{"id":472,"date":"2023-01-26T14:12:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T22:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/teaching-in-dornsife\/?page_id=472"},"modified":"2023-02-06T15:06:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T23:06:09","slug":"blog-post-67","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/teaching-in-dornsife\/faculty-blog\/blog-post-67\/","title":{"rendered":"Lightboard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Turning my home garage into an LED Lightboard studio<\/em><\/h5>\n

By Peyman Nojoumian, Associate Professor (Teaching) of Persian, Department of Middle East Studies – February 23, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

Writing on a blackboard\/whiteboard is something that is missing in an online meeting platform. Although some of these platforms offer shared whiteboard technology with the possibility to type or write using a mouse or a digital pen, they do not make the same impression on learners and many instructors find them unsatisfactory, problematic and incompatible with their learners\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n

Teaching foreign language spelling systems with deep orthographies (including English, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.) or complex symbols and diagrams in math, chemistry and physics requires more sophisticated technology, often not available in online meeting platforms.<\/p>\n

An LED Lightboard is a sheet of acrylic plexiglass illuminated using LEDs. When you write or draw on the board with neon markers, the writing glows. A webcam can easily capture what you write and directly stream it to your online classroom platform. This innovative technology may be the solution to the problems some instructors face, and especially for those who cherish the idea of freedom in an analogue classroom.<\/p>\n

LED Lightboards have been around for the marketing and advertisement industry. However, the requirement to move to online platforms, due to the pandemic, found a new application for the technology in education. Many instructors around the world, including some of our own colleagues at USC, have already started to use the LED Lightboard in their online classrooms.<\/p>\n

The LED Lightboard<\/h4>\n

Today I am going to share my experience developing a livestreaming studio in my home garage and improving the LED Lightboard design. In order to develop your own LED Lightboard, you may need to allocate a budget of about $300. You need to buy a sheet of plexiglass, LED strips and controller, as well as four L-brackets to fix the Lightboard on an office table. You will also need black backdrops and a dark room with spot lighting for your webcam to capture the writing on your board with the highest quality. Finally, you need an app to flip your image (Zoom mirror does it only for you, not for your audience). To see how to develop the LED Lightboard, please watch my short video on YouTube. You can find the list of required materials in the clip\u2019s description (10 min): https:\/\/youtu.be\/09E_ZeA78H0v<\/p>\n

\"\"
Picture 1: Teaching the Persian alphabet using an LED Lightboard on Zoom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/h4>\n

Turn your room\/garage into an LED Lightboard studio<\/h4>\n

If you watched the YouTube video clip, you noticed the specially made dark environment created to enhance the Lightboard experience for learners. You can turn your office room\/garage into a classroom studio with a nominal budget ($600-$800). First, drape black\/blue backdrops on all walls from the ceiling and cover the floor with a mat if it is not covered. Then, place two LED light projectors at the sides of your office table and on your side of the Lightboard either by tripod or a ceiling attachment. You can optionally install a 32\u201d confidence TV\/Monitor on the wall or hang it from the ceiling (picture 2) to have a view of your audience while writing on the Lightboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Black backdrop with 3 clamps, 5×9 feet = $17, 9×15 feet = $30
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07YNL7W2Z<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07D6ZVGPG<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Black backdrop with 3 clamps, 5×9 feet = $17, 9×15 feet = $30
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07YNL7W2Z<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07D6ZVGPG<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Neewer LED projectors with stands – 2 sets = $160
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B06XW3B81V<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Floor gym mats 24\u201d x 24\u201d, 24 tiles = $110
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B086MZ329L<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Floor gym mats 24\u201d x 24\u201d, 24 tiles = $110
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B086MZ329L<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Motorized Height Adjustable Desk, 48 x 30 Inches $240 (optional)
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07W42DSG8\/<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ceiling Mount + Pole + Dual Camera Mount = $40 (optional for projectors\/cellphone cam)
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07Z5ZYVGC<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00V7ZQEWU<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00PAG93ES<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

32-54\u201d TV Ceiling Mount ($44)
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00YO4Q1NI<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
32\u201d TLC LED Full HD TV\/Monitor with Roku ($160)
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07F981R8M<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tripod with Cellphone Holder ($32)
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07ZV4QX6C<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elgato 4K CAM Link (to connect a DSLR\/Camcorder to your computer as a webcam)
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07K3FN5MR<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Desktop Cellphone Stand $33 (optional)
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B08HQQVL9F<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a016 Feet Wired Microphone $13
\nhttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07FQNBKDK<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Picture 2: Home garage studio for the LED Lightboard setting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tips to Improve Online Teaching Experience<\/h4>\n

While working on this project, I learned a lot on how to improve my students\u2019 online experience; perhaps some of these tips may be of use to you as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Improve your internet connection reliability and speed<\/strong>.<\/strong> <\/span>Zoom meeting uses a lot of internet bandwidth. A wired, rather than wireless, connection from your modem\/router to your computer can be much more reliable and interference-free. To check your internet speed click on: https:\/\/www.speedtest.net
\nTelecom companies such as Spectrum and Frontier are able to provide highspeed internet from 100 to 940 Mbps (Megabits per second). However, to get a reliable and wide bandwidth, you need to have good cables, upgraded modems, routers and receivers (your laptop WiFi\/desktop ethernet cards). You can order an adapter for your laptop to get a wired internet connection instead of wireless<\/p>\n

(For Lenovo: https:\/\/www.lenovo.com\/us\/en\/accessories-and-monitors\/cables-and-adapters\/adapters\/CABLE-BO-Ethernet-Extension-Adapter-2\/p\/4X90Q84427). Also check your desktop computer and ensure that you have an up-to-date Gigabit Ethernet card to be able to get the highest possible bandwidth (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B08HQQVL9F )<\/p>\n

You can connect a Cat5\/6\/7\/8 cable from your router\/modem to your laptop then. Using this trick, I was able to get a reliable internet with a speed 10 times faster than my wireless. Your speed will also be impacted by other factors such as distance from router or heavy streaming\/downloading of large videos\/files. You can also consider buying internet from SpaceX StarLink (currently available for $99 per month and a $530 upfront cost for a satellite dish). Starlink internet is still in its Beta phase and does not yet have Gigabit full speed: (https:\/\/www.starlink.com\/)<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Improve your lighting and webcam<\/strong>.<\/span> Laptop webcams are made of cheap materials and have plastic lenses. Consider replacing them with an HD Webcam or use a cellphone\/DSLR\/Camcorder as a webcam. You can also improve lighting by installing an LED ring or projector.<\/p>\n

To use your cellphone as a webcam, first install iVCam on your phone and on your computer run both apps (https:\/\/www.e2esoft.com\/ivcam\/). Then connect your cellphone to your laptop using a lightning\/USB-C cable or use your wireless connection. On Zoom, choose the iVCam\/e2esoft as your camera. Make sure you flip the camera image using iVCam, otherwise your writing will appear backwards on your Lightboard to your audience.<\/p>\n

To use your DSLR\/Camcorder as a webcam, you need an HDMI to USB adapter like a CAM Link (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07K3FN5MR ). Then connect the camera to your computer. On Zoom, choose CAM Link as your camera. You can use the free OBS software (https:\/\/obsproject.com\/ ) to add a lot of capabilities to your livestream presentation. For example, you can show different cameras and PowerPoints on OBS. On Zoom, choose OBS Virtual cam as your camera. If you have certain Canon DSLR cameras, it may be directly connected to Zoom after updating its driver. Check here for compatibility: https:\/\/www.usa.canon.com\/internet\/portal\/us\/home\/support\/self-help-center\/eos-webcam-utility<\/p>\n

3. Improving your background.<\/strong><\/span> A proper background will greatly improve the resolution and lighting of your livestream. The embedded Zoom background is messy without a chroma key green\/blue backdrop. You can find a nice fabric made backdrop here: (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07YHBVJLN). To use an LED Lightboard a black backdrop is needed to create a dark space behind the plexiglass.<\/p>\n

4. Improve your sound broadcasting.<\/strong><\/span> For higher quality sound and to impose less of a burden on your computer processor, you can replace your laptop\/array mic with a wired microphone (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B075VQ7VG7) and connect it directly to your computer. Attach the microphone to your shirt close to your mouth. The array mics on your computer may not always be strong enough to pick up your voice. Do not forget to choose the correct mic in your Zoom settings.<\/p>\n

5. Improve your posture and reduce stress on your back.<\/strong><\/span> When teaching for long periods of time, it is better to stand up and move around than to be seated, which may be detrimental for your back. A height-adjustable table (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/FLEXISPOT-EC1B-R4830B-Adjustable-Electric-Blacktop\/dp\/B07H2W9Y3W) may help to reduce stress on your body while teaching online. If you prefer to be seated, try getting an ergonomic chair with lumbar support. If you teach long classes, ask your students to stand up and do 30-second exercises with you (for language teaching try to use some TPR method).<\/p>\n

6. Improve your screen sharing capabilities.<\/strong><\/span> By installing a larger monitor or connecting an extra monitor to your computer\/laptop you can increase your screen sharing capabilities, especially when you want to share several audio, video or PDF files simultaneously. An up-to-date Zoom allows you to choose a PowerPoint for your background and lets you stream content from two cameras simultaneously (your webcam and your cellphone\/iPad for example). If you want to show textbook pages like an overhead projector, first install a cellphone stand on your table (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B08HQQVL9F) and connect it to your Zoom (use Zoom-PN cam).<\/p>\n

7. Get Streaming. <\/strong><\/span>If you teach a foreign language, connect a streaming media player to your laptop and get foreign language broadcasting TV on your computer\/TV. Some of the streaming media players such as Roku (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B075XLWML4) provide foreign language TV programs. You can get the Roku adapter or a smart TV with an embedded streaming media player (https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B07F981R8M\/) and access authentic A\/V materials for a nominal fee. My Roku TV\/Monitor provides 100+ free Persian TV channels.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I am not sponsored by the makers of any of the products listed in this blog post.<\/p>\n

If you have any questions or suggestions for topics, please email me at nojoumia@usc.edu<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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