Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

OLLI Clubs

OLLI Photo Club – Email Voting Procedures

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Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects

 

OPC Email Voting Procedure

Under those circumstances when the OPC 2nd Friday meeting is not held, voting for the Photo of the Month will take place via email.  The procedure for email voting is as follows:

  1. Candidates. Review the current month’s competition slideshow to select an image.
    1. Click March 2020 Slideshow to be taken to this month’s slideshow gallery.
  2. Selection. Note your selected image’s Number and Title which is found on the “Thumbnail Collage” image, the first image in the slideshow gallery (sample below).

 

Thumbnail Collage of Candidate Photos
--     Thumbnail Collage of Candidate Photos     --
  1. Ballot. Create an email following this example:

To: olliphotoclub@gmail.com
Subject: OPC Photo of the Month Vote
Email Body:
8                                      [this is the Image Number]
Tangle Creek Morning     [this is the Image Title]

  1. Submission. Send the email between the hours of 6 PM Thursday (eve of competition) and 10 AM Friday (day of competition).

 

Notes.

Numbering.  USE NUMBERS ONLY FROM THE THUMBNAIL COLLAGE.

Automated Replies. Members will receive an automated reply a few minutes after sending the first email.  The second email sent will have no reply.

Image Upload Period.  Upload of images for the competition will be accepted only until 12 PM, Thursday noon before the 2nd Friday.

Winner Announcement.  The “Four Tops” gallery will be populated by noon on the day of voting (the first image in the Four Tops gallery is the winner).  The winner will also be announced via email shortly thereafter.

Voting Rules.  One vote per person and everyone votes.

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Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects

 

OLLI Photo Club - NMAAHC Project

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Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects

 

National Museum of African-American History and Culture

The National Museum of African-American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the newest museum on the Mall, tells a compelling story of the rise of a people from de facto and legalized slavery to a level of freedom exemplified by eminent leaders in commerce, science, government, arts, sports, and religion.

This set of photo galleries provides a framework in which OPC members may celebrate this story by participating in a project with many photographic opportunities that can be performed at any time.  In addition to the project enabling members to create a visual memory of their visit to the NMAAHC, the galleries may be used to interest others in visiting the museum.

The project’s photo galleries mimic the layout of the museum with a gallery for each floor and individual exhibition areas within each gallery.   A "switchboard" of links to each exhibit area allows quick access to labeled exhibits.  OPC members who would like to participate in this project would upload their images to a “staging gallery” using the file naming convention below.

Submitted images will conform to only one curatorial restriction: due to the comprehensive nature of the museum, some objects represent the most vile elements of humanity.  Such images convey not only torture and killings, but also racist symbols and caricatures that would leave children with insidious impressions.  I do not feel I have the skill to place such images into the galleries in a manner that would best represent their context to a wide audience.

 

File Naming Convention

Private Filename

Members may upload to the staging gallery images with file names of the format illustrated by this template.

Template:

LastnameFirstInitial – [Title] – Photo ID

Note: “Title” is optional.  Use “spaces” on either side of the hyphens for legibility.

Examples:

SmithJ – Black Studies – IMG_1234

JonesG - 001

 

Public Filename

The curator will prefix the filename with an indexing scheme to simplify insertion of the image into the appropriate location in the galleries.

Example:

30.C1.010.000 – SmithJ – Black Studies  – IMG_1234

 

Uploading Instructions

Photos are uploaded to a private staging gallery.  Since it is private, one may visit the gallery only by using the “view” link below, the gallery is not publicly accessible through the menu system.  The upload link process is the same as for other OPC uploads.  Your photos may disappear from the staging gallery while being transferred to the public galleries.

View the Staging Gallery –

https://olliphotoclubgmu.smugmug.com/Photographers-Projects/National-Museum-of-African-American-History-and-Culture/NMAAHC-Staging-Gallery/n-jPDGG8/

Upload to the Staging Gallery –

The upload link is available through the “OPC Upload Link Switchboard” process.  The OPC coordinator(s) send an OLLI eBlast announcing the various OPC events.  In that eBlast is a link and password to the “OPC Upload Link Switchboard.”  The upload link for the NMAAHC galleries can be reached from the Switchboard as follows:

.     > OPC Upload Link Switchboard
.     > Occasional - Switchboard
.     > National Museum of African-American History and Culture

 

 

Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects

 

 

OLLI Photo Club – NMAAHC Switchboard

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Switchboard: Links to Exhibit Photos

These links reach the photo of a "label" identifying an Introduction exhibit or a Section exhibit in the OPC NMAAHC galleries.  The photos in the galleries following the label photo are of objects within that exhibit.

 

NMAAHC Theme Switchboard

The links immediately below position the page to the NMAAHC Theme links further below.  NMAAHC themes are organized by floor (C3, C2, etc.).  For example, the theme for Level C3 is "Slavery and Freedom 1400 to 1877;" and within this theme are several exhibits, the first one being "Slavery and Freedom."  Clicking the Slavery and Freedom link will open a new browser tab in the OPC NMAAHC galleries for the beginning of the Slavery and Freedom photos.

Ex - NMAAHC Exterior
C3 - Slavery and Freedom 1400 to 1877
C2 - Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876 – 1968
C1 - A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond
Co - Concourse
L1 - Heritage Hall
L2 - Explore More!
L3 - Community Galleries
L4 - Culture Galleries

 

Location
PSN.ISN               Galleries

SSN                        Images

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Exterior
00.Ex                     NMAAHC Exterior

000                         North Face

 

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Level C3
10.C3                     Slavery and Freedom 1400 to 1877

000                         Slavery and Freedom
005                         Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
010                         Enslaving Colonial North America
015                         The Revolutionary War
020                         The Paradox of Liberty
025                         King Cotton
030                         Making a Way - CHANGE IMAGE
035                         Domestic Slave Trade
040                         Slave Cabin - CHANGE IMAGE
045                         Life and Work
050                         The Civil War
055                         Emancipation
060                         Reflections
065                         Ramp to C2

 

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Level C2
20.C2                     Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876 - 1968

000                         Era of Segregation
005                         Jim Crow Era
010                         Great Migration - CHANGE IMAGE
015                         Modern Civil Rights Movement
020                         Emmett Till Memorial
025                         Theater
030                         Guard Tower - CHANGE IMAGE
035                         Segregated RR Car
040                         Interactive Lunch Counter - CHANGE IMAGE
045                         Tuskegee Airplane - CHANGE IMAGE
050                         Reflections
055                         Ramp to C1

 

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Level C1
30.C1                     A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond

000                         Changing America
005                         Events of 1968 - CHANGE IMAGE
010                         The Movement Marches On
015                         Cities and Suburbs
020                         Decades
025                         Reflections
030                         Ramp to Concourse

 

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Concourse
40.Co                     Concourse

000                         Concourse
005                         Grand Staircase
010                         Contemplative Court
015                         Theater
020                         Sweet Home Cafe
030                         We Return Fighting, WWI - Special Exhibit
.   030                        We Return Fighting, WWI
.   031                        Dawn of War
.   032                        Global War
.   033                        Americans at War
.   034                        After the War
095                         Journey toward Freedom

 

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Heritage Hall
50.L1                      Heritage Hall

000                         Central Area
010                         Peripheral Area

 

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Level 2
60.L2                      Explore More!

000                         Entry
005                         Center for African-American Media Arts
010                         Step Dancing
015                         Follow the Green Book
020                         Target Learning Center
025                         Search for the Sao Jose
030                         Family History Center

 

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Level 3
70.L3                      Community Galleries

000                         Entry
005                         Making a Way Out of No Way
010                         Double Victory: Home and Abroad
015                         Medal of Honor
020                         Women and Democracy
025                         Making a Way Out of No Way
030                         Power of Place
035                         Sports

 

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Level 4
80.L4                      Culture Galleries

000                         Entry
005                         Cultural Expressions
010                         Taking the Stage
015                         Musical Crossroads
020                         Theater - CHANGE IMAGE
025                         Visual Arts

OLLI Photo Club - Canon Flash Photography, 202001

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Welcome to Canon Flash Photography

Welcome to our Canon Flash Photography course (F103). We’ll be meeting in the Tallwood Annex on Tuesdays from 9:40 to 11:05.

This course is for Canon shooters who have (or plan to have) an off-camera flash. We will start with fill-flash to soften shadows, then use flash as the primary light.We will explore relationships of aperture and shutter speed with flash vs. ambient illumination and then learn how to darken the outdoor background. The instructor will explain and demonstrate benefits of second curtain sync and techniques to soften flash illumination, ranging from adjusting the flash head to the use of modifiers. Instruction will cover “through the lens” flash as well as using manual adjustment of both the Canon camera and the flash unit. Classroom space permitting, we’ll set up several soft boxes to demonstrate use of multiple flash units for portraits.

Dan Feighery holds a BS in physics from Philadelphia's Saint Joseph’s University and a master’s in public administration from San Francisco's Golden Gate University.He is a retired Air Force officer and a long-time photo hobbyist. He founded the OLLI Photo Club and has taught several OLLI photography courses.

 

File Naming Convention for OPC Courses

The file naming convention for OLLI Photo Club (OPC) courses is similar to that used for the OPC’s routine galleries:

  • The filename contains two fields: the photographer’s name and the image’s title,
  • The title field of a filename will include up to two elements: the image’s descriptive title, and in some cases, a Photo ID to ensure filename uniqueness,
  • “hyphens”, preceded and followed by a “space” character, will separate the two fields, and
  • The title field may contain “spaces.”

 

The filename format "for this course only" is

LastnameFirstinitial - Title [ PhotoID ]

The brackets ( “[“ and “]” ) indicate an optional element in the filename.  This optional element is used only to ensure filename uniqueness.  The course’s instructor may require use of a particular form of the PhotoID.

Examples:

          When the title is unique

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees.jpg

 

          When duplicate titles must be made unique

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees 1.jpg

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees 2.jpg

 

          When the camera’s filename is used to ensure uniqueness

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees IMG_1234.jpg

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees IMG_5678.jpg

 

          Other filename formats that will not be used in this course

          IMG_1234.jpg
          IMG_1234-Edit-1.jpg
          yyyymmdd-hhmmss.jpg

 

Notes:

The only characters allowed in a filename for this course are alphanumerics, “spaces,” “hyphens,” and, for camera filename elements only, “underbar.”

The “.jpg” suffix is normally appended by your PC’s software.

“PhotoID” is only required when needing to distinguish among multiple photos.

The last three examples are just for information purposes.  They are other typical file naming formats designed to ensure uniqueness of file names, the first being a camera-generated filename, the second indicating the existence of an external photo “editor” such as PhotoShop, and the third a date and time stamp.

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Uploading Instructions for OPC Courses

  1. Create a JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) photo named according to the "File Naming Convention" specified for the gallery. Note: Depending upon your workflow, you may not want to change the name of an original JPEG file; in this case, change the name of a copy of the original file.
  2. Enter the "upload link" into your browser to show the OPC’s "Upload to ‘Gallery’ ” window.  Note: some courses have a "Sandbox" gallery to practice the upload process. You will receive an email from the instructor with an upload link for a Sandbox gallery (if used in the course) and for a gallery specific to each session of the course.
  3. Drag and drop your photo file(s) into the window (or "Browse Computer") using the file manager of your PC:
    1. in Microsoft Windows, the file manager is File Explorer;
    2. in Apple macOS, the file manager is Finder.
  4. Wait until the upload completes and click the "Done" button.
  5. View your images at the appropriate OPC gallery. For example, this course's galleries are maintained at the OPC photo repository (https://olliphotoclubgmu.smugmug.com), and the galleries can be found via the following menu sequence:

          > Galleries
          > Special
          > OLLI Courses
          > "Name of Course"

 

          For example, access to the "Name of Course" could be

          > Intermediate DSL Photography, 201809

 

          Access to the practice gallery (Sandbox) would then be:

          > "Course name abbreviation" Sandbox

          (e.g., "> IDP 201809 Sandbox")

 

          And access to the "Name of Course" for an assignment gallery would then be:

          > "Course name abbreviation" YYYYMMDD

          (e.g., "> IDP 20180918")

 

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OLLI Photo Club - Basic Digital Photography, 201909

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Welcome to Basic Digital Photography

Welcome to our Basic Digital Photography course (F103). We’ll be meeting in the Tallwood Annex on Tuesdays from 9:40 to 11:05.

This course will help students improve their use of natural and artificial light, while taking their camera off full automatic mode. The only prerequisite is that students have read their camera instruction manual and can find the controls to adjust focus, shutter speed, and aperture. Assignments will be to take at least two dozen photos each week and upload two of these photos to a designated site for in-class review. It is suggested that students download the free FastStone Image Viewer Freeware for reviewing and selecting their shots.

Dan Feighery earned a BS in physics from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a master’s in public administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He was the founder of the OLLI Photography Club and has taught various photography courses over the past several years. Photography has been one of his hobbies for the past seven decades.

 

File Naming Convention for OPC Courses

The file naming convention for OLLI Photo Club (OPC) courses is similar to that used for the OPC’s routine galleries:

  • The filename contains two fields: the photographer’s name and the image’s title,
  • The title field of a filename will include up to two elements: the image’s descriptive title, and in some cases, a Photo ID to ensure filename uniqueness,
  • “hyphens”, preceded and followed by a “space” character, will separate the two fields, and
  • The title field may contain “spaces.”

 

The filename format "for this course only" is

LastnameFirstinitial - Title [ PhotoID ]

The brackets ( “[“ and “]” ) indicate an optional element in the filename.  This optional element is used only to ensure filename uniqueness.  The course’s instructor may require use of a particular form of the PhotoID.

Examples:

          When the title is unique

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees.jpg

 

          When duplicate titles must be made unique

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees 1.jpg

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees 2.jpg

 

          When the camera’s filename is used to ensure uniqueness

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees IMG_1234.jpg

          SmithJ - Beautiful Trees IMG_5678.jpg

 

          Other filename formats that will not be used in this course

          IMG_1234.jpg
          IMG_1234-Edit-1.jpg
          yyyymmdd-hhmmss.jpg

 

Notes:

The only characters allowed in a filename for this course are alphanumerics, “spaces,” “hyphens,” and, for camera filename elements only, “underbar.”

The “.jpg” suffix is normally appended by your PC’s software.

“PhotoID” is only required when needing to distinguish among multiple photos.

The last three examples are just for information purposes.  They are other typical file naming formats designed to ensure uniqueness of file names, the first being a camera-generated filename, the second indicating the existence of an external photo “editor” such as PhotoShop, and the third a date and time stamp.

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Uploading Instructions for OPC Courses

  1. Create a JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) photo named according to the "File Naming Convention" specified for the gallery. Note: Depending upon your workflow, you may not want to change the name of an original JPEG file; in this case, change the name of a copy of the original file.
  2. Enter the "upload link" into your browser to show the OPC’s "Upload to ‘Gallery’ ” window.  Note: some courses have a "Sandbox" gallery to practice the upload process. You will receive an email from the instructor with an upload link for a Sandbox gallery (if used in the course) and for a gallery specific to each session of the course.
  3. Drag and drop your photo file(s) into the window (or "Browse Computer") using the file manager of your PC:
    1. in Microsoft Windows, the file manager is File Explorer;
    2. in Apple macOS, the file manager is Finder.
  4. Wait until the upload completes and click the "Done" button.
  5. View your images at the appropriate OPC gallery. For example, this course's galleries are maintained at the OPC photo repository (https://olliphotoclubgmu.smugmug.com), and the galleries can be found via the following menu sequence:

          > Galleries
          > Special
          > OLLI Courses
          > "Name of Course"

 

          For example, access to the "Name of Course" could be

          > Intermediate DSL Photography, 201809

 

          Access to the practice gallery (Sandbox) would then be:

          > "Course name abbreviation" Sandbox

          (e.g., "> IDP 201809 Sandbox")

 

          And access to the "Name of Course" for an assignment gallery would then be:

          > "Course name abbreviation" YYYYMMDD

          (e.g., "> IDP 20180918")

 

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AV / Technology Support Committee - aka - "The Tom Swift Squad"

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swift-0001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The AV / Technology Support Committee serves as an adjunct to OLLI's staff, in assisting instructors with classroom audiovisual and computer equipment. Membership is open to any OLLI member, at all our locations, who has an interest in helping our teachers and staff with classroom technology. You don't need to be a tech guru to be a member of the committee. Like everything at OLLI, your commitment to lifelong learning is paramount - we'll teach you what you need to know! The committee's goal is “A Swiftie in every classroom, supporting OLLI staff in providing AV excellence for all our members.”

100409_equip_setup

April 9, 2010 - Equipment setup for OLLI Recorder Consort. Photo by Dan Feighery

 

The committee chair is appointed by OLLI's President, and reports to the Executive Director. Reports of committee activities are provided to the OLLI Board on a regular basis, and are published in the document section of the OLLI Member Portal.

Committee chair: Paul Howard
Vice chair: Bill Walsh
Contact: phoward@gmu.edu

Link to: Equipment Reference Web Page

Committee Members (as of July, 2019): John Acton, Tom Appich, Kathy Barnard, George Bradshaw,  Larry Cereghino, Garrett Cochran, Debbie Engleson, Terri Feldmayer,  Mel Goldfarb, Bob Heyer, Paul Howard,  Dave Lynch, Pat McGinty, Ernestine Meyer, Mel Mikosinski, Michael Nephew, Dave Osterman, Dave Selove, Brenda Soares, Russell Stone, Dave Talaber, Bill Walsh, Nick Wenri

Accomplishments of the Committee: Since its conception in the summer of 2007, OLLI's AV / Technology Support Committee, also known as "The Tom Swift Squad," has assumed a primary mission of having comparable AV and computer resources available in every OLLI classroom. Our efforts have resulted in the following major improvements to OLLI's instructional resources:

  • Hitachi / Maxell WU5603 Laser Video Projectors installed in TA1, TA3- full HD, 20K hour light source life (Fall, 2019)
  • Hitachi CP-WU8461 Projector moved to TA2, 16X9 aspect ratio and full HD resolution (Fall, 2019)
  • New screens with 16 X 9 aspect ratio and 123" diagonal image size placed in TA1, TA2, TA3 (Fall, 2019)
  • Lenovo All-in-One computer placed in TA2' providing 24" confidence screen for instructors (July, 2019)
  • Yamaha RX-V485 Multimedia Amplifiers (2) Installed in UCP Reston AV Cabinets to allow HDMI video and sound connections (Spring 2019)
  • Audio Technica Gen3 Series3000 C Band wireless mic systems installed in Loudoun (2) and Reston (3), replacing D band units (Spring, 2019)
  • Lumens PS752 Document Cameras, replacing older models in TA1, TA2, TA3 (Spring 2019)
  • Lumens PS751 Document Camera moved from TA1 to Tallwood Annex (Spring 2019)
  • Audio Technica 14 Gen4 Series 3000 replacement wireless mic systems for Tallwood classrooms, 'Road Show' cases - Caused by FCC UHF channel repack (Winter 2019)
  • Lenovo All in One computer for TA3 trial of touch screen computer for classroom use in TA3 (Fall 2018)
  • Hitachi CP-WU8461 Projector installed in TA1 with 16X9 aspect ratio and full HD resolution (Feb, 2018)
  • Hitachi CP-SX8350 Projector moved from TA1 to TA2 (Feb 2018)
  •  Six Dell  Laptops - classroom replacements in Tallwood, Reston, COGS, LofL Fairfax (Winter 2018)
  • Two Asus  Laptops for backup service in classroom and offsite locations (Winter 2018)
  • Two Asus  Laptops for backup service in classroom and offsite locations (Winter 2018)
  • Asus Laptop replacement for TA2 classroom (Fall 2017)
  • Onkyo TX-NR676 Multimedia Receiver installed in TA3, replacing Sony with overheat issues (August, 2017)
  • Audio Technica wireless mic system added to TA3 (Relocated from Cottage classroom, March 2017)
  • Samsung BD-6500 BluRay Player installed in TA3 (Zumbro Donation) (Winter 2017)
  • Yamaha and Sony (Persell Donation) Multi-media amplifiers installed in TA2 and TA3 to allow HDMI Video / Audio connections.
  • Samsung BluRay player acquired for use in TA2(Fall 2016)
  • Toshiba DVR620 DVD / VHS Combo Players (2) acquired for use in TA2 / TA3 (Fall 2016)
  • Samsung BluRay players acquired for use at Lord of Life Locations (2) and (1) for Reston (August 2015)
  • Toshiba DVR620 DVD / VHS Combo Players (2) acquired for use in Reston Classrooms (May / July 2015)
  • Audio Technica wireless microphone systems (2) acquired for use in TA1 (May 2015)
  • Hitachi video projector upgraded in Lord Of Life-Fairfax for greater brightness (May 2015)
  • Rolls RM219 mixers swapped into Road Show Kits I & II; Phonic RM801 mixers moved to RS kits III & IV (April 2015)
  • Road Show IV Kit for Lord of Life - Fairfax: Two AT C Band wireless mic systems (April 2015)
  • Road Show III Kit for Lord of Life-Clifton: Two AT C Band wireless mic systems; Anchor Audio Powered & Passive Speakers, Phonic mixer (March 2015)
  • Toshiba Laptops (two) for 2nd classrooms at LofL locations (March 2015)
  • Audio Technica portable wireless microphone system acquired for use as needed at Tallwood or remote locations (November 2014)
  • Toshiba Laptops with BluRay optical drives for TA2, TA3, and 'Road Show' kit. (June 2014)
  • Lumens PS 751 document camera for Reston (June 2014)
  • Lumens PS 751 document camera with HDMI switching and 1080P resolution added to TA1. Replaced docucam moved to Cottage. (February 2014)
  • LifeSize 10X Camera added to TA1 as 'audience cam' acquired from generosity of anonymous donor (January 2014)
  • Audio Technica portable wireless microphone system acquired for use in Reston locations (December 2013)
  • LG Flat panel display, permanent camera mountings added to TA1 for videoconferencing (December 2013)
  • Allen&Heath MixWizard4 audio mixer added to TA1 for videoconferencing & advanced audio capability (October 2013)
  • LAN and Telephone connections added to Tallwood Social Rm Annex for origination of audio & videoconferences (August 2013)
  • LifeSize Express 220 videoconferencing system acquired for eventual deployment in Reston. (August 2013)
  • Hitachi video projectors upgraded in Tallwood classrooms for better resolution and/or HDMI input capability (June 2013)
  • Sound Advance stereo speakers and Sony amplifier installed at UCP Reston, Rms 113/114. (April 2013)
  • Toshiba Laptops (3) for Reston and TA1, with upspec'd processors, BluRay optical drive, HDMI. (March 2013)
  • Zyzel Router and LAN wiring upgrades for video teleconferencing infrastructure and security improvements. (Feb. & March 2013)
  • Rolls Audio Mixers and Key Digital Video Processors added to UCP Reston equipment suites. (Dec. 2012)
  • Audio Technica wireless microphone systems added to largest classroom at each campus. (Dec. 2012)
  • Sound Advance loudspeakers relocated from WPBC, Reston to TA1 for 7.1 channel surround sound operation. (Nov. 2012)
  • LifeSize Room 220 Video Conferencing System aquired for sharing classes and meeting between locations. (Nov. 2012)
  • Two Toshiba Laptop computers - upspec'd w/ I5 processors, 8 Gig RAM, HDMI output, for Video Teleconferencing. (Oct. 2012)
  • Anchor Audio Powered / Remote (unpowered) speakers for Road Show II - used at churches, Woodlands, etc. (Oct. 2012)
  • Onkyo surround-sound receiver / multimedia amplifier, resulting in 5.1 channel sound in TA1 (July, 2012)
  • Polycomm Soundstation VTX1000 speakerphone for remote attendees to board meetings, classes (March 2012)
  • Infinity Interlude speakers and subwoofer in TA1, acquired with directed donation to Friends of OLLI (February 2012)
  • Docucam added to TA2 equipment suite. (January 2012)
  • Four Toshiba Laptop computers acquired for instructional use in Tallwood Cottage. (2011)
  • Three speakers added to Instructor Speech / PA system in TA1. (October, 2011)
  • Seven Toshiba Laptop computers acquired for instructional / classroom use in Tallwood Cottage. (2011
  • "Bus Tour" portable pa system (Spring 2011)
  • New Instructor Speech / PA Bogen system for Loudoun Rm 232 (Spring, 2011).
  • Upgraded LAN at Tallwood from 10BaseT to Gigabit ethernet electronics. (Spring 2011)
  • Upgraded Hitachi Video Projector, TA1; Move of Projectors for TA2 and Tallwood Cottage (Winter 2011)
  • AV equipment suite in Tallwood Cottage room 101 classroom (Winter 2011)
  • Lumens Docucams added to Tallwood and Reston classrooms. (2010, 2011
  • Updated laptop computers in all Reston and Tallwood classrooms, with Office 2007 available on each.
  • Two "Road Show" portable equipment packages of wireless microphone systems and audio mixers, for use when classes are held in remote locations, panel discusions, or performance opportunities for OLLI groups, such as the Recorder Consort, and drama activities. (Spring, 2010)
  • Upgraded wireless microphone systems in TA2, TA3. (Fall, 2009)
  • Wired Internet service in all classrooms in Tallwood and Reston, and in the sanctuary of Washington Plaza Baptist Church.
  • Permanently mounted music quality and PA speakers in Reston and Tallwood.
  • Two complete equipment suites in Reston, functionally equivalent to Tallwood classrooms. (Sep 2009)
  • Hitachi Video projectors of enhanced resolution and high brightness in all Tallwood and Reston classrooms.
  • Quality Audio Technica wireless microphone systems in each classroom (Loudoun, Reston, Tallwood) for instructor use.

The support of OLLI's Board of Directors, Finance Committee, generous member financial contributions to the "Friends of OLLI", and the foresight of Executive Directors, Dick Chobot and Thom Clement, have been vital to these efforts.

History of "The Tom Swift Squad" During the summer of 2007, Paul Howard proposed that a group of volunteers be assembled to assist the OLLI staff with AV problems the staff was wrestling with during classes. At that time, these primarily centered around audio quality for enhancing the instructor's voice. Paul declared, "There are two kinds of sound at OLLI - 'feedback' and 'none' !" Dick Chobot, OLLI's Executive Director, was finding some of the member grousing about AV issues a tad frustrating. A military history buff, Dick suggested that the new group should perhaps be called "The Forlorn Hope" - after the cannon-fodder assemblage of misfits and criminals, thrown at seemingly-impregnable strongpoints, and led by a junior officer without money or influence to gain a higher rank, since success yielded promotion. Paul thought that perhaps the sound issues weren't quite as bleak as that, and suggested "Tom Swift Squad" as an appropriate name for the group, after the series of boy's fiction books highlighting technology and invention, dating to 1910. OLLI's Tallwood Administrator and Registrar, Ann Hartmann, took to calling the volunteers "the Swifties" and so the name continues.

Link to the OLLI Board Handbook: Audiovisual Support Committee

 

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Link to: OLLI Home Page

OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE
AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

4210 Roberts Rd. Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384
Fax: (703) 503-2832
Email: olli@gmu.edu

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OLLI Mason is a nonprofit, equal opportunity 501(c)(3) organization
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