Signing Out the Owl

Complete the Meeting Owl Request form to request an Owl.

Note: Pickup and drop-off times are between 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.

Planning Usage of the Owl

The self-serve Owl devices contain a microphone, speaker and camera.  They are plug-and-play; once they are plugged into power, and into your laptop, they will be automatically detected by the computer.  The Owl will need to be selected within your video conferencing application. 

Sign out the Owl at least a week prior to the first time you use it to test how it works and to ensure it works with your laptop.  Appointments can be made with help@osgoode.yorku.ca if there are issues when testing.

Note 1: Owl devices should not be plugged into classroom computers.  There can be complications and this use is not recommended or supported.  Rather, the devices should be used with your own laptop. See below for detailed instructions.

Note 2: The fully effective audio range for its microphone is 5.5 meters (18’).  For larger rooms, notably the bigger lecture rooms, the Owl may not pick up audio from participants towards the back of a lecture room.

Note 3: When using classroom equipment in the Osgoode building, University Services Centre (USC) support must be used when issues are encountered.  Use the phone in the room, or call (416) 736-5212. In the evenings, it may take longer for USC to get to your classroom.

Note 4: For seminars where everyone is sitting around a square or rectangular table, place the Owl as close to the center of the room as possible.  The most effective video radius for the Owl is 3 metres (10’) but the camera picks up more distant images.

Note 5: If the Owl is being used in a room setup for lectures, place the Owl as close to the front of the instructor’s area as possible to maximize the audio and video range in picking up students.  However, instructors should keep their laptop close enough to monitor remote participants.

Using the Owl for HyFlex Sessions

The Owl can be used as a HyFlex device.  One purpose is to allow a guest speaker to see and hear in-person participants in a classroom, where the entire class is in-person (except for the guest speaker).  A second purpose is ‘full HyFlex’, where participants are distributed between those being in-person in a classroom, and those remote online (e.g. an instructor with students in the physical class and other students online).

1. Join the room PC to the Zoom conference for the guest speaker
2. Mute the microphone on Zoom on the room PC
3. Mute the speaker on the room PC
4. Place the Owl as close to the center of the room as possible, at least 12 feet away from participants for a large room; or 5 feet away in a small room
5. Follow the “Using the Meeting Owl” instructions below to connect the Owl to your laptop and join the zoom conference from your laptop

Using the Owl for Classroom Recordings

The Owl can be used to provide a better quality recording in a seminar room than usually possible with built-in microphones on laptops or cell phones.

1. Place the Owl as close to the center of the room as possible, at least 12 feet away from participants for a large room; or 5 feet away in a small room
2. Follow the “Using the Meeting Owl” instructions below to connect the Owl to your laptop and join the zoom conference from your laptop