Connect Classroom Technology to Microsoft Teams

This article is designed to walk you through the basic steps of setting up a standard Elon classroom for a blended class session using technology classroom equipment and Microsoft Teams. Following these steps, you will learn how to launch a live stream of your class session and, if desired, record the session for later sharing.

Note: The directions below instruct you to connect to the Avaya HCO20 in-class camera. These are the most common cameras, however, several classrooms have 1 Beyond or Vaddio cameras. The directions below still hold true with the exception of connecting the audio and video source. For these cameras, choose the following audio source: Microphone: "Shure P300 Echo Cancelling Speakerphone (3-Shure P300)"; Speaker: "Crestron (Intel(R) Display Audio)." For the 1 Beyond camera video source, choose Osprey VB-USL Video Bridge. For the Vaddio camera video source, choose to connect to the USB camera.

Get Started

1. With a wipe from the sanitation station, wipe down the instructor station area.
2. Turn the Crestron on.
3. Turn the instructor computer on and log in.

Launch Teams

1. On your computer, find and open the Teams applications (if you are on your personal computer, you can visit elon.edu/office365 and download the app from there).
   
   Note to instructors using a Mac: When utilizing the microphone, camera, and sharing screen functions in Microsoft Teams, you may be prompted to allow Teams access. Choose "OK" to allow access.
    
2. Once you have launched Teams, click on the three dots at the top right of the application next to your profile picture. 
    
3. Choose Settings.
   • Under the Devices tab you may select the video and audio devices you would like to use. Devices can include:
     • Avaya HC020: The in room hanging webcam (if this option does not appear, press the power button on the provided remote to turn the camera on)
     • Instructor Station Microphone: Most likely listed as Microphone Array (RealTek Audio); may work best if you are positioned near the station
     • External Microphone: Will be listed if connected; may include USB microphones available for long-term checkout through Media Services
        
4. Navigate to your desired Team and then Channel and click the Meet button (video camera icon) in the top right. You may also schedule a meeting for that Channel by selecting the down arrow beside the video icon.
    
5. You should see your video in the pop-up window. You may also change the video and audio device settings here by pressing the settings gear or adjusting the audio settings to the right. To learn more about managing audio settings in Teams meetings, read Manage audio settings in Microsoft Teams meetings.
    
6. Give your meeting a title and then press the “Join now” button.

Manage Your Class in Microsoft Teams

1. The class will see a notification in Teams that a meeting has started. They will also see a prompt to join the meeting in the Channel Chat.
    
2. At any point during your class (meeting), you can change the camera or microphone used for input by selecting the three dots to the right of the raise your hand button, in the top right control strip. You can also turn off video or mute audio. 
   
   Note: If Avaya HC020 does not appear as an option, press the power button on the provided remote to turn the camera on.
    
3. To Record press the three dots and choose “Start Recording”. This will allow you to record and save the class session (meeting) for future use. For Channel meetings, the recording will appear in the Channel the meeting was hosted in and is automatically saved to the Teams SharePoint site in the Recordings folder. 
    
4. For calendar invite meetings. recordings will be saved in the meeting owner's Recordings folder in OneDrive.
    
5. Select People in the control bar at the top of the screen to view a list of attendees. To adjust individual settings, hover over a participant's name and select the three dots to view options.

Pin the Classroom Camera

1. In Teams, you may view participants video feeds in Gallery, Large Gallery, or Together Mode. View, which displays video feeds in a grid format, or in Speaker View, which displays one speaker/video feed at a time based on the present speaker.
    
2. If you want the Speaker View to maintain focus on a specific area, such as a whiteboard, find and select the video feed that shows the specified area. Then, click on the 3 dots in the bottom corner on the video and choose Pin Video from the list of available options.

Screen Sharing

1. There are several screen-sharing options available in Teams. 
2. When clicking on the Share icon at the top right of the screen, you will have the following options:

• Presenter mode
• Screen
• Window
• Microsoft Whiteboard
• Content from camera
• PowerPoint Live
• Excel Live
• Browse OneDrive
• Browse my computer

For sharing PowerPoint presentations, Microsoft recommends PowerPoint Live to reduce bandwidth and provide the presenter and audience with an inclusive and engaging experience. To learn more about sharing in PowerPoint Live visit this article: Share slides in a Teams meeting with PowerPoint Live. 

To learn more about screen sharing in Teams visit this article: Show your screen during a meeting.

End the Class

When class is over, select the arrow beside Leave and choose “End Meeting” to conclude the Teams meeting for you and your students.
Recording also will end, and after video processing is complete, you will receive an email confirmation from with links to access, download or share the file directly from the service. 
 

Explore Additional Features

Teams offers many other useful features. Check out our other resources:

• Reduce background noise in Meetings
• Spatial audio