Educational research has established that learning is more effective when it combines visual and audio, known as the Modality Effect (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). This combination reduces cognitive load, which allows the learner to retain information more effectively. We decided to create educational videos for our math classes using a highly engaging technology called a lightboard. A lightboard allows instructors to speak to the camera while writing on a clear glass in front of them, thus avoiding having to turn their back on their students to write.
But, the reader might ask, won’t this cause the writing
to be backwards to the online viewer? The genius of the lightboard is that it
reverses the image either by pointing the camera at a mirror set at an angle to
the speaker or with editing software. The result is a presentation that preserves
eye contact with the audience while allowing the instructor to write formulas,
make drawings, or sketch out other things during the video. This remarkably
simple system will transform educational videos at any institution.
We decided to order the complete system through one of the suggested retailers on the lightboard website, but it is possible to build your own studio with the helpful directions on that site. Besides the basic equipment that is part of any studio—camera, lights, and microphones—the setup requires a large piece of glass and either a simple mirror to bounce the camera view off or the use of editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro to reverse the image after the shoot. Most institutions already have a studio set up and editing software, so the only specialized equipment they will need is the glass and maybe some additional lights.
The
recording process is pretty straightforward and not that much different from
what a professor would normally do during a lecture, minus the students. The
instructor simply speaks to the camera and draws on the lightboard as he or she
would during a lecture. We found that it only takes an hour or more in the
studio to record multiple lessons.
After
recording, a videographer edits the video. One nice feature of this process is
that video editors can insert graphics into the video at various parts of the
lecture. If the instructor wants to refer to an image, he or she can just do so
by pointing at an imaginary image while speaking and the video editor will
seamlessly insert it into the video afterwards.
Best practices
After
having used a lightboard for some time now, we have developed a set of best
practices for getting started.
- For a new user, we recommend filming a short
video first, and then reviewing it before filming longer videos. In our initial
stages, we learned this the hard way when an instructor spent two hours in the
studio only to be dissatisfied with the visual outcome. For instance, he made the mistake of writing
directly in front of his face, which created an odd appearance. Speakers should
write off to the side and can move around after they write as long as they
remain in the camera frame. Since the view from the camera is often difficult
to predict from the speaker’s standpoint, make the first shot short and review
it for any tweaks before going into the real shot.
- Find a speaker who is willing to be an early
adopter and strong advocate—someone willing to try, fail, and learn many times
over. Some speakers will give up after spending an hour on something they do
not like and may share this bad experience with others. New technology takes
time to learn, so your first few speakers should be willing to work through your
learning curve.
- Do not try to write everything down in
real-time. Write down the main ideas or equations before filming the segment.
Then, during the recording, use a marker of a different color sparingly to call
attention to those points to which you want students to focus. For example,
circle the result of a computation or underline a component of an equation to
call attention to it. Go slowly enough that students will have time to write
down everything.
- Be sure to write clearly. Use broad, heavy strokes of the marker, making every letter and symbol clearly distinguishable from other letters and symbols, particularly ones that are very similar, such as the letter “i,” the letter “l,” and the numeral “1.”
- Use markers of different colors. For example,
in a calculation of a GPA, use one color to represent the number corresponding
to the grade (i.e. an A is 4 grade points per credit hour), and another color
to represent the number of credit hours for a particular course. In an
equation, consider using one color to represent variables and another to
represent the coefficients of those variables.
- The space for writing on a lightboard is much
more confined than a classroom white board. Do not try to cram too much writing
into the available space. You can erase while the video recording is “off,”
which means there is no lost time, as there is in a live presentation. What
could be presented in one writing on a classroom whiteboard may require 10
repetitions of write/erase on the lightboard.
- Look into the camera often, whether you are
behind the lightboard or beside it. Present the lesson as if students are
actually watching you. Remember, the presentation is somewhat of a show. It
should be interesting and entertaining to the best extent possible.
- Make every segment last between 1 and 7 minutes. Don’t try to explain too much in one segment.
- Use the phrase “pause the video here” often. This encourages students to try an example like the one you just did, or to take time to make their own notes without fear of missing part of the presentation.
- Speak loudly and clearly, and repeat ideas often, particularly definitions.
Our lightboard is currently being used for video
presentations in a wide range of disciplines such as mathematics, engineering, chemistry,
communications, and even an Italian language course. While the original
innovators used the lightboard for STEM courses, we have found benefits for using
it outside of STEM. The lightboard allowed a communications professor to draw
concept maps while explaining them. The Italian-language professor used the lightboard
to write vocabulary words while emphasizing the punctuation, syntax, and accent
marks. These are great benefits for students to learn through dual channeling techniques, that is,
instruction that is both spoken and written at the same time (Reiser &
Dempsey, 2012).
Our goal now is to incorporate different techniques such as integration with physical objects, interactive quizzes, and augmented reality in conjunction with the lightboard. For inspiration, we look to examples showcased on the lightboard webpage as well as the Because Science YouTube channel.
Reference
Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (3rd ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Kristina
Schmid is an instructional designer, Eddie Gomez is a video production specialist,
and Peter McCandless is an assistant
professor-in-residence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Can a very similar result be achieved using a tablet that projects on the wall behind you?