One of the first things turned upside down by the the COVID-19 pandemic was education. With schools and universities closed, both teachers and students had to turn to online alternatives to continue their programs. However, new media bring new challenges, and what was once natural now presents difficulties. One of them is teaching handwritten text in a notebook comfortably. The solution is as obvious as it is fabulous: A mirror mounted at an angle in front of the webcam.
The Challenge of Handwritten Work
Epidemiologists fighting among themselves, divided authorities, the press amplifying everything. Schools opening, schools closing, schools opening again. And in the middle, teachers and students of all ages, homes turned into classrooms, connectivity problems, and other small details to solve. One of them is presenting handwritten text raised in class. Showing the notebook in front of the webcam is the first thing that comes to mind, and many teachers have added a second camera to their setups, but there is another, simpler and more economical option…
The Mirror Solution
The key is to mount a mirror in front of the webcam. Professor John Umekubo joined other "DIYers" on Twitter, and the video of his original version amassed almost 700,000 views. The only detail to keep in mind is that when using a mirror, the image will appear inverted for the rest of the participants. With a slight adjustment in Zoom (or your main application), the image will be in the correct position.
Variations and 3D Printing
One of the simplest variants is the one by professor Michael Peshkin, who used a piece of wire and what appears to be a mirror from a makeup kit. In contrast, Umekubo turned to the advantages of 3D printing. In recent days he created a model that can be printed or cut out, without losing sight of the thickness differences between laptop computers. Although the original designs are based on Macs, nothing prevents us from applying them to PCs. All the files have already been published on Thingiverse.
Putting It Into Practice
The rest is a matter of placing sheets and notebooks on the keyboard, for which we can use a raised board, so that it doesn't press all the keys at the same time. Are you going to try this trick? Or have you already adopted a similar solution in your classes? Leave a comment!
https://old.neoteo.com/diy-book-scanner-escaner-para-libros-que-puedes-hacer-tu-mismo/Model on Thingiverse: Click here
