Doceri

Audience

WSU faculty using Doceri to create, deliver, and capture lecture materials.

About This Article

Doceri is a two-piece application for the iPad and a laptop. This article describes how Doceri can be used on the iPad with and without a laptop to allow instructors to create lecture materials in and out of the classroom, deliver content in a way that makes understanding easier, and record the lecture for student review.

A Little Background

Here is a functional overview of Doceri. This is one you should watch to see what Doceri can do for you in the classroom.

A quick overview of the Doceri iPad application and Doceri Desktop functionality.

These and other Doceri training videos are available on the Doceri web site

The Doceri iPad Application

The Doceri iPad application is an interactive whiteboard and screencast recorder which supports hand-drawn graphics and built-in remote desktop control. The iPad application can be used as a standalone, allowing the teacher to use the iPad as a whiteboard, or in concert with Doceri Desktop (see below) to wirelessly control the laptop and annotate over the contents of the display.

With the Doceri iPad application, you can

create presentations, graphics, and hand drawings,
present your material to the students,
annotate presentations as you present them,
record the entire lecture on the iPad, and
share the recorded presentation for students for review, make-ups when sick, ...

The Doceri iPad application is free from the App Store.

Doceri Desktop

To use the iPad as a wireless remote, Doceri Desktop must be running on the laptop.

Launch Doceri Desktop on the laptop and the Connection Dashboard appears. (See the image at right.) Once Desktop is running, start the application on the iPad.

You can connect the iPad application to the laptop in two ways: scanning the QR code with the iPad's iSight camera or entering the IP address at the bottom left of the dashboard into the application. (See the arrow in the image.)

Once the connection is made, the iPad displays the laptop's monitor on its touchscreen. The instructor has full control of the laptop from the iPad using finger pokes and gestures to run laptop apps. Doceri tools can be used to annotate, highlight, and record the session. (Fingers work fine for notes and annotation, but consider a stylus for a more familiar experience.) If the instructor uses the pinch gesture to zoom in on the laptop, it does not affect the display on the laptop.

Doceri Desktop costs $30 for a single-seat license but multi-seat licenses and free trials are available. You can get all of these directly from the Doceri web site.

Doceri as a Whiteboard

To create a video using just your iPad...

From the Doceri greeting window, select from my iPad alone. The Projects window to be displayed.
In the Projects window, open a new document by clicking on the + in the bottom left corner. Select the project size from the pop-up list.
if you want to use a background other than the default whiteboard, clicking the two checkerboard next to Rec and Doceri will give you other backgrounds like graph paper or a blackboard. Clicking the landscape icon next to that lets you select from the Photos app or take a picture with the camera.
Click the Rec button at the top left and Start Recording from the pop-up to begin your recording. The Rec will be replaced with a timer that shows the length of the recording in minutes and seconds.
Using the drawing, shape, and eraser tools in Doceri, present your topic. Your voice will be recorded by the internal microphone.
To stop the recording, click on the timer in the top left and select Stop Recording from the pop-up. (You can also go here and select Pause Recording to pause at any time.)
You will be shown a collection of your Doceri recordings. Double-clicking on the name allows you to rename the project.
Recordings will remain in the Doceri library but can also be shared. To share a recording through Facebook, YouTube, email, or your Photos app, place your finger on the document and wait for it to get a bit larger. Without removing your finger from the screen, drag the document over the appropriate logo in the column at the right.

Here is a video that shows an example of a captured lecture using Doceri as a whiteboard.

The Untethered Instructor

Doceri allows for the instructor to conduct the class without being cabled to the projector. The laptop (running Doceri Desktop) is tethered to the projector and the iPad (running the Doceri application) is used as a large, touch-screen remote control, allowing the teacher to roam the room, watching students work and addressing questions at their desks.

Here are the steps in using Doceri to go tetherless:

Install Doceri Desktop on your laptop. you can get a copy from Doceri's web site. You can download the free trial or purchase a copy for $30.
Start Doceri Desktop.
Create a password for Doceri. This password is for the copy of Doceri Desktop on your laptop and can be whatever you like. You will need it to link your iPad to the Desktop the first time but Doceri should remember it between sessions and you will likely never have to enter it again.
You will be presented with the Connection Dashboard. It will include a QR code and the IP address of the laptop. You will need these in a moment.
Start the Doceri application on the iPad.
Select the button at the bottom that reads through a computer.
You can use the camera on the iPad to scan the QR code on the Dashboard (this is sometimes persnickety) or you can close the scan window, select the + at the bottom of the screen, and enter the IP address from the Dashboard.
Enter the password you created earlier.
At this point, the laptop screen will be mirrored on the iPad. You can create a video of laptop display by following the instructions in the #Doceri as a Whiteboard section above.

East Tennessee State has graciously posted a video on how to connect Doceri Desktop to the iPad application. There are a few things in the video that are specific to their environment, but the majority of the content describes exactly what must be done to connect.

Note: It seems at times that Doceri does not always hook up when using the camera and the QR code. Don't be afraid to use the IP address supplied in the dashboard.

Here is a video from Doceri that shows a Powerpoint presentation done through Doceri. It includes annotation and was recorded with Doceri while it was being delivered. Added bonus: You get to learn all about carbohydrates and lipids!

Capturing and Posting a Doceri Lecture

Doceri offers a very nice video explaining how to record and share a Doceri Screencast.

Something for the Android

Doceri does not currently support an Android version of their application.

If you wish to do screencasts, there are other applications available. Contact TLT if you would like help finding applications.

If you wish to control a laptop remotely and teach untethered, there is product named Splashtop that works pretty well. It does not, however, allow for annotation during presenting.