Advanced tips for blended synchronous sessions

Mobile devices can screen mirror to a large display to use their camera for live demonstrations or share students’ work. This can be done via a wired HDMI adaptor or wirelessly using (for example):

• Zoom screen sharing options via USB cable direct connection to mobile device – advanced sharing options allow multiple participants to share screens simultaneously. Don’t forget to choose ‘Share computer audio’ when starting Zoom screen sharing.
• An AppleTV in peer-to-peer sharing mode connected to the video projector – note this does not support cloud-based video streaming but does support live camera/screen sharing from mobile devices.

Consider how learning interaction can be enhanced through students own mobile devices for example:

• Creating QR codes for links or short URL creation
• Using LiDAR on LiDAR equipped mobile devices (e.g. iPhone Pro 12 or iPad Pro) for students to rapidly create and share 3D representations of face-to-face experiments for remote students (remote students will not require LiDAR equipped devices to view 3D models or scans).

Consider recording synchronous discussions or presentations via the record option in Zoom for later review by students or for those who could not attend the session live. You can quickly trim any preamble or post conversation with a simple video editor such as QuickTime Player or VLC and then upload to your Canvas subject via Lecture Capture or Kaltura (Media Gallery) or trim your Zoom recording in an editing tool in one of these platforms.

Remote students could be assigned treasure-hunt style activities using their smartphones to capture evidence or content in and around their locality that match the intended learning outcomes of an on campus enquiry-based learning activity.

Remote students do not have access to on campus lab or studio facilities, however they could create a virtual site visit or a virtual lab tour to simulate a lab or studio-based learning activity as a project. A range of simple web-based simulation or 3D modelling platforms can be used by students to develop such projects, or students could simply create a storyboard of the activity via a range of drawing options – including sharing photos of hand-drawn images that relate to the learning activity.

You may find an online open educational resource (OER) that can be used as an alternative to an on campus learning activity for remote students. OER resource databases include MERLOT, WikiEducator and other learning object repositories.