Share your work on the big screen using AirMedia and AppleTV!

Would you like to share content from your laptop or mobile device on a bigger display?  When working with a group of people on a document or other project, it is hard for everyone to crowd around a small screen.

Come to STAR Lounge 2 in the Gardner-Harvey Library to experience two systems that can help.  With our 47" flatscreen TV, you can easily share websites, video, presentations, and documents with a large group.

Crestron's AirMedia system lets you share content from Windows and MacOS laptops as well as iOS devices and Android phones and tablets.  You can share up to four devices at one time, which is useful if multiple people have content to share for the group to consider.  Watch a video about how the Crestron AirMedia system works.

For MacOS and iOS devices, we also have an AppleTV connected to our TV.  You can join the MU Gaming WiFi network and share your content from a laptop or iPad using AirPlay.

We are happy to assist you in using these devices.  Give them a try during your next project meeting or group study session!

Get it Together in the STAR Lounge

With all our announcement of the Wii, we really haven't fully mentioned the STAR (Space for Technology, Academics, and Recreation) Lounge on its own this year.

The Lounge is equipped with:
- a 47" LCD TV
- a DVD player/VCR unit
- cable TV
- a Nintendo Wii gaming system
- a computer with a wireless keyboard and mouse
- work tables by the TV
- a small round table
- a 4' x 6' white board
- six chairs (and more are available to bring in)

The Lounge may be used to:
- watch a DVD, a videotape, or a live TV program with a group
- create a presentation of write a document or work on software with a group
- practice a presentation before giving it in class
- work with a small group for training or group review of information using the computer and TV or the white board
- have a meeting using the white board, TV, or just talking to one another
- play a game on the Wii (see the list)
- record a podcast (using one of our digital voice recorders, or a microphone and Audacity)

We have some ideas about how you can use the room. How will you use it? Take a look today and imagine how it might work with your study group or class or ?

The room may be used for two hours at a time. We are also happy to reserve it for you ahead of time. Be sure to check in at the InfoDesk before using the STAR Lounge.

Wii want to play . . . and learn

The library has recently purchased a Nintendo Wii. It is available for your gaming pleasure in the new STAR Lounge, with a selection of games to choose from. This gaming device offers a unique combination of physical inputs (i.e., you don't sit on the couch to play it; you have to move around) and social interactions (the games encourage multiple players). You can see a list of the games and controllers we have available here. Most games are available for library use only, but a rotating selection of titles will be available for one-day checkout for those with Wiis at home.

Why a Wii? Well, we're interested in exploring this technology not only for its recreational possibilities but its potential as an educational tool. A recent Educause document details the 7 things you should know about the Wii. Our student assistants have replicated the experiments with the Wiimote controller shown here. A forthcoming study from the American Library Association will explore the possible connections between gaming and literacy. We hope that you will join us in these investigations, sharing this resource that we have purchased for all of us to use in common.

So whether you want to practice your bowling, or try out the WiiFit on your lunch hour, or experience Star Wars The Force Unleashed or MarioKart, come by the library and check out the Wii!