Effective Classroom Presentations Using Writeon

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Effective Classroom Presentations Using WriteOn Abstract In this paper, we discuss an advance in technology-aided instruction. Not limited as in the past to PowerPoint-based or white board-centered electronic ink applications, the new tool, WriteOn, allows the instructor to use electronic ink to annotate on top of any application visible on the tablet PC display screen. This tool can be useful in improving both the presentation of information as well as the interactivity in classroom instruction. Previous research in this area led to the development of tools that are PowerPoint®-based applications, or electronic ink-based alone applications. Some allowed the presenter to broadcast slides and electronic ink to class while others are simply a presentation tool. Previous applications do not allow the presenter to annotate contents displayed or executing on the screen, nor to simultaneously broadcast the desktop screen activity. Using WriteOn, the instructor can choose to broadcast the dynamic screen contents along with electronic ink in real-time. Alternatively, the WriteOn user can save the ink annotations and desktop activity as a movie file (or individual screen captures) and then later broadcast these files to the students. Students receiving the broadcast presentation may save the file on their local machine. WriteOn is also capable of recording audio captured on the presenter’s machine and synchronize it to the annotation ink strokes. Using WriteOn, the instructor can enhance the real time experience of any concept or program being taught through annotations on the screen. Introduction Effective lecturing is a daunting task for many instructors attempting deliver complex and voluminous amounts of information to students. Instructors use various techniques to make the lecture more interesting and yet communicate the important points of the subject matter. Some of these techniques involve the use of a classroom blackboard, a projector for static and animated display, multimedia, etc. But the presentation methods listed above either lack the ability to easily save lecture information or the ability to perform high quality and comprehensive note- taking. Note-taking is an important factor for an effective learning process because it helps the student to process information as they record it for later review. Re-examination of their personal notes is an important process for students to undertake in order for them to better understand the concepts presented in the classroom In many cases what is very important to the student is the process of developing a concept and this process is occasionally difficult to record in standard pen and paper note-taking paradigms. Computer-assisted teaching provides a viable solution for all of these problems. Computer-aided teaching (or Computer-assisted teaching) can be used to greatly enhance the teaching/learning process. Rune Kornefors and Lennart Lundberg explain the importance of computers for efficient teaching their paper1. Microsoft’s PowerPoint® is predominantly used by instructors for classroom presentations. PowerPoint® gives a structured approach to the lecture, but does not facilitate note-taking, nor does it allow an instructor to incorporate dynamic elements and demonstrations into the presentation. Word processors such as Notepad®, WordPad® or Word® can all be used for structured note-taking however, instructors and students often have difficulty in taking notes using these tools for this purpose since they do not use free