If you’re considering a career in online teaching, it’s important to know what equipment is necessary. Here we will go over the equipment we use in our online classroom and give you some pros and cons of each piece of technology and how it’s used.
To start your own online teaching business, you’ll need the following list of equipment which you can purchase or rent. Make sure to buy or rent quality equipment. You do not need to start your online business with the very best equipment, but make sure it is of good quality (not junk).
Laptop or desktop PC
The most important piece of equipment needed for online teaching is a good laptop or desktop PC. You can’t teach online without one (unless you’re teaching from your smartphone, but that’s unlikely).
The most important thing here is to make sure you choose a laptop or PC that meets the minimum computer requirements for online teaching. These requirements will be different depending on what software you’re using to deliver your classes.
The good news is that the technical requirements for most online teaching software tend to be pretty low, so you won’t need to spend an arm and a leg on a high-end machine.
Any modern laptop or PC with at least 8GB RAM, an i5 processor or equivalent, and good wifi reception should be fine. I’d also recommend opting for a Windows operating system over a Mac. You can check out our list of the best laptops for online teachers here.
Most online teachers will be delivering their classes via Zoom, Skype, or a virtual classroom environment or teaching platform. If you’re going to be teaching English online for one of the big ESL employers, you should be able to find a list of their platform’s technical requirements on their website.
Another factor to consider is the screen size. Online teachers tend to have lots of tabs open at once for things like their virtual classroom, classroom resources, and lesson plans. Therefore, it helps to have plenty of screen space to work with.
The advantage of using a desktop PC is you can hook it up to an ultra-wide monitor or multi-monitor setup for a ton of screen space. If you’d prefer the portability of a laptop, I’d recommend choosing one with at least a 15” screen.
Webcam
You’ll also need a webcam so that your students can see you during class. If you’re teaching from a laptop, it’ll probably already have a built-in webcam. However, laptop webcams tend to be low quality, so I’d recommend purchasing an external webcam instead.
The main specs to look for when you’re shopping for an online teaching webcam are the resolution and the frames per second (FPS). Ideally, you’ll want to choose a webcam that can stream in HD (1080p) and at least 30fps. This will ensure that your video stream is high-quality and smooth.
Other factors to look for if you want to really step up your video quality are great low-light performance, excellent color accuracy and vibrancy, a wide field of view, face tracking, and good autofocus.
Our recommended webcam for online teaching is the Logitech BRIO Ultra HD – you really can’t go wrong with it.
Note: Don’t worry about getting a webcam with a built-in mic – you don’t need one. Even the best webcam mics tend to be sub-par. They’re not nearly as high-quality as a dedicated external mic or headset, which we’ll cover next.
Headset or microphone
A good-quality headset or microphone is another one of the most important pieces of equipment needed for online teaching. You’ll want your students to hear you loud and clear, which means making sure you invest in a headset or mic with nice crisp sound quality and excellent noise cancellation.
This is especially important if you’re teaching English online to second language learners as high-quality, clear audio aids with listening comprehension.
The first thing to decide is whether you want a headset with a mic built-in, or to buy your headset and microphone separately
The advantage of using a headset with a built-in mic is that it kills two birds with one stone, so to speak. You only have one audio input to worry about, so it’s easier to set up and use. However, the disadvantage is that the audio quality tends to not be as good as with dedicated external mics, and some teachers find headsets uncomfortable.
Using an external mic instead means you can use earphones instead of headphones, which are a little more comfortable. Plus, the audio quality should be better.
If you’re looking for the best headset for online teaching, we’d recommend the Mpow 071 USB Noise Cancelling Headset
If you want the best microphone for online teaching, you can’t go wrong with the Blue Yeti USB Mic.
Just make sure, if you go down the headset route, that you choose one with the right type of audio input for your laptop or PC. Some laptops don’t support three-pin audio inputs, in which case you’ll need to choose a USB headset instead. Alternatively, Bluetooth headsets can also be a good option if you want to go wireless.
Internet Connection
If possible, you’ll want to make sure you have an internet connection of at least 20 megabytes per second (Mbps) for teaching online. This is recommended by most online teaching companies.
I’ve been able to teach successfully on less than that when absolutely necessary, but slower speeds can cause lags.
It’s harder to have a conversation with a student when there is a delay, and you could get in trouble with your teaching company if the delays are significant.
Teaching at slower speeds can be stressful, so aim to teach with 20 Mbps of internet speed if possible.
You can check your internet speeds on websites like speedtest.net. When you use the speed test website, look at the download speed section.
Don’t worry if your upload speed is much lower than your download speed. That’s normal. Also, a low ping score is a good thing!
Ethernet Cord And Adapter
One way to improve your connection while teaching is to use an ethernet cord. An ethernet cord will allow you to connect directly to your router and reduces the risk of internet connectivity issues. When I’m not travelling, I try to always use an ethernet cord.
It’s important to note that some newer laptops don’t have a designated ethernet port. If this is the case for your laptop, you’ll need to purchase an adapter to plug in your ethernet cord.
Lighting For Your Online English Classroom
Having good lighting is an important part of online teaching.
Lighting allows your students to see your mouth movements. This is critical to language acquisition. Good lighting makes your classroom looks more professional. It also allows students to see your teaching resources when you’re using them.
To get good lighting, you have a few options:
Overhead Lights And A Desk Lamp: One easy option is using the overhead room lights as well as a desk lamp for teaching. Make sure to put the lamp directly behind your computer with the light pointing toward your face.
This prevents shadows on one side of your face. If you have a white lampshade, this also helps soften the light on your face, giving you a more natural look.
Selfie Ring Light: If that’s not enough, you can use a selfie ring light that can clip onto your laptop for additional lighting. Selfie ring lights are usually rechargeable and offer a ring of bright white light for several hours at a time. Clip one of these portable teaching lights to your laptop for extra bright lighting in a pinch. Compare brands and costs on Amazon here.
Professional Photography Lights: If you want something of higher quality, You can also use freestanding lights designed for photographers or videographers.
Just type YouTube lighting into Amazon and you’ll see plenty of kits that are more than enough for your online teaching needs. You’ll see halos with different color filters, photoshoot-ready soft lightboxes, and bright white lights with umbrellas to soften the glare.
With options like these, you could go as simple or complex as you want.
Full disclosure, I’ve never used anything this luxurious in my own classroom and it’s never been a problem. If I had a more permanent classroom area, I’d consider using some of the softboxes as the ring light can be too harsh after a few hours.
That being said, I’d only recommend using this kind of lighting if you have a larger classroom area and won’t be moving your classroom set up often. Trying to relocate a large lighting rig every few days would not be worth the slight improvement in light quality.
If you plan to travel while teaching, definitely stick to the ring light.
Conclusion
Online teaching requires special equipment, to ensure that students get the best possible experience. We cannot teach without the right tools.