Video Fridays: Make Super Simple Videos for Teaching Online

Even when I taught fully online at the university level, most of my colleagues hated being on-camera. Alas, for the first half of this school year (2020-21) it’s going to be the “new normal” for classrooms across the world. So, whatcha gonna do about it?

Way back in 2008 when I realized online instruction via video was going to be a regular requirement I beefed up my setup with a Heil PR40 microphone, experimented with different audio-interfaces to connect my audio to my computer(s), got used to having my desk lamps shining in my eyes and got familiar with video capture/editing software like ScreenFlow (from Telestream). I did all that not because I’m some kind of tech gear-head but because I passionately believe that teaching isn’t about the stuff but about using the stuff to connect with one’s students. Being a good teacher requires looking in the eyes of one’s students to figure out if they’re getting it or not, and not too surprisingly, that still applies even if there’s a bunch of glass and tech and a huge time gap between your look and their response. It still applies. Enjoy Dr. Wesch’s Tips on Teaching Online Via Video:

For those who might be gluttons for punishment here are two course introduction sessions. The first one was a recording of my actual week one intro session when I would walk through the course requirements. The second video was a pre-recorded walk-through of a different course that I took over one month after the previous recording… Enjoy(?).