Video clips, audio segments, images and simulations can deepen students’ understanding of concepts presented during lectures.
Poll students electronically
You can use student response systems to poll students on a series of questions in order to gauge their comprehension of presented material. Some systems include the ability to get feedback from students while the lecture is in progress, which allows you to quickly identify topics that need more explanation.
Use interactive boards or projectors
Your slides, websites, still images, and anything else on your computer or tablet can be drawn on with your finger or stylus if your classroom has a NovoTouch Board (Severance 105) or an Epson Bright Link Projector. Students can type or draw on the boards when connected.
Explore possibilities with AR and VR
Use a VR headset or AR mobile apps to unlock places students can’t explore in person. There are several cheap headsets that can be used in class and easy to use tools to put your content into a VR space. Explore the Oculus app store to install into one of our Oculus Go’s to use in your class. With most students owning either a smartphone or tablet, you can find AR apps relevant to your course in the iOS store and Google Play store.
Use multimedia examples
Still images, demonstrations, simulations or audio and video clips can be easily integrated into lectures with presentation programs and/or DVD players. For example, online video clips can be played, without being cued, from within a presentation by embedding a Web link.
In classrooms with a computer for each student in some cases you can display one student’s solution to a problem on all the students’ computers.
Document cameras, which some classrooms have, allow you to display small objects – lab equipment, a rock sample, fossil, map, coin, or postcard – to large classes.
Present and preserve lectures digitally
Using presentation software, such as PowerPoint or Keynote, you can create a class presentation with an organized outline. The outline can serve as a touchstone for class discussion and allows students to spend less time taking notes and more time responding to the lecture. Some instructors make presentations available to students before class; this allows students to print out a copy, or download a copy onto a laptop, for note taking during the lecture. Some technologies also allow you to record audio of your class lectures that can be synchronized with your lecture notes.
TabletPCs or drawing tablets used in conjunction with a traditional computer allow the lecturer to draw handwritten notes over pre-existing images. A SmartBoard lets you save digitally, then printout, notes and diagrams drawing on a special electronic whiteboard. Most of these types of presentations can be shared with students after class by uploading a file to Moodle or your course Web site.
- 3 Ways to Use Interactive Projectors
- 10 Interactive Classroom Tools
- Top 20 Virtual Reality Apps that are Changing Education
Resources at Wooster
For facilitating group work on computers during a class session.
Displays objects and texts through an LCD projector
Student response systems
Tools to administer in-class questionnaires and surveys, and then analyze and display the results
The MS Office standard presentation package, which includes outlining mode for easy organization of lecture content.
Sympodium Pen Displays are a tablet-style display that are attached to computers to provide a more interactive and versatile workspace for instructional use. Users may write or draw on the screen using a stylus tool to annotate or make notes on any application or window.
- ELI 7 things you should know about Digital Storytelling.
- Educational Technology Staff are available for support
The content on this page was derived from webpages maintained by the Duke University Center for Instructional Technology