Great teachers inspire students regardless of whether the environment is physical or virtual.
However, creating an engaging environment – like a live streaming classroom – can be a challenge. How do you deliver a quality experience for students while also providing space for different learning styles?
That’s where the power of video comes in. Video education solutions help teachers reach distance learners and make educational content more accessible to all.
To help you go live with your next class, we’ll share five easy steps on how to steam. Plus, we’ve got valuable tips and tricks so you can ace the streaming and presentation parts of the job.
Why live stream your classroom?
Live streaming a class is simply the act of streaming lessons online with your students present. Technically, this is known as synchronously meeting your students to teach while asynchronous communication and learning allows students to learn at their own pace.
The demand for online and remote learning has skyrocketed. In 2014, 5.8 million students took at least one online course – a number that grew to 6.6 million taking some form of online lesson in 2017.
In the last year, online learning is on the rise with a projected growth of $350 billion by 2025.
And it’s not hard to see why. Live streaming has provided educators with flexibility beyond the classroom walls. Video helps educators reach students globally, provide access to live and on-demand educational content, all while experimenting with innovative ways to connect students.
How to live stream a class in 5 steps
Presenting to a room full of students is one thing, but live streaming your classroom is a whole different ball game. It can get a bit technical. But don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the basics.
Here’s a checklist of everything you need to stream your class:
✔ Get your live streaming equipment
✔ Choose a reliable live streaming platform
✔ Make sure your internet connection is stable and upload speed is fast
✔ Prepare the online content that you’ll present
✔ Go live with your class
1. Get your live streaming equipment
Because live classes supplement in-person teaching, it’s important not to compromise on the quality of your stream. This is where live streaming gear comes into the picture. For new live streamers, we recommend a crawl, walk, run approach as you get familiar with how to stream.
Start out with basic equipment and scale up as needed. Dive into our complete guide of buying live streaming gear for any budget to help you navigate different price points and options.
Which camera is best for online classes?
For first timers, a webcam will do just fine. But, if you’re looking for intermediate equipment with a budget of up to $2000, the Vimeo team recommends Canon XA15 or XF100. For professional-grade cameras, we recommend Sony PXW-Z90, Sony PXW-FS5, Sony PXW-FS7, Sony PMW-300K1, and Sony PMW-X320.
Alternatively, you can rent live streaming classroom equipment like the Harvard-Westlake School did when they started streaming their sports events. They started off streaming 23 games. In the first year alone, there were 16000 views on just one video. Gradually, the team started investing in live streaming gear.
Here’s the live streaming equipment needed for a class:
- Camera to ensure crisp picture quality
- Microphone so you can emulate your on-campus class environment
- Tripod to keep the camera (and, by extension, your video) stable
- Proper lighting in case you’re streaming post sundown
- An encoder to feed the video to your streaming platform
Note that you can choose between software and hardware encoders. Software encoders are a great place to start, just keep in mind that they’ll need your computer’s processing power to run.
As for hardware encoders, they can be costly, but are specifically designed for live streaming — freeing up valuable computer space for other tasks. Pick one based on the subject you’re streaming.
Streaming a class that primarily involves a presentation doesn’t typically take much computer power. A software encoder would do just fine in this situation.
How do you engage students?
Engage students by showing your face as you talk through presentation slides. Also experiment with sending screen recordings with supplementary learning content with a tool like Vimeo Record. Bonus points for encouraging students to create screen records for study tips or virtual presentations to promote collaborative learning.
2. Choose a streaming platform
A live streaming platform is where you’ll host your online classes. Of course, it has to be reliable and intuitive to use so you can focus on what’s important – teaching students.
Besides, a reliable platform minimizes the odds of technical failures. Hard to believe? Harvard-Westlake broadcasted 300 episodes without a single technical failure using Vimeo.
When evaluating a live stream platform, consider these four important features:
- Video analytics to track how many students take your class, how many are present throughout the class, and how you can improve your future classes.
- Audience engagement tools like live chat and Q&A to keep your students attentive throughout the lesson.
- Video on demand capabilities to record and store classes so students can access them any time.
- Robust privacy and security features, to ensure quality class environment for all students.
3. Check your internet connection and upload speed
Normally, people hit the exit button on a bad stream within 90 seconds. But while students will probably submit to spotty streaming, their focus levels will waver. And you already know how that impacts their performance.
To mitigate any spotty streaming, we suggest purchasing an Ethernet cable. You’ll also need a USB adapter (about $20-$30) if you don’t have a direct Ethernet port on your computer.
Side by side, check your upload speed or the rate at which your internet lets you load your stream on the web. A good rule of thumb is to get a high upload speed for higher resolution.
4. Prepare the online teaching content
While teaching online bears semblance to in-person teaching, there’s a lot that’s different.
First, students will need to see the content of the class on screen. Make sure your slide deck or whiteboard notes are easy to read. For slides, aim for a font size of 24 a minimum with each slide presenting no more than one idea packed and up to six bullet points. If you’re using a whiteboard, make sure you writing is clear and legible for students.
Next, students need an easy place to grab all the class materials and resources. You’ll want to make sure all your previous or linked lessons are organized in an easy-to-access library. This will come in handy when you guide students to supplementary materials during or after class.
Additionally, keep in mind how you’ll engage your students. What ways do students learn best? If they are more interactive learners, do you want to encourage them to leave questions before, during, or after you present? Do you want to create live polls or mini quizzes to make sure the lesson makes sense? Whatever it is that you have in mind, make sure your live streaming platform supports the workflow.
We understand it can be hard to juggle teaching and managing a remote class. Here are a few more helpful tips for presenting in your virtual classroom:
- Keep a glass of water handy.
- Try to wear neutral or solid colors. Steer away from prints or flashy patterns to avoid distractions.
- Mute your microphone (and encourage students to do the same) when you’re not speaking to prevent background noises.
- Pause frequently to address any questions that need immediate answers.
- Make sure all your devices are fully charged before starting. Better yet, keep them plugged in case they run out of battery mid-way.
5. Test before you stream your class
You’re almost ready to start streaming. One last step to how to live stream a class: check everything is running smoothly in advance.
Make sure all the moving parts of your live streaming classroom including the microphone, camera, and encoder are well-oiled and running. For example, with Vimeo’s stream preview, Enterprise and Premium users can check everything is in place and is working the way it should before going live. Make sure your platform has similar functionality.
Must-follow tips for live streaming classrooms
Now that you know how to live stream a class and have all essentials ready – the gear, your internet connection, and the streaming platform – let’s show you how to ace at streaming to students with a few must-follow tips.
Work with lesson outlines
Between addressing students’ questions and checking if they’re paying attention, you can easily forget where you were at in your lecture. An outline or checklist of key points will help you guide the discussion and help you stay on track.
Practice your presentation beforehand
If this is your first time streaming classes online, you’ll find it helpful to practice a bit at first. Of course, you’re skilled at delivering lessons to a room full of students, but talking too fast as you live stream can make it challenging for students to keep up.
Create a proper live streaming space
Whether you’re a yoga instructor or a physics teacher, you’ll need a dedicated space to teach your class. That doesn’t mean you need build a studio or lecture hall in your home. At the bare minimum, you’ll want a well-lit space that accommodates all your live streaming classroom equipment.
Remember: if you aren’t going to sit on the spot to deliver your lesson and need space to move as in a Yoga or dance class, you need to ensure all sides are brightly lit. This way, all areas on the screen will be equally lit.
Familiarize yourself with the equipment you’ll use
It’s essential to know each of the gear you’ll be using in your live streaming classroom. For example, you need to look at the camera when you present – not at your monitor – so that your eyes are level with the camera lens.
Similarly, the closer you are to the microphone, the better the sound quality. A general rule is to keep 3-6 inches of distance between yourself and the audio source for optimal sound quality.
Want to perfect your live streaming skills further? You’ll find these nifty nine livestreaming tips helpful.
Wrap up: stream your next class
Streaming your class doesn’t have to be difficult. Investing in a few things like a live streaming solution and solid internet can help transform a sleepy online lecture into an engaging and dynamic conversation.
Remember the most important thing is your passion and your ability to inspire students whether they’re in the (virtual) classroom or outside.