Technology Report pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Use of Doceri Software for iPad in Polycom and Resident Instruction Chemistry Classes Lee J. Silverberg* Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, 17972-2208, United States ABSTRACT: Doceri software for iPad is a powerful new technology that affords an instructor a variety of pedagogical tools. Doceri is an application that can be used with any Windows or Macintosh computer to control the computer with an iPad. Anything that can be displayed on a desktop computer can be annotated over, and the annotated screen capture can be saved. There is also a whiteboard feature, in which the instructor can create handwritten or handdrawn content on any of 48 backgrounds, and a timeline feature, which allows an instructor to play that content in real time as though it was being drawn at that moment. This technology allows an instructor to highlight easily items on display, to involve students more easily in problem-solving activities, and to have increased mobility in the classroom. Its use in both remote video classes and resident instruction classes is discussed. KEYWORDS: First-Year Undergraduate/General, Second-Year Undergraduate, Upper-Division Undergraduate Continuing Education, Computer-Based Learning, Distance Learning/Self Instruction
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in on that student while an overheard microphone picks up the audio. For the most part, the system works well, but some difficulties with the system include the inability to point easily to things shown on the screen, and, in order to draw something, such as a mechanism, an instructor has to switch from the screen on the computer to an overhead projector, and then move over to draw on the paper.
sing a video learning network (VLN), an instructor can teach to multiple campuses at the same time.1 VLN classrooms, using Polycom technology,2 have a large-screen television, multiple cameras and microphones, and computer software that allows an instructor to share the desktop computer screen or a document that can be handwritten (Figure 1). Students can see an instructor, and an instructor can see students. An instructor wears a microphone. If an instructor stands on a sensor pad behind a podium, a camera in the rear of the room stays zoomed in on the instructor. If an instructor leaves the pad, the camera zooms out, so most of the room is visible. When a student wants to ask a question, he or she presses a button and a camera in the front of the room zooms
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DOCERI SOFTWARE These problems can be resolved using a new technology. Doceri (Version 2.0.2) software3 allows an instructor to connect wirelessly from an iPad4,5 to a desktop computer. It can be used with any Windows or Macintosh computer. An individual license costs $30 for the computer program, and an additional $5 to remove a “made with Doceri” watermark from the iPad app. There is also a free version, which has no limitations, but displays the words “Doceri Trial” on the computer, and again it costs $5 to remove the “made with Doceri” watermark from the iPad app. Once connected, an instructor can draw on an iPad using a finger or a stylus, and the drawings show up on a desktop that is being shared, on top of whatever is already being shown (e.g., an application, a document, or a Web site). In this way, an instructor can use PowerPoint6 slides for lectures and underline, circle, or draw an arrow to anything an instructor wants to highlight, which solves the pointing problem. An instructor can also draw structures or make annotations on slides while talking, which eliminates moving around and switching displays (Figure 2). Drawings can be done in many different colors. If a screen becomes too cluttered with
Figure 1. The front of a VLN room. © 2013 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed400093r | J. Chem. Educ. 2013, 90, 1087−1089
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document camera and a piece of paper (or a chalkboard for resident instruction) are easier. However, as can be seen in Figure 3, multiple colors can be used and some nice handdrawn graphics can be created with Doceri. It is much better in that respect than comparable Windows programs such as Paint, where a mouse is used. Doceri also has a “timeline” feature, so that one can make a drawing outside of class, and then play it in timeline mode; the drawing will be displayed in real time as though it was being drawn at that moment. When an iPad is wirelessly connected to a desktop via Doceri, an instructor can use an iPad to advance PowerPoint slides or scroll Microsoft Word documents. Because an iPad is portable, an instructor has the option to leave it on a podium or to carry it during a lecture. In a VLN setting, where an instructor is not likely to move around the room much, it is a matter of what is most comfortable. However, in resident instruction, this allows an instructor to roam around the room while lecturing. Additionally, when an instructor poses a question to a class, an iPad can be handed to a student, who can then draw the answer on the iPad and the whole class will see it projected on the screen. The fact that students can see what is being written on an iPad surface is superior to earlier technology such as Interwrite Pad,9 where a student wrote on a tablet but had to look at the overhead screen, which was a distraction to a question that was being answered.
Figure 2. Microsoft PowerPoint 20106 slide with drawing over it (screen capture from an iPad of an annotated lecture slide).8 From McMurry. Organic Chemistry, 8E. Copyright 2012 Wadsworth, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. Reproduced by permission. www.cengage. com/permissions.
drawings, one touch of the “erase all strokes” button removes the drawings; but they are not lost because another nice feature is that Doceri automatically saves a screen capture whenever something is drawn. This feature allows an instructor to post annotated slides online for students, which is done by uploading from an iPad to a Web site such as Dropbox, a file sharing site.7 From there, the slides can be downloaded onto a desktop computer. These features are just as useful in resident instruction as in VLN classes. Instead of using a laser pointer to highlight items being discussed, an instructor can more directly highlight items of interest. If an instructor wishes to add something in writing to what is on the slides, it can be done directly on the slide rather than on a chalkboard. Doceri can also be used as a whiteboard (or other background; there are 48 different backgrounds from which to choose) and figures can be drawn on it (Figure 3). The
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SUMMARY In conclusion, the combination of an iPad and Doceri software is a powerful tool for use in teaching chemistry in VLN or resident instruction courses. The technology has been used successfully in teaching a second-year undergraduate organic chemistry course by VLN and a first-year undergraduate general chemistry course in a resident instruction classroom.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of John Tierney (Penn State Brandywine), Brian Young (Penn State University Park), and Paul Brown (SP Controls, Inc.).
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REFERENCES
(1) New Penn State Video Learning Network expands to 16 campuses. http://live.psu.edu/story/53894 (accessed Jun 2013). (2) Polycom: http://www.polycom.com/ (accessed Jun 2013). (3) Doceri: (a) http://doceri.com/ (accessed Jun 2013). (b) http:// sites.psu.edu/doceri/ (accessed Jun 2013). (4) Teaching chemistry with an iPad: (a) Schwartz, P. M.; Lepore, D. M.; Morneau, B. N.; Barratt, C. Demonstrating Optical Activity Using an iPad. J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 1692−1693. (b) Lewis, M. S.; Zhao, J.; Montclare, J. K. Development and Implementation of High School Chemistry Modules Using Touch-Screen Technologies. J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 1012−1018. (c) Bonifácio, V. D. B. QR-Coded Audio Periodic Table of the Elements: A Mobile-Learning Tool. J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 552−554. (d) Zhang, J. Beyond Periodic Table: Useful iPad Applications in Chemistry Teaching. Abstracts, 43rd Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Baltimore, MD, United States, May 31−June 2, 2012, MARM-204. (e) Jones, R. M.; Shelton, G. R. iPad Project: Integrating iPads into
Figure 3. Drawing made outside of class with a graph background (screen capture from an iPad).
disadvantage is that it can be tricky to draw small enough to fit, for example, an entire reaction mechanism on one screen. To do this, an instructor must zoom in to an area, draw, and then zoom out. When that is done, the drawings are smaller than an instructor would otherwise be able to do, and more can be fitted on a page. Students do not see the zooming in and out, but it is not easy for an instructor to do this in real time. For larger drawings or problems during class, an overhead 1088
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General Chemistry. Abstracts of Papers, 243rd ACS National Meeting & Exposition, San Diego, CA, United States, March 25−29, 2012, CHED-63. (5) iPad: http://www.apple.com/ipad/ (accessed Jun 2013). (6) Microsoft PowerPoint 2010: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ powerpoint/powerpoint-2010-features-and-benefits-HA101809930. aspx?CTT=1 (accessed Jun 2013). (7) Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/ (accessed Jun 2013). (8) Graphics from: McMurry, J. Organic Chemistry, 8th dd.; Brooks/ Cole: Belmont, CA, 2012; p 636. Reproduced by permission. (9) Interwrite: http://www.einstruction.com/support/downloads/ interwrite-board-getting-started-guide-contains-various-languages (accessed Jun 2013).
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