As we hit week 5 of the Hybrid Learning Model, I have had the opportunity to learn a thing or two about the realities of online learning. It's one thing to be an online student. In many ways, it's easier. I myself had taken many online classes when I was pursuing my Master’s degree and completing post-Master's work. But, taking a class is far different than trying to teach one. Let’s take a look at the current tech that is available for you and see what works and what doesn’t. We at ExecConcepts want to do everything we can to help make your transition to online learning as smooth as possible.

Camera/Microphone:

Good: My district has required that at least a portion of our lessons consist of live online learning. To that end, a webcam has been installed on every in-class computer.  The camera itself is fine.  It turns on automatically when you open up a Zoom link or Google Meet. The sound from the mic is fine and the picture quality is HD.  Most cameras are easily installed on PC’s (If your monitor does not already have one installed) and most laptops (including Chromebook) have them pre-installed.

Bad: In my opinion, the positioning of the camera is essential, especially when you are live. On our PC's, the camera is mounted on the top of the monitor. That is ok, unless you are one of those teachers (like me) who cannot sit in a chair for very long!  In our classrooms, the PC is positioned alongside the smartboard. If you are just talking through a PowerPoint that’s fine because that is all they will see.  But, two problems arise from this setup. The first is that you will need to really raise your voice the further away you move from the PC. That may work for a short time, but sooner or later you may lose your voice! To help work around this, I would suggest a wireless headset combo (headphone and microphone) with a USB plug-in. The range on most of these devices is excellent.  How much you would like to spend is of course, up to you. The second problem that arises is that the students are only looking at the presentation. You have no idea if they are paying attention or not.  As I understand it, there is no way for you to monitor your students and present your presentation at the same time.

Laptop:

Good: In my opinion, a laptop such as the Chromebook is more than sufficient to present anything you want to your online class. I personally use the Chromebook while at work.  I bought a wireless mouse to go along with it as I am not a big fan of the touchpad.  On the plus side, Chromebook is compatible with all G-suite for education programs.  It is unbelievably easy to navigate all of their programs and all of my students are very familiar with it as well.  As I mentioned earlier, the Chromebook also comes with a camera pre-installed, so you do not need to worry about finding a PC that has one if you need to record a lesson.  As far as portability is concerned, the Chromebook is very lightweight, and as long as you can get a get good Wi-Fi signal, you can work literally anywhere. A PC is also fine, but bear in mind that you are “chained” to that spot.  I am not a big fan of using my smartphone for any of the g-suite programs but in a pinch, it would certainly work. I know of several students who used their phones to log in to my classes until the district halted the practice.

Bad: Chromebook has no internal memory to speak of.  On the other hand, it's not as much of an issue as it used to be. If your district utilizes G-suite for education, I would recommend utilizing the Google drive program.  It's very simple to use and is entirely compatible with all of their other programs. You can also create your own handouts or even use one of their canned templates. The biggest problem with the Chromebook is not necessarily with the device itself, but with usage.  The one thing I have noticed is that if there are too many people accessing the same thing at the same time, for example, a lecture.  The more people access the system, the faster it slows down or “lags.”  Even worse, I, or my students have been “bumped” off.  This has happened to me on more than one occasion, especially in the middle of the school day when all the schools (elementary, middle, and high schools) are all in session at the same time.  In a large district such as mine, all those students accessing the system at (or around) the same time does put a severe strain on it.

Desktop: A PC is great for multi-tasking. Usually, a PC will have more processing power and I find it is easier to jump back and forth between different programs. Another advantage of the PC is that you have a dedicated connection to the internet. I usually use one at work when I am in the library (we have Dell’s and HP’s) So unless the system crashes completely, you should be ok.

Bad: There are two problems that I have found, and you may or may not experience them as well. The first problem is that none of the monitors in the library or computer labs have cameras on them for security reasons. So, unless you can work in your classroom or from home, your options for live teaching are limited.  Another problem (which I pointed out earlier is that you are limited to that location. This is fine if you are doing other things, but for live teaching, I find it difficult (even if there is a camera) because I like to move around the room while I teach and that is just not feasible with a desktop.

Essentials for online teaching: If you are new to online teaching, ExecConcepts can help you get everything you need to make your transition to remote learning easy and painless. As a teacher myself, I understand that time is precious in the classroom.  It is even more precious when it's online.  To help you, here is a list of what I believe are essential products for every teacher:

1. A good laptop
2. A wireless mouse
3. A wireless headset (earpiece/microphone combination)
4. An HD webcam for your desktop (if you do not already own one)
5. Math teachers: A great graphing calculator
6. English teachers: Any good speech to text software

Let us take care of your education tech solutions. We can help answer any questions you may have about your set-up. Let's talk and explore what your needs are. Give us a call today at (877) 472-7727.

Writer: David Moglia

About the Author

My name is Dave and I have been teaching in New York for almost twenty years. If you are an older teacher like me, you have witnessed startling transformations throughout your career. I myself started out with chalk and a blackboard and now am utilizing G-Suite for education, smartboards laptops, and so on! It is amazing how quickly times change and as an educator, you know you must adapt to those changes. As you make the transition to the online schooling environment, you may find yourself getting stressed and anxious. Try not to worry, we’ve all been there, myself included. I’ve uploaded handouts (with the answers on it) more than once and not realized it! It’s ok, it is part of the process. The staff and I at ExecConcepts want to do everything we can to help you as you transition to the online environment. If you have any issues at all regarding the educational aspect of any of our products, please reach out to me at ExecConcepts.