Occasionally, when instructing in side of a classroom while using the technology, you may hear yourself as you teach. This is due to a delay in the audio when it is played through the speakers in the classroom.
Why Does the Delay Occur?
The delay occurs because the iPad and the Computer are connected to the same Zoom session as different participants. It is as though you and a colleague are having a zoom session, where you are the iPad and your colleague are the computer. When you speak into the Swivl Marker, it comes out of the computer, which plays through the speakers in the classroom. It is necessary for the sound to come through the computer because this allows your voice to be heard while recording your session. If you do not connect to audio on the computer, your voice will not be included in the recordings.
Eliminating the Delay
There are two ways to fix the issue with the delay:
- Ensuring the iPad is using the Swivl Marker
- Muting the PC.
The easiest way to get rid of the delay is to mute the PC (see instructions below), but there are a two downsides to this:
- First, you will be unable to hear the students that are remote, however, they can still participate using the chat feature in zoom. If they need to participate in the discussion, you can simply unmute the PC when they need to speak.
- The other downside is that no sound from your presentation or video will be heard. More information regarding this is detailed in the Playing a Video section below.
Ensure iPad is using Swivl Marker as Mic
This is a simple step that you can take to reduce volume of the delay. If you join the Zoom session before completely setting up the Swivl, the Zoom session will use the iPad mic instead of the Swivl marker. This causes a problem because the iPad mic is more sensitive and lower quality. It will cause your echo/delay to be louder and you may pick up unnecessary background noise. You can check and see which mic you are using while in the Zoom session.
1. Tap the screen to view the Zoom controls.
2. Look for the Bluetooth Sound icon.
If you do not see the highlighted icon, then you are using the iPad mic. Simply leave the Zoom session, then rejoin while the Swivl base and Marker are turned on. This will cause the session to reconnect with the Swivl Marker as the primary mic.
Muting the PC
To mute the PC click the Sound Icon located in the task bar.
Click the Sound Icon in the pop up window.
The icon will change to a Speaker with an X. This means the PC is muted and no sound will come out.
If you need to unmute the classroom PC, simply click the speaker icon with the X to unmute the sound.
It is recommended that you mute the PC to eliminate the delay and take questions and/or comments from the chat. If you would like to hear your students during the entirety of the class session, then you will need to keep the delay.
Playing a Video
In some classes, you may need the sound from the presentation or a video to play through the speakers. In these cases, you can mute your mic on Zoom, which will allow you to turn up the volume in the classroom without creating a loop. Just remember that when your mic is muted, your students will be unable to hear you, but they will still be able to hear any audio coming from the computer.
To mute your mic, tap the screen on the iPad to bring up the Zoom Controls, then select the microphone icon.
To unmute your mic, simply tap the same icon again.
Requesting Assistance
To report an issue or to request support with technology in a learning space or lab, please Submit a Service Request.
If you need immediate assistance, please call the IT service desk 612.343.4170.