Monday, March 23, 2020

Being on Camera!

Listening to yourself on a conference call or a recording is weird and intimidating. I have been an online teacher for nearly 10 years and I am just now getting to the point where I can sit down and record a quick video and be satisfied with it!!

You will want to record video for your students so they can look back on what you covered that day in class or to give them asynchronous directions for a project or activity for the day. My favorite recording platform is Screencast-o-matic, but Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and many others will also work.

Last year I posted tips on intervention to my Facebook page at least once a week. I would prep a short topic to talk about and then just force myself to turn on the camera and record. I'm not going to lie - I did record some of them a few times before I actually went "live" or uploaded my video - a little practice never hurt anyone!

Here's a short video I uploaded last year:


Before recording yourself, keep these tips in mind:
  • Be prepared: Where are you going to navigate on your screen? Do you need a visual or presentation to guide your topic?
  • Remember that you are human: mistakes will be made and it's okay to leave those in your recording, students don't want to see a robot teach them anyway!
  • Be confident: you know what you're talking about so don't forget to present yourself that way.
  • If it helps, post a picture of your class or a group of people above your computer so when you're recording you can look at it.
Also, check out this article called "How to be more confident on camera: My 5-step recipe revealed" for more ideas!!

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