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New Visual Annotation and Lecture Recording Tool on Campus
Posted May 1, 2018
By: Niki Glick
Chances are, you've seen a SMART podium or SMART board (LCD) in a classroom on campus. You know the ones I'm talking about: they look like screens or whiteboards you can write on with digital pens. This technology is a key component to a flipped learning environment, as it allows you to create supplemental content that can be accessed outside of the classroom. It also allows you to present lectures in a more dynamic, interactive, and engaging way by allowing you to work through the content with your students.
The newest version of this technology is called the lightboard. It's a glass, dry-erase board that allows you to present content directly to a video camera. Light illuminates the ink on the glass, providing a dramatic presentation that makes it seem as if the text and images are floating in air. Not only can you write directly on the lightboard, just as you would a whiteboard, you can also superimpose a PowerPoint slideshow directly "into" the glass as shown in the image below:
Lectures are recorded, uploaded to the cloud, and made available within Blackboard. Lightboard presentations are best suited for mini-lectures (under 5 minutes) and are a great way to help students understand difficult information.
With assistance from ITS and funding from a State of Illinois grant, the SIUE School of Nursing has built the first lightboard recording room on campus. Six faculty members are piloting the system and recording mini-lectures to be used in Summer '18 courses. Presently, only faculty in the SON are eligible to utilize the lightboard space. However, other campus locations may house future lightboard developments. For example, students in the School of Engineering are currently working with a faculty mentor to construct their own lightboard. Meanwhile, other campus units are investigating whether a lightboard would be a good fit with their faculty, students, and curriculum.
For questions about lightboards or other classroom technology, please contact ITS at help@siue.edu or at 618-650-5500.
