Teaching Online

Recent events in the world have forced many people to work from home and begin embracing social distancing for the next several weeks. This may be a little easier, and even welcoming, for those that can easily work online, log into meetings, etc. But for many, especially those in the service industry, not going into work means no pay. The need to offer and to take online yoga and dance classes is stronger now than ever. It’s forcing creatives to well……get creative!

The information below is everything I’ve experimented with and learned while teaching online classes the last nine months. If you have a more efficient or more effective way of conducting online classes, please comment and let’s share our information. Supporting fellow teachers, our students and our community is something I feel is so very important. As I make technology upgrades, I’ll try to keep everyone informed.

At the bottom of this post is a video from the facebook live I posted March 13th. It includes a lot of this information and then some.

I’ve also included some less technical aspects that are important to consider as well as a video that shares this information, a tour of my home studio and gear. I hope you find it helpful!

YOUR SPACE

Whether you will teach from home or from a studio, it’s important to think about the following:

Keep your space clear of clutter. Noone wants to see your laundry chair or pile of papers behind you. Minimize distractions in your space .

The color of your background also matters. A light, clean background is best. Especially if you tend to wear black when you teach. Keep the colors and décor to a minimum. The video is 2D and flat so it will be hard for your students to see YOU if you blend in too much to your background.

Based on the camera or phone you use, you will want to mark your space to know exactly how far forward, back, etc you can move and still be fully in the frame. It’s a good idea to do a practice run in your space and then evaluate how easy it is to see your feet, hands, hips, etc. with your setup.

While it might look great in person, remember dimension, textures, etc don’t always translate over video so I found simple is best.

Be sure you will be free of distractions during your filming. For instance, I have a very curious kitty that likes to randomly walk in when I’m doing yoga so I have to be sure to close the door anytime I’m teaching online. Find a time where your partner and kids will be in another part of your home. Even having them within site can be distracting to your teaching.

My Home Studio

LIGHTING

Lighting can be as simple as opening your shades or curtains and filming with the sun facing towards you. However, that isn’t always possible so anything you can do to enhance a more natural, daylight effect is best. Before I purchased this ring light from Amazon, I used a couple of clamp lights from Home Depot with daylight bulbs.

The challenge with lighting is making sure you do not have shadows on you or your background. One tip I found to get rid of shadows is to shine a light from the side of your space directly onto your background as well as one on you.

There are a ton of lighting options and kits available, but I found that for my space the ceiling light and the ring light work best.

CLAMP LIGHT

RING LIGHT

SOUND

Just as important as lighting, sound can make or break your videos. The acoustics in your space are the first thing to tackle. If you have carpet or a lot of furniture you may not have any problem, but my studio has a wall of mirrors, glass windows and doors and hardwood floors. This makes for horrible acoustics. After a lot of research, I ended up installing some of acoustic panels (from ATS Acoustic, I might add) and they have been really helpful. They come in plenty of sizes and colors. I also scored enough curtains to cover three walls in my space which has not only provided a great background, but also helped with sound. Other options to absorb sound would be to pile pillows and blankets in your space.

ACOUSTIC PANELS

As far as microphone, test out the one that came with your device. Many phones, video cameras and cameras have pretty great mics. I purchased a Rode mic that can be used on either my phone or my DSLR camera.

MICROPHONE

Zils – I wear zill mufflers (a friend calls them zufflers) so my students can better hear the music and so my microphone doesn’t get blasted with high pitched sounds. You can also use wooden zils, put electrical or painter’s tape on the bottom of your zils or of course, just not wear them to teach.

I recommend recording yourself in your space and see what works best for you.

Music – I’ve had a lot of questions about copyrighted music and I really don’t have a great answer. Out or trial and error I’ve learned which songs are not copyrighted and have stuck with those for now. I share my playlists with students and support my favorite musicians whenever possible. I’d love to hear from someone that has more knowledge in this area.

CAMERA

I started out just using my iphone to film and teach live online. I wanted so bad to upgrade to a DSLR so I had higher quality video. After months of research, testing, trial and error I finally got my Cannon EOS up and running like a webcam. Turns out, there are a lot of limitations.

First, unless I went through third party software, I had to keep auto focus turned off or my live video feed would constantly have an auto focus square in the image. So once I turned it to manual focus, the block went away, but so did my ability to move around my space freely as I taught.

Second, the lighting wasn’t as great. It was too realistic (the only way I can explain it). My phone tends to lighten up the image and Facebook has a feature where you can lighten the live video so the result was better lighting with my phone unless I invested yet more money (and space) in studio lighting.

Third, I could only stream live in landscape mode which was great if I’m teaching formations or a class setting, but too far away for my students to clearly see my body unless my feet or head were cut off.

Lastly, there is simply too much room for error. HMDI cables, Camlock adaptor, laptop, etc. made for a lot of space, a lot of wires and a lot more to go wrong. If I had someone else in the room to monitor these things while I was filming then maybe it could work.

I haven’t given up yet, but for now I upgraded my iPhone and use that to teach live on Facebook. I think Facebook live is just really meant for mobile. I am still looking into using third party software so I can stream across multiple platforms at once, but I think it will take a consultant to help. If that is you please contact me! Make sure you have a tripod. This will ensure your phone is steady, level and doesn’t change position while you are trying to teach.

You’ll want to test the orientation in both portrait and landscape to see what works best with your space. Unfortunately portrait seems to work best, but leaves annoying bars on the side of your video. Don’t forget if you use the forward facing camera on your iPhone, it flips in Facebook live!! There is a way to correct this. This person’s Youtube pretty much sums it up for iPhone and Andriod.

PLATFORM

There are plenty of platforms available for your online classes.

Sites like Patreon, YouTube, Instagram, Zoom and Facebook all have pros and cons. There are even ways to livestream to a password protected page on your website (depending on your host).

Ultimately you have to decide what experience you want to provide to your students and decide accordingly.

OTHER

If you plan on teaching LIVE online classes, I also recommend the following:

Invest in a wifi extender to ensure you have a solid connection. This can affect your sound and video quality. There is no sense in investing in sound and lighting only to have a poor connection and loose the benefit. We bought this one at Costco

Platforms like Facebook have slight variations in their video feed that don’t match up exactly to your phone video camera. So be sure to test your live feed before trying to teach so you can get a clear idea of your video spacing.

AND THEN THERE IS THIS

OK, here’s the truth bomb. Teaching online can be scary. You are putting yourself out there for potentially all the world to see. Whether you record classes or teach live, teaching online definitely challenges your vulnerability.

For one, unless you are using Zoom or teaching via Skype, you can’t see your students. The feedback and energy you are used to receiving in classes is gone. You must rely on your teaching skills and ability to raise your own energy 100%!

It’s up to you to provide your students with a complete experience, anticipate their questions, make sure you cover every part of the step, etc. If you are used to walking into your classroom and “winging it” based on what your students want or need….you’ll want to reconsider your approach.

You’ll also likely pick apart your every word and every move. It’s important to LET IT GO. I know this is easier said than done for many of us. All you can do is prepare, do your best, put yourself out there and then let it go. If you realize there is something you wish you had done better….great!! That means you are learning too and just be sure to incorporate it next time.

Personally I plan every single class, ok….overly plan every single class. I type every class in a template and then write the outline on my whiteboard so I do not forget anything. Teaching online has definitely helped improve my teaching skills and it was exactly what I needed to push myself to grow as a dancer and as a teacher. But it’s simply not for everyone and that is OK!

Have FUN!! Remember why you dance, why you teach and where your strengths are as an instructor. Focus on your strengths and embrace your weaknesses as areas of growth. Teaching online has been one of the most rewarding experiences over the last year and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to connect with dancers from all over the world.

Whether you are teaching online temporarily, only for your local students or intend to open your classes worldwide remember this…..be YOU! The online community is about to be saturated with instructors offering all kinds of online classes. Don’t worry about what others are doing. As a bellydance and yoga instructor in Portland, Oregon…..I definitely have to work hard to be seen. But I’ve realized the more authentically ME I am then the more I attract people that like to learn the way I like to teach. There is a teacher out there for everyone. Do what you love and let them find you. If they aren’t a great fit your your class, tell them about someone else’s courses they may find more appealing.

Your personality and teaching style will attract the students that will learn best from you.

AND SPEAKING OF CONNECTING

I offer live online classes via Facebook every week. Registration for the April series will open next week. Follow my Facebook page to be notified when registration opens.

Private lessons are also available. Whether it’s dance or yoga based or further discussion about Facebook live and managing groups, I’d love to setup some time to work with you.

If all of this is overwhelming, but you still want your students to practice and take classes during this time of social distancing then let’s work together!! I would love to collaborate and help you teach your online class, provide you with a % of revenue based on your student enrollment or participate in your online class and provide feedback. You can contact me HERE.

Come dance with me! I have a few workshops coming up this summer. Many spring events have been cancelled so summer and fall will be a great time to get back out and support our dance events.

Lastly, many of you have asked how you can offer a donation as a thank you for this information. I’m so moved by this. I offer this info to the community for the love of sharing and helping others during this pandemic. Instead of a donation, feel free to share this post with others in need, like and share my Facebook page and perhaps show up at one of my workshops or events so we can dance together…...in person……when this all finally calms down.

Happy dancing, happy teaching and don’t forget to wash your hands!