Learning Lab e-learning toolbox

The toolbox

Our aim is to help you boost your teaching by applying e-learning tools of all sorts! On this website we will present reviews and demonstrations of such tools. It is our ambition to inspire and support you in implementing some of these tools right away - and several other tools on a long term basis.

We also want to encourage communities of DTU teachers to share knowledge and experiences with specific tools - and we offer to assist you in the process. We passionately want this to succeed, and we hope you will find it equally engaging. So, welcome to the toolbox website!

Best regards, 

- Kristian Mølhave, Sidsel-Marie W. Prag and Kasper Skårhøj
  e-learning consultants, LearningLab DTU

Watch demonstrations on YouTube

Did you know, you can find most of our tools demonstrated in our podcast channel (where you can download full episodes and get them on your iPod or similar) and on our YouTube channel as you prefer!

Featured tool:

  

Wacom Digitizers

A Wacom Digitizer is a tablet for any computer (PC/Mac/Linux (3rd party support)). It's basically an external screen (VGA/DVI) with a special pen which moves the cursor on the computer, hence acts as a mouse/input device.
The digitiser is extremely usable as a digital board that captures analogue input such as drawing and handwriting. It's very intuitive to use (since you see what you draw immediately under the pen) and very likely to deliver the highest quality "digital drawing" you can get in a classroom / lecture hall.

Use Scenarios:

Digital alternative to whiteboards / blackboards

A Wacom Digitizer is in our opinion one of the best candidates for delivering an intuitive, real alternative to analog boards. It has a high precision, intuitive operation, fast response and by being sensitive to only the touch of a stylus pen (and not fingers) it comes closest to using pens, chalk and markers. Opposite to a real SMART Board which also requires a connected computer and shows the writing on a screen, the Wacom Digitizer allows the user to face the audience all the time. This is generally considered an advantage by the users we know. On the other side the user becomes more statically positioned in front of the digitizer.

 

Annotation of slides

The Wacom Digitizer is perfect for creating screencasts, video-pencasts and video lectures where analog input in the form of precision handwriting and drawing is required.

 

Annotation of digitalized hand-ins (homework)

It is likely that a Wacom Pad could be a very useful tool in annotating digital homework (PDF-files) from students. It would then serve as an intuitive input device for making marks on the "digital paper" (PDF file).


Profile:

Cheap   Expensive
Consolidated   Experimental
Independent   Dependent
Assistance:  Do-It-Yourself  

Requirements:

  • Mac/PC/Linux
  • Reasonable fast computer, graphics and memory for fluent operation.
  • A matching screen resolution

License & Price:

  • 22" model is around 17.000 DKR
  • 16" model is around 10.000 DKR

Benefits:

  • High precision
  • Intuitive and fast
  • Almost natural tactile and visual feedback - important for drawing and writing.

Drawbacks:

  • Price
  • Less mobile

Related tools

iPad

So called tablet-computer introduced under much hy...

Livescribe Echo Smartpen

Echo smartpen is "version 2" of the Pulse Smartpen...

SMART Board

A smart-board turns the presentation screen into a...

Tablet PC

Touch sensitive screens on laptop PCs and tablet P...

Wacom Pad

The Wacom pad is a USB connected writing pad that ...


Category:

Digital Boards

We define digital boards as electronic alternative...

Pencasts and Digital Handwriting

A pencast is animated handwriting along with audio...

Presentation

Projected pc presentation in class, at meetings or...


 

Featured tool:

  

Vaddio Video Whiteboard (Squiggle Board)

Allows you to digitally read the drawing on a regular whiteboard real time. The whiteboard content can be shown on a screen (HD, 720p) in real time and saved to a JPG-file on a standard USB stick by a press of a button.

Use Scenarios:

Equipment for meeting rooms, student brainstorming etc.


Profile:

Cheap   Expensive
Consolidated   Experimental
Independent   Dependent
Assistance:  Do-It-Yourself  

Requirements:

  • A USB stick for saving the content

License & Price:

  • Around 15.000 DKR

Benefits:

  • Digitalize and transmit analog writing on a whiteboard
  • Instead save to USB stick
  • Works without a laptop attached

Drawbacks:

  • Precision and the jerky quality of the graphics (see pictures)

Related tools

Nobo Kapture Flipchart

A digital flipchart solution consisting of flipcha...

SMART Board

A smart-board turns the presentation screen into a...

Wacom Digitizers

A Wacom Digitizer is a tablet for any computer (PC...


Category:

Digital Boards

We define digital boards as electronic alternative...

Pencasts and Digital Handwriting

A pencast is animated handwriting along with audio...

Presentation

Projected pc presentation in class, at meetings or...