Laptop Lounge at the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT)

Location:  2nd floor, EDU 252

Contact:  James Welsh or Support Email

The primary mission of the Laptop Lounge is to support students and faculty in the integration of technology into teaching in effective and innovative ways. This mission takes the form of walk-in assistance, scheduled workshops, and faculty equipment check-out.

Walk-in Assistance

One of the main ways the Laptop Lounge services the needs of the college is through the provision of daily walk-in technical support for faculty and students. The expertise of the staff includes software applications used by many majors within the college as well as familiarity with education content and pedagogy. While staff members may not be able to answer every question, the Laptop Lounge staff strives to provide a "one-stop-shop" for support by connecting students and faculty with other resources. With information about the many avenues for support offered by the university, the Lounge can connect clients with further help from Academic Computing, IT, eCampus, and other campus resources.

Scheduled Workshops

The Laptop Lounge offers over 100 workshops each semester for faculty, students, and staff. The calendar of scheduled workshops is available through the Laptop Initiative website. Workshops are offered free of charge COEDU faculty, students, and staff.

In addition, a faculty member can request a workshop for his or her class on a topic tailored to a specific class need. For example, if an instructor wanted a class to use a graphic organizer application for a class project, the instructor could request a workshop presented in class by a Lounge staff member. Workshops can be as brief as a 30-minute introduction to a piece of technology or as involved as a full hands-on workshop. Support staff can also be available for general trouble shooting during a class activity.

Faculty Equipment Check-Out
Many avenues are open to faculty members seeking equipment for academic projects, teaching, or research. IT, eCampus, and Classroom Technology Services are all involved in providing this type of support. When a COEDU instructor has equipment needs that cannot be met by other units, equipment from the Laptop Lounge is available for checkout. Following is a list of equipment available to faculty members:

• Laptops
• Digital still cameras
• Digital video cameras
• Microphones
• Headset microphones
• Document cameras
• Speakers
• Projectors
• Mice (not the furry kind)
• Podcast factory (microphone and computer adapters)
• iPods
• iPod shuffles
• USB microscopes
• Interactive white boards
• Firewire cables and adapters
• USB cables and adapters
• Power cords and power strips