Using OpenBoard with a Blackmagic ATEM for better presentations

There is some very good whiteboard software out there. One of the best is openboard. I am using this with a Wacom 22 inch cintiq and connected up to an ATEM for broadcasting. The ATEM allows me to switch from a camera to a visualiser to the computer screen showing in this case a Wacom screen displaying the openboard whiteboarding software. Openboard not only has the whiteboard capabilities, but also has a large number of built in gadgets, like a compass and ruler to make better diagrams. Here I am writing large, so the students can see it on a smartphone

One simple trick to Improving your online teaching

One simple way of improving my online teaching?

With more and more online teaching and much of this being done teaching from home, how can I improve my online teaching at little or no cost?

These questions are very common at the moment and here I hope to give a few ideas to improve your online teaching.

 The camera.  A laptop with a camera is not really the best way of teaching. The camera is really in the wrong place but by using a webcam on a cable instead,

can make all the difference. The main difference between a good and a poor webcam is whether it has a tripod mounting bush underneath. Instead of having the camera only looking at you, it can be moved around on a small table top tripod like this joby one.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

If you are running the lesson from a phone then a simple and cheap tripod mount can make all the difference by changing the aspect that the students are viewing from.