Collaboration, active learning, flexibility, personalization and learner-educator communication are the primary elements that drive the design of the contemporary classroom. Among the technologies integrated into the academic environment come the abilities of screencasting, screen sharing and screen mirroring. 

Often referred to as wireless presentation solutions, these technologies will usually be supported by an app and device that lets the user – both educators and learners – conveniently share content on a screen larger than the device they use. The content can be projected to the front of a classroom or lecture theatre, facilitating presentations. 

Let’s take a more in-depth look at these technologies and how they fit into higher education. 

A Brief Comparison

Although many people will interchangeably use these terms – sharing, casting and mirroring – they are different in a few key ways. These differences are important to consider when deciding on which presentation solution to choose. 

Screen mirroring: This tech lets you project a laptop or mobile device to a projector, TV, or another monitor. It enables you to present anything on your device, like playing a video or moving between documents. 

Screencasting: This is similar to the above but is instead meant to present online-based content, like video clips, music and movies, from your computer, phone, or tablet on a screen such as a TV. The main difference is that nothing but the content is streamed, letting you use your device, without disrupting the media.

Screen sharing: This tech involves allowing another user to access your screen from theirs. This allows for collaboration from different locations.

The Benefits

Lower costs and improved ease of use are some of the main reasons these presentation solutions have become more popular over the years. This development has been observed in higher education and K-12 environments, where one-to-one computing models have increased the demand for solutions shared from numerous operating systems and multiple devices. 

In higher education environments, educators use BYOD programs to facilitate cooperation, while also being able to scale across institutions to meet the increasing demand for these technologies. Engaging in interactive conversation quickly with many participants is one of the many significant benefits of presentation solutions. 

Screen Sharing & Distance Learning

Distance learners can also take advantage of these presentation solutions, specifically screen sharing. An online professor can help a learner with a problem or query that they might have by setting up screen sharing on their devices, allowing the educator to “take control” of the learner’s computer and show them exactly where they went wrong.

If you’re using a solution like Pedagogue – a Social Learning Management System that combines the standard features of an LMS with features from social media – some virtual classes can even be conducted using screen sharing. The educator can assume control of their learners’ screens and give a demonstration.

Conclusion

The wireless presentation solutions discussed above have become a core part of many schools and will soon become standard education. Not only are they useful in the physical classroom, but some can even be used in distance learning.