Tech things to consider when delivering online teaching:

1. Can your audience access it?

Is there a simple link to access and does everyone have it?

What will you do about last minute registrations?

Does the software you use have a max audience number and is that ok?

1/10
2. Do you know how to show what you need?

Can you share your slides and screen without having to say 'can you see my screen now'? Are you using polls and do they work?

Practice. Practice. Practice.

The tech should be smooth to allow the focus to be on your content.

2/10
3. Do your guests know what they are doing?

Run a tech check with them beforehand but make sure it's on THE SAME device and internet connection that they will use on the day.

Make sure they wear clothes that don't strobe on camera. Make sure you can hear & see them well.

3/10
4. Is your internet optimised?

Your wifi might be great for streaming Netflix but I guarantee your wifi connection will fluctuate and this will have an impact.

Think about getting an ethernet cable and using a wired connection (this is what I use all the time now)

4/10
5. Optimise your lighting.

Buy a ring light or go further and consider three point lighting. You can do this cheaply or even with existing lamps you have in your house. Use the natural light you have in your room too.

You want warm, soft light on you - you are the focus

5/10
6. Optimise your sound.

Whatever mic you are using, make sure you are using it correctly. Look up its instructions and take time to understand where it picks up sound from - position yourself in the best way for the sound to pick up.

Understand why sound quality matters.

6/10
7. Optimise your background

Clear your clutter & think about what the audience will see behind you

The audience focus should be on you & not trying to see what's on your shelves

If you are using a DSLR camera then consider using a low aperture lens to blur the background

7/10
8. Have a back up plan

Do you know what you'll do when the following happens?

Internet drops out
Speaker can't connect
Slides won't play
Audience can't join to watch
Session is accidentally ended
Video is buffering
Sound doesn't work

Panic is not your friend. Be slick

8/10
9. Are you recording?

Record it for learners to watch later. Pretty much every software will do this. Practice before to make sure you know how.

Think about whether it will need editing.

Consider where you will host the recording so it's easily accessed.

9/10
10. Consider accessibility

Add subtitles or closed captions (& understand the difference). This is simple to do and not very expensive.

Some services eg YouTube can add this automatically. Other services you pay by the length of the video. A worthwhile use of money.

10/10

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More from @TessaRDavis

26 Jan
Level up your online teaching sound quality. Allow the audience to concentrate on you and not your crackling audio. Online teaching isn't going away - embrace it.

Think about:

Choosing a mic + positioning it
Optimising your room size/echo
Reducing background noise

1/5
Don't use your comp mic. Two broad mic types to consider:

-A dynamic mic - good if you can be close to the mic & need to filter out background noise.

-A condenser mic - captures more delicate sounds, good if you want the mic to be out of shot

Range of prices for each

2/5
Room size/echo. Can you reduce the echo in the room?

This can be done just by putting a rug on your floor (if you don't have carpet) or a screen up. Foam sound panels are cheap + can go on the wall near you

Small changes but can make a big difference to sound quality

3/5
Read 5 tweets
31 Dec 20
2020 is ending and it's time for me to reflect on the year for
@DFTBubbles

This is a team I truly love being part of - friendship, community, connection, learning, along with breaking new ground every week in a way that always surprises me.

A thread: 1/9
This year our website views have continued to increase, surpassing 1.5 million. This has been a labour of love over 7 years and it due to building a system where we can produce regular, quality content. Thanks to all who have contributed.

2/9
We got referenced in two WHO documents on return to school during COVID, something that I think we would have laughed at the thought of happening when we started in 2013.

This is thanks to @apsmunro leading the COVID data analysis team in what has been a spectacular effort

3/9
Read 10 tweets
11 Nov 20
A thread on leadership, making mistakes + saying thank you (inspired by @andrewjtagg)

I've made many mistakes during my years in medicine, but I made a big one right at the beginning

It was 2003, I was in my house officer year in my first job. I was scared + inexperienced

1/10
Things were different then. There wasn't support from trainees or nursing staff. You got left to get on with it. We weren't taught or trained like we are now.

I misinterpreted a patient's blood gas. Honestly, I didn't understand what I was looking at.

2/10
I thought the gas was ok; it clearly wasn't.

The mistake was discovered the next day on our ward round.

The patient was unwell + the consultant spotted it immediately. "Who saw this blood gas last night?"

"It was me" I mumbled.

The large ward team turned + stared at me.

3/10
Read 10 tweets
3 Sep 20
A thread on tips for virtual events:

At @DFTBubbles we have delivered many online learning programmes over the last 6 months

This has included over 2000 attendees (on top of our three previous conferences spanning 200 speakers, a further 2000 attendees and live streams).

1/x
DFTB Essentials is a teaching course on injuries and illness (DFTBDigital.com)

DFTB Live ran last week – our first virtual conference

We have run 7 COVID webinars + an ACP teaching session.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing but we have some learning to share...

2/x
Start with your audience.

It doesn’t matter that it’s online, you still need to start here.

Who is in your audience? What do they want to get from the day? How do you want them to feel at different times of the day? What do you hope they feel as the day ends?

3/x
Read 21 tweets
10 Oct 19
I’ve been in a PEM locum consultant post for 15m. It’s a tough transition from senior reg to junior consultant that brings its own challenges.

Now, on the day of a big interview for me, it’s time for some reflection on my key learning points so far ....a thread 👇
Your learning isn’t over as consultant, it’s just beginning.

Read read read to keep up to date with best practice. Use the expertise around you to deliver better care. There’s no shame in asking for help. It will demonstrate strength (not weakness) to your colleagues. 1/10
Be kind to your colleagues - juniors, seniors, porters, admin.

Incivility destroys teams and care.

Deliver your best self at work and take a break if you feel you aren’t behaving as you should. 2/10
Read 11 tweets

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