Thanks to the UITS Collaboration Technologies team, the IU Knowledge Base has practical, step-by-step instructions for creating a remote setup that's closer to what you might have had on campus—and doesn't necessarily require new devices. Below is just one example.
If you have a touch-enabled device like a tablet or touchscreen laptop, then you can take advantage of online whiteboard or collaboration tools to share freehand drawings and handwritten text (learn more here). But you can also share this content using an external webcam or even your smartphone camera. Here's how.
External webcam
If you have a second external USB webcam, you can use it as a makeshift document camera:
- Connect the webcam to your computer.
- On your computer, connect to your Zoom meeting.
- In Zoom, choose Share Screen. When prompted to select what you want to share, click the Advanced tab, select Content from 2nd Camera, and click Share.
- Position a sheet of paper on a nearby surface, and place your webcam on a box or stand pointing at the paper. Make sure the entire paper is visible in the camera shot.
- Common issues:
- If you see the video from your computer's main webcam instead of the external webcam, click Switch Camera in the top left of your Zoom window.
- If the camera image appears upside down or sideways, open the drop-down menu next to the video icon in the Zoom toolbar. Choose Video Settings, then click Rotate 90° until the image appears right-side up.
Smartphone camera
If you do not have an external USB webcam, you can instead use your smartphone's camera as a document camera. You will need to join your Zoom meeting from both your computer and your phone.
- Connect to your Zoom meeting from your computer. Turn on your microphone, and start your video if you want your students to see your face.
- Make sure your smartphone is connected to your local Wi-Fi network. Join your Zoom meeting from your phone. Do not turn on the microphone, and turn the volume on your phone all the way down.
- In the Zoom app on your phone, select Start Video to turn on the phone's camera. Tap the Switch Camera icon (a camera outline with circular arrows) to switch to the front-facing camera. Physically rotate your phone so that the Zoom app appears in landscape orientation.
- Position a sheet of paper on a nearby surface, and place your phone on a box or stand with the camera pointing at the paper. Make sure the entire paper is visible in the camera shot.
- On your computer, you will see the video from your phone in a small pane at the top of the Zoom window. Click the ellipsis (...) in the upper right of that pane to open an options menu. Click Spotlight Video to prominently display the video from your phone to all participants; for more on spotlighting, see Spotlight Video.
For help sharing handwritten content in Zoom meetings, contact UITS Collaboration Technologies at cthelp@iu.edu or (812) 856-2020.
