Alexa

Utah State University strives to provide the best classroom experience to all faculty and students. Continuing innovation and improvement to classroom technologies, such as Alexa, helps make this possible. Alexa allows instructors and students the ability to control classroom equipment without needing to be behind the podium. For example, an instructor may ask Alexa to raise the projector screen to gain better access to the whiteboard behind it, without ever having to step away from where they are most comfortable lecturing.

This hands-free Alex integration also provides a way for visually impaired faculty and students to operate classroom equipment without the need to operate a touch panel.

Yes! Alexa can help with a variety of things, including:

• Calling classroom support (say: "Alexa, call support.")
• Defining a word
• Setting a timer
• Translation
• Factual information
• Flipping a coin
• Telling a joke

No. Alexa waits until it hears it's wake word: "Alexa." According to Amazon, "The device detects the wake word by identifying acoustic patterns that match the wake word. No audio is stored or sent to the cloud unless the device detects the wake word... Any time audio is sent to the cloud, a visual indicator appears on your Echo device. For instance, the light ring on Amazon Echo will turn blue..."

Yes. On top of the Alexa device, there is a "microphone off" button (a circle or microphone icon with a slash through it). According to Amazon, "When the button is pressed, the power to the microphones is disconnected and a dedicated red light is illuminated. When the microphones are turned off, your device cannot stream audio to the cloud, even when you say [the] wake word ("Alexa")."