Wait... isn't it wednesday?

So normally you wouldn't hear from me for a few more days, but I received a question from an adjunct faculty member that (if I'm not mistaken) is of interest to a lot of you out there:

"What do those folks who put up videos showing how to work problems (like a Khan Academy math video) use to make their writing look so easy and fluid? [My challenge is] writing on the screen with the mouse!  It is sloppy and difficult.  It is time consuming and finger, hand and wrist fatiguing.  Short of buying an expensive touch screen computer system or device, is there anything in your tool box of technology tips that could help me?

I've tried screencast-o-matic on an iPad (maybe mine is too old to run the software) and on my tablet, but they don't seem to be compatible.  I did enjoy using the LadyBug document camera that was in the classroom I was using.  I had the tech people load the software properly so that it would capture the work I did via that device.  It was easy to save the video and audio to a .mp4 file that I could upload to YouTube.  However, that option is not available currently."

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Possibility#1:

The effect you are seeking is typically achieved using a Smartpen. I know that in the past, some departments have been able to fund this kind of technology for instructors, so it's possible that the department might be able to provide one (at least on loan...?). This YouTube video showing several recommended types of smartpens and their features may be of interest to you, especially those that allow you to write on actual paper and then have your images and text be captured electronically. Something like the Bamboo Slate or Bamboo Folio, at around the 3:40 mark, may be of particular interest because they do not require device-specific paper:

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Possibility#2:

Another option you may want to consider, if you already know that using a document camera works for you, is to ask the college if it is possible to get one on loan to use during this period. All of those cameras are currently sitting unused in classrooms, or it is possible that there might be a couple of spares in reserve that would normally be backups in case the regular classroom equipment were to break down. Try asking your Division Chair if borrowing the equipment to record videos for your class would be a viable option - even if they don't know, they can check with those who DO know.

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Possibility#3:

One more possibility would be to just get a small tripod for your phone, and record video of yourself working through problems on paper (I have done this to show myself making drawings, as with this video). It may not be as professional as using the document camera, but at this point, I think students will value the content and guidance more than production values!

I like the Joby smartphone tripod (or similar) because the flexible legs allow you to adjust the angle, or to set up the phone to get a better vantage point.

Happy wednesday, everyone!