Teaching via live streaming.

It's been a while since I've posted. Must be that I had nothing much to say. Anyway, this is a follow-up on our last on the ZOOM project we were working on and while not yet operational, there has been good indications that the technology works. So what I'll comment on now is another project that I've been asked to come on board with. The project is not too dissimilar from the previous but will not be making use of specific hardware.

So before you decide to embark on a live teaching event there are a few things that I would like us to consider. The first being, why we are doing live streaming. Streaming these days has become more accessible and an inexpensive replacement for broadcasting. However, the appropriate technology and support need to be in place or the experience can be less than pleasant from both the production and consumers perspective. Furthermore, if it is teaching over distance to remote sites, then who will the audience be, will interaction be required and what will the nature of that interaction be.

Once the technical aspects have been attended to, the most important aspect still needs to be addressed, which is the actual teaching. There is an assumption that teaching in front of a live audience is the same as teaching for a remote audience. In my opinion there is a difference in both the delivery method and reception of such a teaching session. The stakes are higher especially when sessions are live as mistakes whether technical or otherwise can be pretty embarrassing. So in order to reduce the chances of unforeseen mishaps I would suggest that the teacher or lecturer is well-rehearsed and can engage an audience remotely.

If you are planning to demonstrate a process it will be key that the camera-person be well versed with the equipment as well as the unfolding of the process as this will impact the experience of the live event. Audio quality is an imperative as this will also influence the ability to communicate effectively. Make sure that the setting used to record is representative of the environment and norms and standards that you wish to promote. The presenter themselves need to be cognizant of their tone and pace as it will be difficult to gauge that type of feedback from a remote audience without the appropriate feedback methods.

The audience will have limited time and therefore a tight schedule will need to be followed to ensure that content is covered within a specified amount of time. Hopefully such a live feed will be archived for asynchronous access later. Essentially, teaching for a remote audience requires more than merely a lecturer speaking on camera but a skilled communicator who are aware of the limitations of the medium and who are able to anticipate and deal with the teaching challenges as and when they occur.