Display Note Broadcast is a tool that I started using last spring as a means for broadcasting my screen to the screens of other people in the room. It provides a simple system in which you click a sharing button, display a join code for your audience, and then they enter it on their computers to see your screen. Display Note Broadcast also has a Google Classroom integration that makes screen sharing as simple asking your students to click a link in Google Classroom to see your screen. Here’s my video overview of how it works.
This week Display Note Broadcast announced the launch of some new features that will improve your experience and your students’ experiences when you share your screen with them. Those new features include microphone and camera sharing, reduction of the “infinite mirroring” effect, and improved annotation tools.
Display Note Broadcast now lets you share your camera and microphone. This means that students who can’t see you well or aren’t even in the room with you can now see you on their screens when you have your camera turned on (think of it like Zoom on-demand). This also means that students who have difficulty hearing you, can listen to you on their computers at a volume that works for them. Watch this video for a brief overview of these new settings in action.
Live Draw is Display Note Broadcast’s annotation feature. With this feature enabled you can draw on your screen and students see your drawings and annotations on their screens. This could be great for giving quick visual instructions to your students. Here’s a brief video overview of the Live Draw feature.
Finally, if you have ever started a screen sharing session and seen your screen mirrored 1,000 times, you’ve experienced “infinite mirroring.” This happens with lots of screen sharing tools and not just with Display Note Broadcast. Display Note Broadcast has taken a step to cure this problem by adding an overlay effect to remove the appearance of infinite mirroring when you look at your shared screen on your own computer.