If there’s one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s that learning can happen remotely. While teaching online used to be the domain of high-tech teaching companies, today it is accessible to anyone. Every Tom, Dick and Jerry with an iPad Air in an iPad Air 10.9 case can set themselves up as an educator. Can you teach online with just an iPad? You can, although an ideal setup might include a laptop as well.
We’ll get to different options later. Let’s look first at the simpler case. Imagine it’s just you, your iPad, and a YouTube account. Can you run successful YouTube classes with no other equipment?
Can I Teach Online On Youtube Using IPad Pro Only?
Here’s the short answer: yes! Youtube might not be the most flexible teaching option, but it certainly can be made to work. It’s free, it’s user friendly, and almost everyone you might be teaching has the YouTube app already downloaded on their devices. All strong points in its favor.
All you have to do to teach online using Youtube is to video yourself teaching, then upload the video to your YouTube account. Alternately, livestream your teaching and interact with your students by chat. You can’t put your video behind a paywall, but if you’re looking to make a little side money this way, Youtube does have monetization options.
Your iPad Pro’s center stage makes it easy to use the front-facing camera to take a great teaching video. Using the front facing camera also means you’ll have a virtual mirror right there in front of you, so you can see everything your student will see even as you teach.
Once you’ve got your video, you can edit it in iMovie. If you’ve started and stopped the movie yourself, you’ll likely want to trim off a few seconds at the beginning and end of your clip. Bathroom break? Trim that out. If you’ve found yourself at a loss for words now and then again, you can also trim out those silences.
Those who prefer not to see themselves talking may choose to simply record a voice memo of the lecture they’d like to give. Once you have that, you can create a slideshow of pictures that go with the class. You can also take a screencast of yourself writing on Goodnotes as you would write on a whiteboard. In iMovie, mix this screencast with the voice memo you’ve already created and you’ll have a Youtube video ready to go. Another alternative movie editing software is Lumafusion, which offers professional-grade edits with a very low learning curve.
More Ways To Teach With An IPad
You might be using Zoom instead of YouTube for teaching, and you might have any version of iPad— say, for instance, an iPad Air in a brand new iPad Air 5th gen 10.9 inch 2022 case. No problem! There are multiple ways you can use an iPad for teaching, either with or without a computer.
For instance, many people like to use a combination of a MacBook, iPad, iPad pencil, and the Goodnotes or Notability app to teach on Zoom. They take advantage ofter note taking apps presentation mode, where you get to see your controls and any apps that might open in split-screen. Any external monitor connected— and this includes Zoom— will just see the iPad as a non-distracting whiteboard.
If you’re using Zoom on a computer, taking advantage of this feature on your iPad is super easy. Just connect your iPad to the computer with its charge cable, then start your Zoom class. Choose ‘Share Screen’ and then “Select iPad/iPhone via Airplay’. Choose your iPad by name. Now open the control center on your iPad, choose screen mirroring, and select ‘Zoom-your computer’. That’s it! Your students will see your whiteboard, and you’ll still be a able to manage the call on your computer.
Be aware that some students may be working with small screens— smaller tablets or phones— and ensure your writing is legible even when scaled down. If the material you are covering is too intense to make that an option, let your students know beforehand that they should plan to view your lectures on a larger screen.
Before You Start Teaching Online With The Ipad
While we’re on the topic, here are a few more tips for teaching online with your iPad, whether that be on Zoom, Youtube, or any other platform:
- Do a practice run anytime you plan to use new equipment, new software, or a new teaching method. You don’t want to find out your programs don’t work together fifteen minutes into your lecture.
- Check that your iPad is functioning optimally before you begin— you’ll want full battery and plenty of room in your iPad storage, for instance.
- Prepare a quiet workplace for your class, with minimal background noise and as few visual distractions as possible. Not only will that help you focus on your class, it’ll help your students focus on what you have to say.
- Provide an informative introduction, and give your students a chance to setup their mic and settings the way you’d like them. Have a cheat sheet ready with information on the online learning platform you’ve selected, whatever that may be.
With adequate preparation, teaching online with the iPad can be a rewarding experience— rewarding for you as an instructor as well as the students who learn from your class. No longer is teaching limited to classrooms— with an iPad Air 10.9 Case (4th Gen) 2020 on your 4th generation iPad, you can be sitting on the top of Mount Everest, lecturing to the masses!