At a growing number of educational institutions, faculty have been using a Lightboard to create engaging instructional videos for online and blended learning environments, allowing the instructor to employ gestures as he or she would in a typical classroom setting. Creating engaging online content can be a challenge. Have you ever found it difficult to explain something without using your hands or waving your arms? Gestures are among our most heavily relied-upon student engagement tools, and we often use them as such without even realizing it. Gestures also aid learning, since they “provide the material that ‘glues’ layers of perceptually accessible entities and abstract concepts" (Roth & Welzel, 2001 p.103). It is not surprising that many educators who excel in the classroom face challenges creating engaging instructional videos, since many instructional video production techniques are not conducive to the integration of gestures; even when screen capture software incorporates the instructor's face on camera, it is still difficult for the instructor to interact with the content by pointing, annotating, drawing, etc. During this interactive session, you will find out what the Lightboard is, learn how it is used, and discover its possibilities as a teaching tool. Through testimonials, student feedback and educator feedback, you will witness how the Lightboard is transforming virtual learning environments and impacting student learning. You will view Lightboard-created content, observe the intuitive video creation process and perhaps even get the opportunity to try your hand at using it!
Roth, W.-M.,& Welzel, M. (2001). From Activity to gestures and scientific language. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38, 103-136.
Flevares, L. M., & Perry, M. (2001). How many do you see? The use of nonspoken representations in first-grade mathematics lessons. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 330-345.
