Discoveries and Lifehacks: Hardware and Software for Teaching via Zoom

Hardware: Wave 3 Mic

You can have a videoconference without video, but not without audio. Audio is a critical component in all any zoom, WebEx, or Google Meet conference. It is tiring to be on a call all day, but in my opinion, the main contributor to Zoom fatigue is audio fatigue.

Since starting the fall semester, I have been trying various ways to improve my audio quality (you can read about and hear the multiple microphones I have tried in this medium article. I finally settled on the Wave 3 mic from the gaming accessory company Elgato. This is one of the best mics you can get for the price, and it connects directly via USB.

For more on why audio is problematic and developments on the horizon, check out Why Do We Suffer From Zoom Fatigue? It’s All About The Sound.

Hardware: Stream Deck (also from Elgato)
You can do a lot to make your presentations on zoom or other videoconferencing platforms better and provide a variety of views, etc. Both OBS and Wirecast offer ways to mix multiple cameras and images and customize your presentation.

Still, if you don’t have a production assistant to make the transitions while you concentrate on the material at hand, it can be nerve-racking and makes for poor presentations. I initially thought about building a keyboard for automating these transitions, but a student suggested another gaming product: the Elago StreamDeck. This…