For all practical purposes, any media form that you use in your on-campus course will work for you in distance education. To properly prepare visual materials for your class, you should understand the format and style requirements of television and streaming video. Until you become familiar with what works and what doesn't work, take time to test the legibility of your visuals before class and make necessary changes. Here, we'll look at preparing visuals for the television format and for document cameras.

Students attending an asynchronous two-way Internet protocol (IP) videoconference course.

Preparing Visuals for the Television Format The proportion of all television screens is three to four; that is, the picture is always three units high by four units wide. All visual materials that you prepare for your course, particularly those that you will use with the document camera, must be contained within this 3x4 "aspect ratio." In other words, they should have a horizontal orientation, rather than a vertical orientation. The new cinema like 16x9 television ratio is becoming popular for entertainment media and will one day change how visuals are displayed as this technology is further adopted by the students and institutions. The graphic on the right illustrates this 3x4 aspect ratio.

The area framed by the camera is called the scanning area. Centered within the scanning area is the most important part of the picture, the essential area. All pertinent text and picture information should be contained within the boundaries of the essential area so that the information can be seen on a variety of television monitors. (Some monitors may not show all of the scanning area or may distort some of it.)

The 3x4 "aspect ratio" of a television screen.  All important text should be kept within the "essential area."

Preparing Visuals for the Document Camera
The close-up capabilities of the document cameras are particularly useful for showing pictures, diagrams, or objects and models that could not easily be seen in a conventional classroom presentation. Pictures, graphs, and diagrams from texts or other sources can be placed in their original format under the document camera, and the camera can zoom in or out as necessary to show each item. In addition, objects and models that would be too small to use in a traditional classroom presentation can be demonstrated under the camera. If larger objects or models need to be demonstrated, they can be placed on the counter at the teaching station and picked up by the instructor's camera.

When you present a visual in your teleclassroom using the document camera, view the picture first on the preview monitor, before you show it to the remote sites, to make sure that the image is legible and properly displayed. Do not block the visual with your hand or arm, and watch that the visual is centered under the camera.

Writing for the document camera should generally be in an outline format. Lettering should be large and dark. Use the felt tip pens and paper provided in the classroom. When using preprinted materials, a general rule of thumb is to print letters at least 1/2-inch high and limit the material to six lines per page. If possible, use blue or pastel colored paper instead of white. It is always best to print computer-generated information on a laser printer.

Even with very large television monitors, the screen size is small in comparison to a chalkboard. Not as much information can be presented on the screen at one time. It will be necessary to move from page to page as information is presented, and students will have less time to copy notes. Make sure to leave each page on the screen long enough for students to copy the important information. (Better yet, provide essential information to students ahead of time in the form of handouts so they can focus on your presentation and minimize note-taking.) Also, keep class notes close by to review or to go over a point that has been misunderstood.

Here are some specific guidelines for preparing graphics for television teaching:

• The layout of lettering on graphics or transparencies should always correspond to the 3 x 4 aspect ratio of television. A border or safe area of at least one inch should be left between the graphic and the edge of the paper.
• Use a pastel or light colored paper (light blue or light green work best) to lower the contrast ratio between the lettering and the paper. This makes the graphics more "viewable" by both the TV camera and the student.
• Type should be 24-point or larger; and use a sans-serif font for the main points.
• Do not crowd words. Limit visuals to 6 words or 25 - 35 characters per line and not more than 6 lines per page. Use several pieces of paper rather than crowding lots of information on one page.
• When creating visuals using the default font types and font sizes in Word and PowerPoint templates almost NEVER works with videoconferencing and/or streaming technology.

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