Best Equipment for Teaching Online Successfully in 2021

Learn what is the best equipment for teaching online.

Setting up your online classroom doesn’t have to be hard.  Find out what required equipment for teaching online is necessary to get started successfully.

Are you are a recently hired online teacher, or a public school teacher who is now required to teach virtually from home due to the pandemic?

In the online teaching world, there are a few items that are necessary to have a good classroom environment and to give high quality lessons for your students.

It is important to have a fun and beautiful background.  If you teach English online, then part of the parent’s reviews will relate to your classroom environment.  You do not want to have a plain wall for your background in your classroom.

It is also important to have high quality equipment for your lessons in order to give your students a good experience.  You should know which computer accessories for online teaching you will need to have to get started.

(Don’t forget to save your receipts to use for your taxes!)

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Here is a list of the equipment for teaching online classes:

High speed internet

It should be a given that the most essential equipment for teaching online is a stable internet connection to ensure your classes run smoothly without any interruptions.  Even if you have high speed internet, you may still have trouble teaching your classes using a WIFI connection.

If you work from home and have access to the router, I highly recommend hardwiring your computer using an Ethernet cable.  This will ensure you and your students have the best connection during your class.

Despite having a high speed internet connection at my house, I found that at times my screen would freeze and lose connection at times.  Once I started plugging in the Ethernet cable directly from my laptop to the router, I no longer had any further issues.

Computer

The next piece of equipment needed for online teaching will be a computer.  While you can choose from using a desktop, laptop, or tablet, I would recommend using a laptop for your online classes.

Using a laptop over a desktop has the benefit of being able to travel and bring your work with you.  As an online English teacher, I will bring my laptop with me while on vacation and continue to teach my classes while away.

I’d advise against using a Chromebook because some online teaching companies and apps may not be compatible with it.

The Acer Aspire 5 is a great budget friendly option for those who need to purchase an affordable laptop to teach online.  The Apple Macbook Air is on the more expensive side but a top notch option for those who want the very best computer to work with.

You also have the option of teaching using an Ipad or tablet.  Make sure to check with your company that tablets are compatible with their program before making a purchase.

I personally dislike teaching on tablets because of the small size of the screen, but some online English teachers love to use them when they travel because of their size.

One benefit of using a tablet is that if your classroom allows you to draw on the screen or slides during your presentations, it can be easy to do on a tablet using your finger.  Check out Ipads on Amazon.

Headphones

Another piece of equipment needed to teach online is a pair of good quality headphones.  I have used the pair below for over a year with no issues.

You will want a pair of headphones that include a microphone.  Using a microphone will help your students hear you more clearly and will help reduce background noise from your location.

I strongly recommend headphones that are noise cancelling and that include a mute button.  The mute button can come in handy for when a child walks into the room, a dog starts barking at the mailman, or to silence any other background noises that you want to avoid while teaching.

 Find these headphones on Amazon.

Webcam

Most computers come with a built in webcam, but if your computer doesn’t have one, you can also purchase an external webcam to use.

The best webcam to look for is one that records at 1080P.

We personally love this webcam because it has a built in ring light to improve your lighting as well.  You will want to have the best lighting for online teaching.

Don’t forget to check out our list of props for your online classroom (teaching aids) that may also come in handy to complete your virtual classroom equipment.

The above list are the basic requirements for online teaching equipment, but make sure to check with your online company to check for any specific requirements that may be needed before making any purchases.

I hope this list helps you get the right equipment for teaching online successfully.  What other items do you have in your classroom?

Apply to teach English online with Qkids
Apply to teach English online with VIPKid
Apply to teach online with Outschool

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Props for your Online Classroom
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