We pan, tilt, and zoom these cameras according to the needs of the class. Showing him on a big screen makes it the next best thing to being there. Of course, monitors for both local and distant sites surround the classroom. A fourth camera, ELMO, is dedicated to documents and 2 dimensional objects. This camera is controlled by the professor.
Some faculty members use it as a new-fangled blackboard and write as they lecture.
Some require students to use the document camera to show visual support materials in their presentations. W e also have a networked computer hooked into the system. Showing a PowerPoint presentation or hooking up to the Internet is easy. Use the web to enhance your lecture. E ven though our control room is physically off to the side, it's really the center of the operation.