When teaching online, you still need to have a well-organized physical space to work in — a classroom, a home office, or just a desk in the corner of your living room. You don’t need to have the most high-tech setup to be successful in digital learning. Think of this space as a digital content creation studio, because that’s exactly what it is! Even if you don’t have the luxury of having a whole room to devote to your classroom (I just have the back side of one room), you can manage online teaching and prevent chaos by setting up your space in a way that allows you to create a good digital/non-digital workflow.
Here’s how my space is set up for digital teaching and learning. At school, my “teacher space” is set up pretty much just like this, but without the sweet lighting for Zoom meetings.
- A good desk. My desk is smaller than I would like, but a good size for the space that I have available. This is probably a good thing because I tend to “kudzu” any workspace with supplies, so having a smaller desk forces me to clear it off more regularly.
- A good chair, with back support. Digital learning means sometimes sitting longer than we would like to, so it’s important to have a good chair that can adjust to the appropriate height and back support for your work surface. This link has some good tips for how to ensure good ergonomics when working from home.
- Your devices, of course! I have two computers– my personal laptop computer and my school-assigned laptop. I also use an iPad, because it allows me to film my own art demonstrations (like a document camera) and record the demo at the same time. It also allows me to sometimes take my work outside so I don’t have to sit in my office all day.
- A good USB microphone (not pictured, because my husband was using it to record his podcast, “The Broke Historians”). My computer mic works OK, but since I create a lot of videos, I upgraded to a better microphone and it was worth the investment for the sound quality. This also helps to make sure I sound clear on Zoom calls so students can hear me clearly.
- A stand to hold my iPad for filming demos. This stand is pretty nice and includes a handy extra light for my demos. It also has a USB outlet for charging my iPad while filming. You can also use your smartphone to video your demos with a stand like this. But, if you don’t want to purchase a stand for this, you can do what I did for a while and improvise. A wire locker shelf insert worked pretty well for this until I could get something better.
- A good light. Having a nice diffuse light on your face makes you always look nice on video chats or when you are recording yourself. If you have a good window in your home classroom, sit with the window behind your camera. If not, an inexpensive ring lamp can provide that nice, diffuse light that always makes you look your best, even if you’re having a no-makeup day.
- A nice surge protector for all your devices (not pictured, because it’s tucked behind the storage bins, but still easy to reach). It’s best if you don’t have to constantly unplug items so you can plug other ones in. Set up a station with all the charging cords so you don’t have to look for them when you’re busy.
- A clean background. You don’t have to have a completely white background, but you want to keep it uncluttered and not distracting. You also want to turn your camera so that you don’t capture other people in your home, TV, other people’s conversations, bathroom noises, or anything that you might not want to broadcast to the rest of the world. (Painting by artist Elizabeth Turner).
- Storage — Teaching requires a lot of STUFF, so it’s good to have a place to store all your papers and supplies besides your desk. I currently have a small shelf with 2 large flat-file drawers for art paper and art supplies, all within easy reach of my desk. I also have a file cabinet for papers, and two large storage bins for storing clunky items that don’t fit in drawers. While I am not the best at keeping everything put away, I can easily clear off my desk to record a demo and put everything in its place until I need it. This all helps me to keep my background uncluttered and professional-looking, too.
- Of course, a Memo Board. I got a black one with neon markers because I think that’s fun, but any memo board works. I divided mine into 3 columns — Not started, Started, and done! I write tasks on color coded 2” neon post-it notes and put them in the “not started” column. Blue = content creation, Pink = administrative tasks, Green = non-digital work, and orange = meetings and presentations. Then, I move them toward “done” as I complete the tasks. This physical, non-digital method is a nice way to keep track of all the things I need to create for my digital workspaces, and it adds some fun color to my workspace. At the end of the week, it feels awesome to pull a huge stack of squares from my “done” column and start fresh the next week. It also allows me to leave work in my office and go live my life without fear of forgetting something. If I think of a thing I need to do during my “off-time”, I run to my office, add it to my “not started” column, then shut the door and forget about it until work time. It will be waiting for me when I get there!
11. Some plants! Plants filter the air and help you to feel like you have a little nature in your indoor space. They also provide a nice backdrop for Zoom meetings and video discussions. I have a monstera and a philodendron. Both are really easy to care for and provide a nice outdoor touch when I’m stuck indoors more than I want to be.
12. Hobby items, books to read. You will need brain breaks, so keep something nearby that you can do with your hands and your brain instead of staring at screens. This will prevent eye strain and will help you to maintain focus when you are working online.
Of course, you may need additional things I haven’t listed here, but hopefully this post will help you get started thinking about how to create a smooth workflow and save your sanity while shifting back and forth from physical to digital tasks.