Remote technology has been growing at an unprecedented pace. Internet speeds have gotten faster, hardware has gotten cheaper, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has cemented the need for workable “remote access” technology. We’ve mentioned in previous articles that tutoring might be difficult to acquire, expensive, and potentially against current COVID-19 protocols, but what if there was a way to access remote tutoring?
Vico Smartboard is a virtual smartboard app that allows teachers and students to connect remotely and collaborate over a virtual whiteboard space. This shared drawing board allows teachers to present material which can then be annotated, marked-up, and otherwise manipulated by the student. This technology would be especially helpful to those students who are visual learners, and it would be a great app to explore visual/graphic-based subjects such as geometry. That being said, the app also supports voice-based communication, so auditory learners would also do well with this app.
The app allows users to annotate images and .pdfs using an apple pencil, their finger, or their keyboard, and since the iPad’s keyboard also supports voice-to-text, students will have the opportunity to mark-up their work in the way that is most suited to their particular learning style.
Vico also features some interesting classroom management tools and features designed to help the teacher manage their class and the content they create:
• Teachers can call individual students to the board
• The app features a notebook for notes and assignments
• Classwork can be exported as a PDF
• Room links are easily shared
• Event lists keep the class organized
• Teachers can check students work online
Vico Smartboard is a free app for iOS only. To learn more about the app, click here(new window).
