If you want to incorporate some interaction, you have plenty of options (see Interacting with your audience online). Some suggested software for this is listed below.
Polling
Many video call software packages include polling capability, including Zoom, Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and Microsoft Teams. You can also host a poll on a separate website - which might allow you to set it up in advance and separately from the call.
Here’s a list of websites that do that - no particular recommendations, but we've heard them mentioned as being used by people for this purpose.
- Top Hat
- Polls Everywhere
- Vevox
- Mentimeter (has LaTeX support)
- Kahoot (more quiz than poll)
- Socrative
- Pingo (supports LaTeX)
- Numbas (good for maths questions/tests/e-assessment)
- Acadly (has LaTeX support)
- Google Forms
- Microsoft Forms - has some features Google doesn’t, including ‘put these in order’ questions
- Turning Point
- Microsoft Forms Math Quiz (or You Tube video tutorial)
- Feedbackr
- ItemPool
- Glisser (incorporates presentations - very slick but looks expensive)
- Slido
Whiteboards
Here are some ways to allow people to edit text and draw on shared or individual whiteboards or pinboards. Note that Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides (all part of Google Drive) can also be made collaboratively editable and are very versatile for this purpose.
Gadgets
For more specialised maths gadgets, existing online interactives can be used and there’s plenty of ready-made content out there; many also allow you to create your own using their tools. If you know a little HTML or coding, you can also build your own interactives to use on a screen share or point participants to.
Software for interactives you make yourself
- Geogebra - geometric/algebraic construction tool for interactives; has a ‘Classroom’ mode in which you can observe students working with interactives; Geogebra’s website has a large collection of existing classroom resources.
- Desmos - similar to Geogebra but online only; also has a ‘Classroom mode’
Existing ready-made interactives you can use
- Mathigon is an extensive ‘online textbook’ with ready-made (very pretty) lessons and stand-alone interactives
- Wolfram Demonstrations Project has a pile of ready-made demos
- Mathsbot - ready made interactives and ideas (e.g. see the pre-made curve stitcher here: https://mathsbot.com/tools/cardioids)
- Nico Disseldorp has an excellent collection of interactives at sciencevsmagic.net
- Christian Lawson-Perfect has been known to build custom standalone HTML interactives for people to use in outreach, and charges very reasonable rates (if you have budget to invest in this).