Asking the student to use a tablet in online tutoring

[pop_ianosd]

I am tutoring a student on 7th grade math via zoom. I am using graphics tablet myself to write down my exposition.

My student solves problems on his (paper) notebook and tells me what he wrote/how he thought it out and I re-write it on the screen and make eventual corrections.
I have the feeling that it would benefit the lessons if I could see exactly what he is writing, so the simplest solution I can think of is that he would use a graphics tablet as well. The ones without screen are quite affordable.

For instance, we could correct any mistakes directly on the students work.
When going together through a problem or a concept, I often have the student fill in the gaps (asking him for what to write).

Again, I have the impression that it would be somehow better for the learning process, if he would have to write the answer instead of saying it.
But I'm not sure it's worth the try.

For one, it might take away some of the student's attention, because there's an extra effort he has to go through in order to write using it.

Secondly, maybe there's not much to gain if I see all that the student writes, after all, doing the writing is most important for him.

Do you have any experience with kids (age ~14) writing on graphics tablets? Do you think it might be worth the try?

 

[ZapperZ]

The major problem here is that you are asking a student to possibly get something that he/she does not already own. This can easily be a financial burden, and it is only for one single purpose, which is for his/her interaction with you.

What I suggest you do is first of all, check what the student has access to. Is there anyone he/she knows that already has one of these devices? Even having an iPad will work (I use an app that mirrors the iPad screen onto a web-browser window). Does the school the student goes to provide similar devices? In other words, work with what the student have or can get to without asking him/her to buy one.

If this still doesn't solve it, then you have no choice but to work with what the student has and adjust. Maybe ask the student to e-mail you ahead of time a sample of his/her work so that you can go over with the student during your tutoring session. Or use Zoom's Whiteboard feature and see if both of you can write or draw something legible using it (it's not easy especially using a touchpad). Alternatively, use one of Google's suite of applications such as Google Slide, which is a cousin of PowerPoint. Share the link to a Google Slide with the student, and the two of you can type, draw, etc. on that page. If you want to pay a small fee per year, you can even subscribe to MathType for your Google Slide, giving you an equation editor that will allow both of you to type math equations.

Zz.

 

[berkeman]

the simplest solution I can think of is that he would use a graphics tablet as well. The ones without screen are quite affordable.

Sorry, what is a tablet without a screen? I thought that's what a tablet is -- all screen...

https://www.cleverfiles.com/howto/what-is-tablet-computer.html

 

[vela]

Sorry, what is a tablet without a screen? I thought that's what a tablet is -- all screen...

You need to think back to the pre-iPad days. Tablets like the Wacom tablet were input devices.

https://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-tablets

 

[berkeman]

Tablets like the Wacom tablet were input devices.

Ohhh! I get it now. I actually designed such a tablet way back in my HP Days!

 

[robphy]

Possibly useful:

a hack to make a document camera using a laptop webcam and a mirror...
and some software to mirror image the camera view.



Note: The video shows an annotation tool.

You could also do a screen capture and mark up the screen capture.