PSA for Teachers
Probably not the best place to get this to people who actually need to hear it, but it’s what I’ve got, so. As someone who’s done considerable work in video captioning, much of it in educational contexts, some advice for people who may be needing to teach long distance now.
- SPEAK MORE SLOWLY. Yes, really. No, more slowly than that. This is not a words-per-minute contest and you are making me cry. I know there’s a lot to fit in, but better to make a few points well and memorably than race through and have no one catch half of it. People are sometimes even more prone to this when they can’t see their audience.
- Look up not just how to use whatever microphone you’re using, but how to use microphones in general properly. Placement and how you speak into it can make a BIG difference in audio quality.
- Speaking of which, if at all possible, do use a decent microphone. Doesn’t have to be expensive, just one that works. I know many people have been thrust into this underprepared, but if your audio has a lot of static or sounds like you’re underwater, it’s going to be very difficult for anyone to process what you’re saying.
- If more than one person is speaking (whether co-teaching or Q&A) leave extra space to ensure that you’re not interrupting/speaking over each other. Again, clarity is important and this is NOT like a casual in-person conversation. There’s often some lag in streaming.
- Please speak up and don’t mumble. It’s really, really important that you articulate clearly. This goes for the teaching in general, but also if you lose your place for a moment or are trying to figure out how to do something. A few seconds of silence is much better than trying to decipher whether there was anything important/coherent in your muttering to yourself.
- SPEAK MORE SLOWLY.
...there’s more I’m not thinking of now, but those are some key ones.
