VR is so last year

So, we’re done with VR for lecture recordings. Why? We just can’t see the presentation, let alone the laser pointer. VR is out. Enter the next generation of presenter tools: The Logi(tech) Spotlight. The spotlight presenter promises to boost your confidence. But let’s ignore that nonsense.

The Spotlight does deliver the main goal we had of merging the campus lectures and the online weblectures. The remote is able to project a digital spotlight on the screen which of course can be captured by the weblecture registration software that we have here on campus. With this technology students watching the weblectures can finally see what the lecturer is focusing on. Bang! Problem solved, almost. We do need to enable full video recordings instead of key frame capture. Have a look at the video below to see the spotlight in action. I also squeezed in some weblecture recordings so you can judge for yourself if the quality is good enough to replace VR.

Now how does it work? It’s a gyroscope. The spotlight appears at the location of the mouse on your computer screen. Any movement of the remote translates to movement of the spotlight on screen. No matter where you point the remote, press the spotlight button and it works. Now that looks quite stupid if you’re pointing the wrong way, but the concept is genius. Point at a giant beamer screen and it just magically works. Why isn’t there an app for that?

If you are looking to blend campus lectures and online lectures, this is the tool for you. Oh, and one more thing. Did I mention that you don’t have to turn it on or off? That might sound trivial but I occasionally find myself out of batteries because I forgot to turn off my laser pointer. So now I don’t have to carry an extra battery pack around anymore.