Connecting a Laptop to the Classroom System

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Jan 24, 2022 by Sarah Nguyen (Deactivated)
3 min read

Users with a laptop can connect to an external display and either Mirror or Extend their screen. In UConn classrooms, students, faculty, and staff can connect their laptops to the classroom AV system.

Preferred Method For Windows

  1. Press the Windows key + P on your keyboard. Select one of the following options according to your need:

    1. PC screen only (Screen 1): The laptop will display an image exclusively on the laptop screen. Select this choice when not connected to a projector or secondary display.

    2. Duplicate: The same image will be displayed on both the projector and the laptop screen.

    3. Extend: The projector will act as a secondary screen. This option is useful for giving presentations where presenter notes are used in either PowerPoint or Keynote. The projector will only show the background image of the laptop until content is placed there or a presentation is started.

    4. Second screen only (Projector Only or Screen 2 Only): the image will not appear on the laptop screen. This option is not as useful in the classrooms.

You cannot follow the same process using the classroom’s built-in computer. Classroom equipment has been set up in a manner that enables the classroom to serve multiple purposes. Classrooms are designed to maximize options and meet the broadest needs of the faculty while not becoming so overly complex that service outages result for faculty.

The behavior of the PC is the most pressing concern when it comes to explaining why enabling this would not be appropriate in our classrooms.

  • If a classroom is configured to meet this specification, a second display can be connected directly to the classroom PC. However, monitor roles may be confused from the PC’s perspective.

  • As displays are turned on and off, the display for different content sources and audio may be routed through to the display monitor instead of the main audio controller.

Preferred Method For MacOS

  1. Click the Apple icon in the top left corner.

  2. Select System Preferences. 

  3. Select Displays from the second row. 

  4. Optional: Under the Displays window, select the Arrangement tab if you need to re-arrange your displays. 

  5. Optional: The Mirror Display check box is located in the bottom left corner. This option duplicates what is being shown on the laptop screen to the projector. If you do not wish to have the same windows on both screens, do not check this box.

Secondary Methods For Windows

  1. Right-click on the desktop and select Display Settings.

  2. The Display options will open in a new window where you can see a visual representation of your screen setup.

    Display settings in windows 10.

  3. Scroll down to see choices of how this Secondary Screen (the projector) will behave.

    1. Show only on 1: The laptop will display an image exclusively on the laptop screen. Select this choice when not connected to a projector or secondary display.

    2. Duplicate these displays: The same image will be displayed on both the projector and the laptop screen.

    3. Extend these displays: The projector will act as a secondary screen. This option is useful for giving presentations where presenter notes are used in either PowerPoint or Keynote. The projector will only show the desktop of the laptop until content is dragged over or a presentation is started.

    4. Show only on 2: When Projector Only is selected the image will not appear on the laptop screen. This option is not as useful in the classrooms.

Related Articles