Share physical whiteboards and documents in Microsoft Teams
The use of whiteboards, printed documents, books and other tangible objects such as physical objects will help make your Teams meeting a physical experience. Putting up a small setup will help you to make those who are not in the classroom feel as if they are included in your next class, demo, or brainstorming session. If you want to make them feel more included in your next class, demo, or brainstorming session, you can set up a small setup.
The best feature of Teams is, for example, that whiteboards can be resized and framed so that they are clearly visible on any device, even mobile devices, so that meetings can be conducted in a meeting room. There is also a degree of transparency to the presenter’s body, so that it does not interfere with or obscure the presentation. It is important to make sure that what is written or sketched is optimized for visibility.
Camera options
Depending on what you would like to share with your team, the camera can be optimized accordingly.
Whiteboard:
- Utilize your device’s camera to focus only on the whiteboard next to you, using the focus feature.
Document:
- It is useful when you are using a document camera to focus on documents, worksheets, books, or anything else that is similar.
- Video: Utilizing this tool, you can concentrate your attention on specific objects within a room. Using a science experiment demonstration as an example, you can show your students how the experiment works. It is very important to make sure that you show a demo of your product to prospective clients when you are presenting it in a business setting.
Before you begin
The following items need to be on your list:
- Laptops and desktop computers (Macs and Windows)
- If you wish to share something on a flat surface, such as a table, desk or other surface, you will be able to connect a camera via USB or you may have a camera included with the computer.
- A desktop application for Teams can be downloaded here
Share a whiteboard using your camera
This particular setting is best performed with a laptop that has a built-in camera or a USB camera connected to the laptop, so that a camera can be taken remotely via the laptop.
- Let’s begin the meeting.
- Click on the Share content button located at the top of the meeting controls on the left side of the screen.
- From the Content menu on the camera, select Whiteboard from the list of choices.
- With your camera pointed at the whiteboard, use the preview screen on your computer as a guide to point it in the right direction.
- You should place the camera about three to four feet away from the whiteboard, as well as centering it as much as possible with regard to the whiteboard itself in relation to the camera.
Cameras are automatically set to focus on whiteboards when they detect a whiteboard in front of them.
- From the Share menu, select the Share option.
There is a clear visual representation of the whiteboards at all times in the meeting so that everyone is able to see them clearly.
Share a document using your camera
You will need to use a document camera with a USB connection in order to accomplish this setup.
- The meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m.
- You can choose to share content as part of the meeting controls.
- From the Content menu, select Document from the camera.
- As you place your camera above the document, make sure that you have the preview screen to look at as a guide.
The camera automatically puts the document into focus when it detects that it is a document when it detects it.
- Then click on Share.
In order to get a clear visual of the document in the meeting, everyone will be able to focus on it.
Tips:
- There are a few things to keep in mind if you want to share a whiteboard:
- In order to ensure that your camera is as central in relation to the whiteboard as possible, it is recommended that you position it about 3-4 feet away from it and just above it so that it is as parallel as possible to it.
- The darker the markers, the better they show up compared to the lighter ones.
- The room should be well lit so that you can see clearly.
- If you are using a laptop microphone for your online presentation, please make sure that it is close to you, so the online attendees are able to hear you when you are speaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I share a whiteboard on Microsoft Teams?
- From the share tray of the meeting, select the Share icon.
- Choose Microsoft Whiteboard from the list of options.
- It will open a window where you can pick your boards. Choose from the list of existing boards or create a new one by selecting one from the list.