The Video Teaching Learning Curve The acquisition of any new skill, including video conferencing, can be viewed as a 4-Stage Process;
1. Unconscious Incompetence -
2. Conscious Incompetence - ‘I’m acutely aware that I don’t know much about this process and it is making me feel anxious, frustrated, angry etc’
3. Conscious Competence - ‘I’m developing these skills, but they still require a lot of cognitive effort’
4. Unconscious Competence We’re all at different stages on this continuum and the ideas below may be helpful in moving to the next. Technology •
•
•
Camera Angle - The default seems to be; ‘looking directly up right nostril’. This is distracting (and a little unflattering). Experiment with angles and consider buying a laptop camera to give you some more flexibility. Having the camera at eye level or slightly above feels like the most engaging option. Get close, but not too close - Being too far away from the camera just exacerbates the feeling of distance and being too close is also somewhat disconcerting. Experiment with different camera distances and then stick with that option for consistency. Tip: The start of your video session is not the time to be leaning in and away from camera, turning your head to find the most flattering angle, leaning back as if you were part of the Apollo space mission or checking your hair. Don’t yell - There’s a tendency to speak more loudly when working online. This impacts engagement and is unnecessary. Most laptops have very good built in mics. Alternatively you can buy a microphone.
www.timconnellaustralia.com