Why not try a Lightboard Video?
We know how much students love lectures given on chalkboards - they are organically paced, limited by the speed of a person's writing. They are unique, personal, and custom to the topic at hand. The Lightboard offers instructors a way to leverage the benefits of the chalk n'talk lecture while making a video. Come and try it out!
A lightboard is a LED illuminated glass sheet that is roughly the same size as a single chalkboard. It is used to record course content and is ideally suited to problem solving, diagrams, equations, and any other content for which you might normally use a chalkboard.
Here, you can see Prof. Marianne Touchie in action:
Prof. Touchie's video is available in the Building Science Fundamentals Module project.
A big instructional benefit of using a lightboard is that it allows the instructor to face the learners (ie. the camera) the entire time, creating a feeling of connection with the viewer. There's no loss of "eye contact," which can happen when the instructor turns away from the camera during traditional filming (for example, on a chalkboard). Many of the best things about a chalkboard are preserved - the pacing is still moderated by your own handwriting speed (which is much preferred by students versus a pre-designed slide presentation). Both are extremely authentic and personal methods for filming that allow for instructors to be themselves, which is important when fostering a sense of connection with your learners.
To learn more about Lightboards at FASE, check out the following articles:
There are a lot of parallels between creating a lightboard video and any standard screencast video. If you've done neither before, or even if you have and you're looking for some production and preparation tips, you can read Planning Effective and Efficient Screencast Content.
If you'd like to try a lightboard video, please email fase.edtech@utoronto.ca.
