Share handwritten content in Zoom when teaching from home

• Overview
• With a touch-enabled device
  • Zoom whiteboard tool
  • Zoom annotation tool
  • Native collaboration tools in other applications
• Without a touch-enabled device
  • External webcam
  • Smartphone camera
• Get help

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Overview

In Zoom, you can simulate the experience of using a whiteboard or document camera to share handwritten content while teaching, whether you use Zoom for live class sessions or to pre-record content for your class.

With a touch-enabled device

Use the following options if you have a touch-enabled device, such as a tablet or touch-screen laptop.

Zoom whiteboard tool

Zoom lets you share a virtual whiteboard, which has tools for freehand drawing and inserting basic shapes, lines, and text. You can create new pages on your virtual whiteboard, and save whiteboards as image files to review later.

By default, live meeting participants will also be able to draw on the whiteboard; you can change this setting after initiating a whiteboard session.

For more, see Using annotation tools on a shared screen or whiteboard.

Zoom annotation tool

When sharing your screen in Zoom, you can pause the share and use Zoom's annotation tools to draw freehand and insert basic shapes, lines, and text on the screen.

By default, neither you nor your participants will be able to annotate your screen share. However, you can enable this setting as described in Using annotation tools. Once you have enabled the annotation tool, you and your participants will be able to annotate your screen share. If you would like to annotate the screen share without allowing your participants to annotate it, see Restrict and clear annotations.

For more, see Using annotation tools on a shared screen or whiteboard.

Native collaboration tools in other applications

Many applications (such as Word, PowerPoint, and Notability) have built-in annotation tools that you can use while sharing your screen in Zoom. Meeting participants or those who view your recording will see any annotations you make in the application while sharing your screen.

Without a touch-enabled device

Use the following options if you do not have access to a touch-enabled device, such as a tablet or touch-screen laptop.

External webcam

If you have a second external USB webcam, you can use it as a makeshift document camera:

1. Connect the webcam to your computer.
2. On your computer, connect to your Zoom meeting.
3. In Zoom, choose Share Screen. When prompted to select what you want to share, click the Advanced tab, select Content from 2nd Camera, and click Share.
4. Position a sheet of paper on a nearby surface, and place your webcam on a box or stand pointing at the paper. Make sure the entire paper is visible in the camera shot.
5. Common issues:
   • If you see the video from your computer's main webcam instead of the external webcam, click Switch Camera in the top left of your Zoom window.
   • If the camera image appears upside down or sideways, open the drop-down menu next to the video icon in the Zoom toolbar. Choose Video Settings, then click Rotate 90° until the image appears right-side up.

Smartphone camera

If you do not have an external USB webcam, you can instead use your smartphone's camera as a document camera. You will need to join your Zoom meeting from both your computer and your phone.

1. Connect to your Zoom meeting from your computer. Turn on your microphone, and start your video if you want your students to see your face.
2. Make sure your smartphone is connected to your local Wi-Fi network. Join your Zoom meeting from your phone. Do not turn on the microphone, and turn the volume on your phone all the way down.
3. In the Zoom app on your phone, select Start Video to turn on the phone's camera. Tap the Switch Camera icon (a camera outline with circular arrows) to switch to the front-facing camera. Physically rotate your phone so that the Zoom app appears in landscape orientation.
4. Position a sheet of paper on a nearby surface, and place your phone on a box or stand with the camera pointing at the paper. Make sure the entire paper is visible in the camera shot.
5. On your computer, you will see the video from your phone in a small pane at the top of the Zoom window. Click the ellipsis (...) in the upper right of that pane to open an options menu. Click Spotlight Video to prominently display the video from your phone to all participants; for more on spotlighting, see Spotlight Video.

Get help

For help sharing handwritten content in Zoom meetings, contact UITS Collaboration Technologies at cthelp@iu.edu or 812-856-2020.