How to Give Good Online Lectures

Finding your groove for giving an online lecture can be tough. You need to find the right technology setup, make the content engaging, and make sure you're not spending too much time on getting it all working.

How do your record, show slides, annotate, and upload? How do you make sure it's only your students who are seeing it? How long should your videos be? We'll answer all of that and more in this webinar.

Talk Resources

Topics

Good gear (and lighting)
Where to look / managing your camera + slides
Framing your shot
Helpful software for recording and editing
What to consider when live streaming
Engaging with students

About the Host
Joe Casabona is a college professor, author, course developer, and podcaster. Joe started freelancing in 2002, and has been a teacher at the college level for over 10 years. His passion in both areas drove him to create courses for The University of Scranton, LinkedIn Learning, and his own community of business owners. Today, he helps people tell their stories through podcasts and video.

Transcript

1. How to Give a Good Online Lecture Joe Casabona | casabona.org/lectures/
2. @jcasabona Let’s Do It! • Good gear (and lighting) • Managing your camera + slides • Framing your shot • Recording Software • Managing Your Slides • Engaging with your students
3. Let’s Talk Gear
4. What You Should Have • A decent camera. It doesn’t have to be 4K. But does have to be HD. • A decent mic. A $40 headset will be a big improvement over the built-in mic, and you’ll have some freedom. • LIGHTING. Don’t make it look like you’re recording in a dungeon.
5. @jcasabona 3-Point Lighting • This is ideal for even lighting. • Not everyone has the space to do this. • Make sure you at least have some even lighting on your face. • Test a few setups. Don’t just rely on light or your computer screen.
7. Recommended Gear: kit.co/jcasabona/simple-live-stream-setup
8. Managing Your Camera / Slides
9. Tips • Look directly at the camera when you speak! • If you have a second device or monitor, keep your slides there too - just like notes. • Find out where your your camera will be in relation to your slides and design them accordingly. • Eliminate Distractions
10. Frame Your Shot!
11. Advanced Move: Switch between slides and camera.
12. @jcasabona Elgato Stream Deck • A piece of hardware that allows you to easily switch between screens (or scenes) • I’m using it right now!
13. Software
14. @jcasabona Pre-Recorded • Screenflow (Mac) • Camtasia (Windows) • Loom (Everything, PRO is free for educators)
15. @jcasabona Live Streaming • YouTube Live (free, can be protected) • Zoom • Be.Live (Works with YouTube and Facebook) • Twitch (Free)
16. @jcasabona Going Live • Turn off anything that eats bandwidth - Dropbox, Creative Cloud, etc. • Restarting could help • Hardwire into your modem/router if you can
17. Engaging with Students
18. • Have Polls and Questions! • Encourage questions at the end. • Give them a place to continue the conversation
19. • Ask questions, move on, and address them in a couple of minutes. • You want to give attendees time to respond, especially if there’s a 30-90 second delay. • Make it a smooth transition. Don’t say you’re waiting/have dead air. Ask/Talk/Call them out. On Asking Questions
20. Running Your Own Talk
21. Software • On top of gear you need software. • I’m using Crowdcast and recommend that. • You can also stream live to YouTube and Twitch with OBS. • For Facebook Live, I recommend BeLive* *Links at casabona.org/lectures
22. @jcasabona Pre-Flight Check • Make sure you’re using the right camera and mic • Close out resource hogs • Check your internet connection (fast.com) • Test with your software. Run through the first few slides as if you’re doing the talk.
23. You Can DO It! You Can DO It!
24. Consultant & Educator I help tell your story. @jcasabona - casabona.org/lectures/ I’m Joe Casabona