Home-based Learning (HBL) has been implemented in all primary and secondary schools, junior colleges other educational institutions, as part of the Singapore Government’s national circuit breaker policy.

We are here to answer some common questions educators and parents may have on HBL:

  • How can educators prepare for online classes and teach from home?
  • What are the platforms educators and students use to engage online?
  • What are the software and hardware needed for teaching?
  • How Wacom can help facilitate HBL?

Online classes using e-conference platform

Microsoft Teams and Zoom are some of the more common e-conferencing software and a great way for teachers to connect to students. They offer group chats, screen sharing and video conferencing capabilities, thereby creating a more collaborative classroom environment. Both software are free of charge for private users and run on most operating systems and web browsers.

Recorded lessons using video recording

Educators can also prepare HBL presentation material using Microsoft Powerpoint or Keynote. Lessons may be pre-recorded using built-in screen recording on tablet to capture online lessons, with the help of voice and annotation devices. These lessons may then be shared to students on the Student Learning Space (SLS) or other learning management systems.

Tip: Good sound and video quality can make a big difference when teaching from home. An iPad projector app, works like document projector, such as Osmo iPad Base also helps make teaching more natural and interactive.

The most popular software include the Microsoft Office suite of products as well as Adobe Acrobat or any other program for annotating PDF files. These software can be used to prepare lessons and create online teaching materials for the virtual classroom.

Figjam is another free and easy-to-use web-based digital whiteboard software.

Tip: Bring your class to life by using annotation or the live drawing functionality of these software. Wacom pen input devices provide a seamless digital classroom experience by bringing the traditional blackboard online (i.e. e-conference whiteboard or annotation on documents). A quick sketch or handwritten formula will help to retain students’ attention, allowing educators to direct focus and more easily explain concepts.

A PC or Mac with an internet connection covers the basic needs for creating a virtual classroom.

However, for interactive online classes, or subjects that rely heavily on graphs, formulas and visualisation, such as Mathematics, Science and Chinese, a pen tablet can be an extremely useful addition to the setup.

Wacom pen input devices are easy and intuitive to use. Wacom pen input devices work similarly to traditional teaching media, combining the functionalities of blackboards and overhead and document projectors. Because of the natural hand-eye coordination new users can adapt quickly to it.

Tip: The Wacom One offers a display screen to allow educators to write directly on the screen. An alternative is the Wacom Intuos or One by Wacom, although the absence of a screen means that users will require more time to adjust handwriting and coordination.

The teacher sets up a meeting in Microsoft Team or Zoom and send out invitation to the students. Educators can conduct lessons through desktop sharing by presenting the prepare materials (e.g. Powerpoint slides). To encourage interactive classroom learning, educators can use Wacom tablets together with functionality of the following software application:

e-Conference software:

  • Pointing and highlighting key concept
  • Annotation to further elaborate a point
  • Create graphs, module or explain formulas
  • Sketching and drawing ideas

PDF Annotation and Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and Excel):

  • Highlighting critical points
  • Commenting or correcting work
  • Annotating to further elaborate a point
  • Record online lessons

  1. Plug the USB cable into your tablet and computer.
  2. Download and install driver (Mac or Windows)
  3. Restart your computer (for Windows only, and not required for Mac) and follow the instructions to set up your Wacom.

One by Wacom has 2048 pen pressure levels and does not have ExpressKeys that allows you to set frequently used functions.

Wacom Intuos comes with 4096 pen pressure levels and ExpressKeys on the tablet, which, allow users to customise frequently-used settings, such as mouse clicks, modifiers, or navigation functions. It also comes with wireless options, using Bluetooth connectivity that allows educators to use it anywhere in a physical classroom. For example, you can annotate or highlight pointers while walk around the classroom or get students to answer questions.

One by Wacom does not come with any free software. Wacom Intuos comes with free software such as:

Wacom for Education

We have had the opportunity to equip many schools and universities with Wacom technology, helping to digitise their classrooms and lecture halls. Most of the educators typically purchase Wacom Intuos, One by Wacom and Wacom One to augment their online teaching capabilities.

Individual purchases can be made on our e-Store.

If you have a sales enquires or want to talk to one of our experts about how Wacom products can be part of a solution that meets the need of your schools or enrichment centres, please contact us at hello@psdistry.com.sg.