The world of images has evolved considerably in recent years. It is enough to compare the news programs of the different television channels to see how, unlike a few years ago, most of them use the camera game to create a pleasant experience for the viewer. Close shots of the presenter, who on certain occasions is shown standing up showing some infographics on the panels that serve as a set, camera movements that accompany the presenter as he “walks” through the news program informing the audience, etc.
Our brain needs regular changes to maintain attention, we need those little cognitive sparks that refocus our attention on that new news, that new infographic, that new image on the screen. We educators know how these small changes are also necessary in the classroom, since attention wanes as the minutes go by, so to keep it active, we need to continually reset that attention.
But all this can seem very complicated if we talk about online classes, hybrid classes or even video recordings for our students. If to the technical difficulty of broadcasting or recording, we also add the change of camera, or audio problems in case of class-to-class videoconferences or with a guest expert, the situation can become so complicated that we give up a second attempt.
ClassInTheBox, thinking about all these difficulties, has just launched an extension for the Chrome browser that does all of the above with just a click of a button on the screen. At the moment only available for Google Meet, but soon also compatible with other video conferencing systems such as Teams, Zoom and Skype.
Use the camera switch button (red button in the ClassInTheBox extension’s on-screen button panel) to switch cameras. With a click, or directly touching the button on touch screens, switch cameras as many times as you want in milliseconds: click, click, click…. Switch from the webcam image of the teacher’s computer, to the CITB camera that focuses on the whiteboard, back to the teacher’s webcam, share your desktop to project a presentation or launch a video, switch back to the CITB camera image that now focuses on the group of students… Make classes dynamic and fun with a click, and above all, keep the attention of your students thanks to this dynamism so necessary to enrich your online classes.
Bring your students closer to other cultures, collaborate remotely with other groups of students, whether from the same country or another, practice languages, make “mystery classrooms” (where students have to guess the geographical location of other classes through questions), bring in experts through a videoconference, is now easier than ever with ClassInTheBox and its extension for the Chrome browser. Press the yellow button and switch between the teacher’s wireless microphone, with its silence effect that eliminates background noise, and the computer’s input audio so that any student can intervene. It also switches the camera by pressing the red button to show a panoramic view of the class group, while one of them intervenes and interacts, it’s as easy as that. Again, imbue your group videoconferences with this dynamism that will only enrich these learning experiences.
Finally, take advantage of the classroom speaker system to project your voice and be heard louder. No need to carry around boom mics anymore; with ClassInTheBox, press the green button on the Chrome extension, and make your voice ring out over the classroom speakers, and like all of the above, as easy as the push of a button.
We’ve been looking forward to unveiling all these new features. ClassInTheBox goes a step further and offers from today these unique possibilities in the market, and all as easy as clicking a button on the screen. Remember, click, click, click… it’s that easy, #perfectlysimple.
