Lectern Guide
The hub of an edify Lesson is the "Lectern". This panel has all the tools and features you need to deliver a Lesson.
With any Beta software, edify is ever-evolving. The current "Home" tab includes basic features, such as a clock. Here, we'll share status updates and the latest information on the software as it develops.
The second is the "Broadcast" tab, to control when and what users see during a Lesson. You can add new cameras to the environment by selecting the "Add" button. As the teacher, you can place new cameras (such as in front of a whiteboard) to provide a steady and consistent point-of-view to your students, which you activate by pressing "Broadcast" on that same square. You can have up to 4 points-of-view per scene - your headset (the top left box) and 3 additional cameras. To remove a camera, simply hover over a box and the "Remove" button will appear.
When you are ready to begin your Lesson, simply press the "Start broadcasting" button in the bar at the bottom of the panel. The timer here will keep track of how long you have been teaching for.
For more information on preparing your Lesson for broadcast, check out our FAQ and Guide.
Next is the "Notes" tab. Here, you can access any presentation notes you have prepared during the creation of your Lesson. Press "Expand" to see the full length of text, and "Collapse" to close it again. You can remove existing notes by pressing the "Delete" button, or create more with the "Add new note". However, to edit the title and text, you will have to exit the Lesson and return to the Lesson editing page via Lesson Creator.
The "Activity" tab will show any questions or comments received from your students during the Lesson. To save or review after class, you can press the "Download as PDF" button. As edify develops, the "Activity" tab will be a hub for all conversations and Lesson activities, such as chat features and polls.
The "Scenes" tab organizes teaching content into sections, to select as you broadcast your Lesson. You can create empty scenes using the "Create a new scene" button, or duplicate an existing scene. You can also reorder the scenes, delete old ones, or step through them sequentially.
For further information on organizing your Lesson with scenes, check out the Scene Guide.
In the "Object" tab, you can add media to the current scene in your Lesson. Select "Media", "Props" and "Documents" to filter by file type. Once selected, 2D media will appear on one of the edify boards, while 3D media (e.g. an anatomy model) will appear in the virtual Lesson environment. To add further media to the Lesson, simply press the "Import File" button.
For more guidance on supported media, check out our edify Screen and 3D Object guides.
From teaching in a virtual lecture theatre to taking students to Mars, you can switch environments with the click of a button. Click on the "Environment" tab to browse the list of available environments and change between them at any time. To pre-prepare environments, use Lesson Creator.
Finally, the "Tools" tab will host standalone features that will be useful to you when creating and delivering your Lesson. Currently, you can save a lesson, undo and redo various actions, activate presenter mode, or use the laser-pointer in desktop mode
