You'll need a lighting "scene controller" in today's classrooms

As the use of multimedia increases in the classroom and laboratory, so does the complexity of having the lights at the right brightness both in front of the screen and over the students.

"Scene Controllers" like the one shown below make the job much less confusing for the instructor or presenter.

Several manufacturers make scene controllers. One proven system is a custom unit from LUTRON, in their "Euro" Series.
See http://www.lutron.com/grafikeye/

Typical touchpad. One or more can be located within easy reach of the instructor White (Bright): all ceiling fixtures and chalkboard fixtures are full ON Yellow (Medium): lamps right in front of the screen & chalkboard fixtures are OFF Amber (Dim): Same as yellow but fixtures over chairs are dimmed to ~2% of full on Blue (Add Chalkboard): Adds chalkboard fixtures full ON to Medium, Dim, or Off Dim Trim~: Allows preset of Dim to be temporarily changed. (Resets to 2% if any other button is pushed.)

This is the "brain" of the Lutron scene controller. It can be programmed in a few minutes without the need for a laptop computer. An important simplification for maintenance personnel!