change at any given moment, so too may the control interface  281  that is presented to the instructor  130 . 
         [0057]    With reference to  FIG. 4 , the control interface  281  may provide a series of buttons along the top of the interface, including a home button  401 , a help button  402 , and a tech button  403 . The control interface  281  may also allow for selection of pre-programmed configurations, for example, a default room option  405 , a break-out session option  406 , and an interactive white board option  407 . The control interface  281  may likewise provide a group discussion button  408 , a teach-back option  409  and a queue option  410 . The control interface  381  may additionally allow for adjustment of the classroom audio, illustrated in a panel on the right of the screen, by providing buttons to mute all microphones  451 , mute all audio  452 , or to adjust the audio volume  453 . The control interface  281  may also provide a main control area corresponding to a classroom layout  200 , where information regarding the classroom  110  elements may be presented as an icon, an indicator, an image or button, and/or text. With reference to  FIG. 4 , the control interface  281  may provide indicators for the lectern  411 , interactive display  412 , HD displays  413 , tables  414 , including table level displays  414   a  and table microphones  414   b , interactive controls  415 , and camera view options and indicators  435 , 436 . As illustrated,  FIG. 4  may represent the default configuration of the room, for example when the default room configuration button  405  is selected or when the system  100  is first initialized. The default room option  405 , for example, may be appropriate for leading a presentation to the class. 
         [0058]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , in the default configuration  405 , the interactive display  250  and HD display  240   a  may provide lectern content, while the other HD displays  240   b ,  240   d  may display video content from the remote connected classroom  110   b , for example, received from remote VC unit  235 . The camera view indicator  435  may indicate that the camera  230  is capturing the wide angle instructor view, and camera view indicator  436  may indicate that the “self-view” is active, wherein a camera view of the instructor  130  is being displayed as a picture-in-picture on HD display  240   b.    
         [0059]    With regards to the four tables  210   a - 210   d , the control interface  281 , may indicate what content is driven to the table level displays  414   a  along with the status of the table microphones  414   b  and interactive controls (e.g., look-at-me button status)  415 . As illustrated, for example, the table level displays  240   e - h  may all show the lectern content, and all of the microphones  220  may be muted. By selecting the microphone indicators  414   b , the instructor may be able to activate or deactivate the microphone at the corresponding table  210 . 
         [0060]    The control interface  281  may facilitate additional system changes based on the selection of different options. For example, if the break out session  406  option is selected, the content provided to table level displays  240   e - 240   h  may be changed to show content from participants at the table provided, for example, through collaboration hub  260 . The camera view and indicator  435  may remain the same and the microphones may remain muted. As another example, when the white board option is pressed  407  the system  100  may cycle through the different available video sources to provide to interactive display  250 . The control interface  281  may also provide the instructor  130  with the option to select from various camera preset selections, create and/or modify user defined presets, or provide for manual camera controls by pressing the camera option button  435 . Similarly, pressing the camera indicator  436  may toggle between enabling and disabling the picture-in-picture feature (mentioned above). Similarly, the group discussion indicator  408  may be used to toggle the microphones  220  on or off to facilitate a classroom discussion. 
         [0061]    The control interface  281  may also provide indications  415  regarding the different interactive controls  170  in the classroom, and allow the instructor  130  to control this functionality, for example, using the teach back  409  and queue  410  functions. The teach back  409  option may enable processing of input received from the look-at-me devices  415 , and may allow participants to lead a teaching discussion back to the class, and the queue  410  option may allow for queueing the received input (e.g., in a rapid fire question and answer session). 
         [0062]    The system  100  may process the input of the look-at-me devices  270 , when active. For example, when active in the default configuration  405 , a short press of the look-at-me device  270  may trigger an adjustment of the cameras  230  based on the location of the triggering look-at-me device  270  and unmuting of the respective table microphone  220 . Upon a long button press, the system  100  may additionally push the tables content (e.g., provided through collaboration hub  260 ) to the VC unit  235  and direct the VC unit  235  to provide the tables content as an output, which the system  100  may then distribute locally and remotely. The system  100  could trigger an entirely different response, based on the interactive control  270  input, when in a break out configuration  406 . In either case, the system  100  adjustments may be temporary, and the system  100  may remember the previous state of the system  100  and return to the previous configuration upon an additional press of the look-at-me device  270  or some other condition. Furthermore, the adjustments may take place automatically or may require some sort of validation or approval from the instructor  130  which may be provided through the interactive control indicators  415  of the control interface  281 . 
         [0063]      FIG. 5  provides an example of a high level system architecture  500  on which the connected classroom system may be implemented. The system  100  may include a media controller  501 , which may be responsible for controlling the various components of the system  100 , including for example, microphones  220 , cameras  230 , interactive displays  250 , and interactive controls  270 . The media controller  501  may provide control signals to, and receive state and feedback information from, the control panel  550 , over a control bus  511 . The controller  501  may be thought to establish a set of control mechanisms by which each of the components are controlled. While the controller may be provided with and perform certain logic, the logic implemented on the controller may depend on the inputs received from the various system components. The AMX device may exchange different directives and coordination requests to the system components over a standard AMX device protocol. For example, the media controller  501  may activate or deactivate the microphones  220  or physically adjust the location of focus of the cameras  230 . The media controller  501  may take as inputs various input source data streams, for example, audio input streams from microphones  220 , video input streams from cameras  230 , and interactive control input data streams from interactive controls  270 . The media controller  501  may also provide a series of output data streams (e.g., audio and video), which it may provide to the various other system components (e.g., speakers  323  and displays  240 ). 
         [0064]    The media controller  501  may be used to facilitate different system  100  capabilities, including, for example, adjustment of the cameras  230 , switching of audio and video content sent to displays  240  and classroom speakers  223 , and processing of input received from interactive controls  270 . The media controller  501  may also manage the different VC units  235 , for example, changing the input for, and adjusting the encoding settings of, the VC unit  235  (e.g., identifying what data streams to encode and output). 
         [0065]    The media controller  501  may also generate content data streams and control channel data streams. The content data stream output by the media controller  501 , for example, may be a wide-angle view of the stage area  290 , transcoded by the VC unit  235  for transmission by the media controller  501  to the remote connected classrooms  110   b . Control panel  280  may provide control messages across control bus  511  to the media controller  501 , which may control local classroom devices. The control channel data stream may, for example, provide commands directing a matrix switcher  512  to display particular content on remote displays  240 . As another example, the media controller  501  may direct the audio mixer to direct microphone  220  input streams as output streams to classroom speakers  223 . 
         [0066]    The media controller  501  may also transmit commands to connected classrooms  110   b , which may in turn be processed by remote media controllers  501  to control remote classroom devices. In a rapid fire question and answer session, for example, the media controller  501  may exchange commands with connected classrooms  110   b  to coordinate the adjustment of remote cameras  230  and encoding by remote VC unit  235  so as to provide a seamless video change between participants  120  in different classrooms  110 . 
         [0067]    The media controller  501  may be a single component or several components (e.g., VC unit  235 , matrix switches  512 , audio mixer  513 ) that may collectively implement the system logic of the media controller  501 .  FIGS. 6-12  illustrate different examples of devices that may be used in forming a media controller  501 , including different integrated controllers, matrix video switches, HDMI video switches audio mixers, and user control devices. 
         [0068]      FIGS. 6-12  illustrate examples of the various system components and connections that may be used in a connected classroom.  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  along with  FIGS. 12   a ,  12   b  and  12   c  illustrate portions of  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 12  in larger scale. 
         [0069]      FIG. 6  illustrates an integrated controller  601  in connection with an HDMI switch  602 , a pair of AEC audio mixers  603 , a matrix video switch  604 , a VC unit  605 , various displays  607  and interactive displays  606 , interactive controls  608  (“show me” buttons), table microphones  609 , and a control panel  610 . As examples of commercially available devices, the integrated controller  601  may be NetLinx Integrated Controller NI-3100 offered by AMX, the HDMI switch  602  may be an FGP-46-0808-JD0 also offered by AMX, the matrix video switch  604  may be the AVS-PL-0808-00P by AMX, and the VC unit  605  may be the C60 Cisco TelePresence Codec. The audio mixers  603  may be Nexia VC mixers offered by Biamp, and the control panel  610  may be an AMX MXT-1001 touch panel. 
         [0070]    The integrated controller  601  may be in two-way communication, over RS232 connections  611 - 615 , with the HDMI switcher  602 , the pair of AEC audio mixers  603 , the matrix video switcher  604 , the VC unit  605 , and interactive display  606 . The integrated controller  601  may communicate with displays  607  over one-directional RS232 connections  616 - 622 , and may communicate with the control panel  609  over an Ethernet connection  623 . The interactive controls  607  and table microphones  608  may be analog or digital inputs provided over connections  624 ,  625 . The VC unit  605  may communicate, over an RJ45 to RS232 connection  651 , with cameras  650 , which may inter-communicate amongst themselves over RJ45 Ethernet connections  652 . 
         [0071]      FIG. 8  provides an illustration of an HDMI switch  602  in greater detail, where the switch may accept eight input streams  811 - 818  and support eight output streams  801 - 808 . The input streams  811 - 818  provided to HDMI switch  602  may include HDMI inputs  811 - 815  from faceplates at the table and monitor streams  816 , 817  from VC unit  235 , which may correspond to streams captured from cameras  230   a ,  230   b . With reference to  FIG. 12 , the HDM inputs  811 - 815  may be provided from laptops  1211 - 1215  provided through faceplates  1221 - 1225  at a table  210 . 
         [0072]    The output streams  801 - 808  may include streams  801 - 805 , 808  provided directly to HD displays  240  and interactive display  250 , streams  816  provided to a distribution amplifier  836  which may replicate the video stream on multiple HD displays  240 . The output stream may also include content streams  817  provided to the VC unit  235 . With reference to  FIG. 12 , the streams  801 - 804 , 808  may be provided to an HDMI transmitter  1231 - 1234 , 1238  (e.g., DXLink HDMI Transmitter Module, AVB-TX-HDMI-DXLINK) which may communicate with an HDMI receiver  1241 - 1244 , 1248  (e.g., DXLink HDMI Receiver Module, AVB-RX-DXLINK-HDMI) in connection with HD displays. An output stream  805  is provided directly to the interactive display  250 , and an output stream  806  is provided to distribution amplifier  836  (e.g., Kramer HDMI Distribution Amplifier), which may replicate the signal and provide it to HD displays or by using an HDMI transmitter  1235  and HDMI receiver  1245 .  FIGS. 7 and 11  provide a more detailed illustration of a matrix video switcher  604  that is similar to the description of HDMI switch  602  just provided with reference to  FIGS. 8 and 12 . 
         [0073]    Also as illustrated in  FIG. 12  and  FIG. 9 , the HD displays may be in communication with an audio mixer  1216 , for example, providing input audio streams  939 ,  940 . The audio mixer  1216  may be in communication with other audio mixers  1217 , over transmit  951  and receive channels  952 , and amplifiers  1218  (e.g., Crown  280 A Amplifier). The audio mixers  1217  may have various input data streams  911 - 921 , including an instructor  130  collar microphone  1241  (e.g., Shure SVX14/PG185) providing input data stream  918 , a handheld microphone  1242  (e.g., Shure SVX24/PG58) providing input data stream  914 , and table microphones  220  (e.g., Shure MX396/C-Tri) each providing three input data streams  911 - 913 ,  915 - 917 ,  931 - 933 ,  935 - 937 . The audio mixer  1217  may provide an output data stream to amplifier  1218 , which may be connected to a set of ceiling speakers  223  (e.g., JBL Ceiling Speakers, Control24CT) within the classroom  110 . 
         [0074]    The methods, devices, processing, and logic described above may be implemented in many different ways and in many different combinations of hardware and software. For example, all or parts of the implementations may be circuitry that includes an instruction processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), microcontroller, or a microprocessor; an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Programmable Logic Device (PLD), or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA); or circuitry that includes discrete logic or other circuit components, including analog circuit components, digital circuit components or both; or any combination thereof. The circuitry may include discrete interconnected hardware components and/or may be combined on a single integrated circuit die, distributed among multiple integrated circuit dies, or implemented in a Multiple Chip Module (MCM) of multiple integrated circuit dies in a common package, as examples. 
         [0075]    The circuitry may further include or access instructions for execution by the circuitry. The instructions may be stored in a tangible storage medium that is other than a transitory signal, such as a flash memory, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM); or on a magnetic or optical disc, such as a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CDROM), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or other magnetic or optical disk; or in or on another machine-readable medium. A product, such as a computer program product, may include a storage medium and instructions stored in or on the medium, and the instructions when executed by the circuitry in a device may cause the device to implement any of the processing described above or illustrated in the drawings. 
         [0076]    The implementations may be distributed as circuitry among multiple system components, such as among multiple processors and memories, optionally including multiple distributed processing systems. Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separately stored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory or database, may be logically and physically organized in many different ways, and may be implemented in many different ways, including as data structures such as linked lists, hash tables, arrays, records, objects, or implicit storage mechanisms. Programs may be parts (e.g., subroutines) of a single program, separate programs, distributed across several memories and processors, or implemented in many different ways, such as in a library, such as a shared library (e.g., a Dynamic Link Library (DLL)). The DLL, for example, may store instructions that perform any of the processing described above or illustrated in the drawings, when executed by the circuitry. 
         [0077]    Various implementations have been specifically described. However, many other implementations are also possible.