How the LightBoard Depot Inc. is the perfect on-ramp to our new online learning experience
When the global pandemic took the world by storm nearly four years ago, Nancy Watt literally lost 90 per cent of her company’s revenue.
She knew she had to pivot and reinvent and thanks to innovative technology offered by The LightBoard Depot Inc., she was able to bounce back and grow during uncertain and challenging times.
She studied at Second City’s Improv Conservatory and Sketch Writing Programs in Toronto and Chicago. In addition to her a B.A. in Psychology/Sociology, Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, an Applied Improv Practitioner, Nancy is also a graduate of Cornell’s Executive Program in Diversity and Inclusion.
Nancy uses her unique and highly effective teaching methodology that harnesses the power of humor by using the currency of improvisational comedy as a learning modality.
Nancy’s method has been rated in the top five Leadership Workshops at Microsoft’s INPSIRE global conference for four years. In addition, Nancy is a Communication Specialist for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and an international speaker, facilitator, and improviser.
But like the rest of the world when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nancy’s ability to facilitate her face-to-face speaking engagements suddenly stopped.
She knew she needed to adapt and pivot to something new. But luckily for Nancy “inherent adaptability is what improv is all about.”
Pivoting to the on-line universe to teach adaptability and inclusion through improvisational comedy and connection with others posed several obvious challenges for Nancy, especially because engagement is vital to the process. Virtual meetings and voice-over PowerPoint are simply boring and unengaging.
It turned out that something new for Nancy was The LightBoard Depot Inc.
Because The LightBoard Depot Inc. uses a piece of glass in a comparable way to a chalkboard, in combination with a camera and advanced technology, this allows the instructor to maintain eye contact with the camera, and therefore the students, while still writing, drawing, and illustrating the concepts they are teaching. This enables students to feel more engaged with the teacher who is talking, while simultaneously absorbing the additional material being shown.
Many people find on-line meetings, especially voice-over PowerPoint, challenging for multiple reasons, and rightfully so, and one of the biggest challenges is for those who require anonymity for personal reasons. The LightBoard Depot Inc. provides a feeling of personal safety, allowing the participant to be more comfortable with engaging with the instructor in a meeting.
“This simple piece of fabulous technology has been a complete game changer for me,” Nancy explains, because “adaptability and reinvention are the keys to not just being a leader, but an innovator and an educator.”
Nancy believes that “applied improv, good social science and a bit of technical help” like The LightBoard Depot Inc. goes an exceptionally long way in increasing human connection in a virtual world. And since the end of the pandemic close to 50 percent of her teaching engagements are now using the LightBoard Depot Inc. in an on-line setting.
“The LightBoard Depot Inc. is a nice on-ramp for our future,” says Nancy. “I encourage everyone to embrace change and utilize this new technology: your students will love it and you will definitely enjoy using it while inspiring and engaging learners of today and tomorrow.” To learn more about The LightBoard Depot Inc. and its benefits for remote teaching and learning, contact our team today.
