YouTube live in virtual education

Doing a “do my essay streaming” implies that content is transmitted live and direct through YouTube. Currently, the way of transmitting has been simplified. It can be developed even from any mobile device with a camera and microphone, an internet connection, and a YouTube access account.

Among the many advantages of streaming live on YouTube for educational purposes are:

Learning experience
Through live broadcasts, unique teaching experiences can be shared, where the student can, through a screen, visualize situations that generate learning and also be able to share through a text chat their points of view, their own experiences, examples, doubts, and more, from anywhere you are.

For example, in a Marine Biology course, the teacher made a live broadcast of the spawning process of a sea turtle species. The teacher explained the process, shared scientific information, interviewed the turtle supervisors, and finally interacted with student questions in text chat.

Closed transmissions
The platform allows to establish who will be able to see the live broadcast since 3 options can be established: it can be left "public" so that everyone can see it and even interact through text chat, "not listed" so that only the people to whom we share the link can observe and interact, or "private" which in any case would be for personal access.

From the point of view of online education, where a specific academic group is generally served, we usually work with “unlisted” connections so that only the interested people to whom the link is sent are connected.

Having an “unlisted” connection prevents people from connecting in a public way that only “trolled” with meaningless messages or connecting people who do not have much experience and making text chat moderation complicated.

Schedule scheduling
Broadcasts can be scheduled for broadcast on a desired day and time. This is useful for scheduling activities in online courses and sharing the YouTube live streaming link on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and other social series that can support learning; or share the link in an email.

Interaction with text chat
When students are connected to the YouTube live broadcast, they can interact via text chat with other students or with the teacher who makes the broadcast. Learning can also be generated from these interactions, as students can share their perspectives, comments, and questions.

Wide coverage and accessibility
YouTube live has the advantage that it allows many people to be connected simultaneously in the live transmission, all with the option of text chat.

In addition, it can be viewed from a huge number of devices such as desktop computers, mobile phones, tablets, smart televisions, notebooks, and any device that allows viewing YouTube. You only need an internet connection, and if you want to interact, you need to have an account to access the platform.

Statistics generation
The Google platform generates hundreds of statistics that can help the institution or the teacher make live broadcast decisions. For example, the number of people connecting, the watch time, the gender classification of those watching the video, and the region it connects.

You also have access to the comments section, which allow you to get feedback on what users think of the content transmitted; From this information, important decisions can be made to improve the content, the course, the teacher, and even the quality of the transmission and the fulfillment of the learning objectives.

Content recording
The learning experience generated through the live broadcast is recorded on YouTube's servers so that students can consult it later or use the material in other classes at the educational institution.

Having the availability of being able to view the content transmitted on subsequent occasions supports the students' learning work, allowing them to review the contents of the video transmission at their own pace.

Content editing
Like any YouTube video, the content is recorded on the platform's servers after finishing the live broadcast. It can be edited very easily, and you also have the option of adding subtitles to make the content available to people who require accessibility options.

And of course, the video on YouTube can be inserted and shared in different ways, not to mention that the service is free as of the writing of this article.

To make the most of the opportunities that YouTube live provides, here are some recommendations for a good educational live broadcast:

Connection
You need a good and stable internet connection. For this, it is recommended to have a data plan with companies of solid prestige if it is transmitted from a mobile, or Wi-Fi, or cable connection when transmitting from the chair.

Camera
The attractive thing about YouTube is the visuals, so it is necessary to have a decent webcam or a mobile device with an acceptable camera. The details of what is explained can be properly appreciated. Currently, there are compelling cameras; a 720p camera is a good start.

Audio
In addition to the visual, in a live broadcast, you need to listen to the information or experience that the teacher wants to transmit, so you need a good microphone; in principle, it can be the webcam if it is of good quality and transmitted from a closed place.

It is recommended to use a lavalier microphone, a desktop microphone, or an aerial microphone (if the budget allows it) to adequately capture each word of the interlocutors, especially if it is transmitted from noisy places.

For example, a live broadcast of the production process was made from a factory for an industrial production class, focused on a group of future engineers who could ask questions live via chat.

The engineer in charge of the course used a tablet of good resolution and a lavalier microphone so that the experience could be clearly heard. The background sounds of the machines did not overshadow it.

Content script
It is essential to have a script of the content transmitted; it is important to remember that it is life. Any error or failure will be displayed and even recorded on YouTube, so improvising is not recommended.

It is appropriate to plan the order in which the ideas will be presented, whether there will be blackboard shots, screenshots, if there will be an interview, panoramic shots, or other options. It is appropriate to review in advance the order in which the ideas will be transmitted and even carry out trial exercises, especially if the person who transmits does not have much experience.

For example, on one occasion where the process of planting a vegetable was broadcast live for a class of a livestock technician, due to the pressure of time, the person in charge did not plan the content or practice speaking in front of the camera. The transmission began; the technician who had a lot of experience in the area was paralyzed in front of the camera.

Chat moderation
A characteristic of a live broadcast on YouTube is interacting in the text chat with the participating people. At this point, it is necessary to plan how said content will be moderated.

There are several options, depending on the number of participants and the frequency of interactions; In any case, the important thing is to make the rules clear from the beginning of the academic broadcast, including setting out the rules of participation in the planning of the broadcast and remembering them at intervals in the live event.

Among the most common options are leaving spaces destined to answer direct questions in the chat, which can be by intervals of time; for example, every end of the topic or every 15 minutes, or leave at the end of the transmission space for interaction with the teacher.

It is also highly recommended to assign a chat moderator, especially in groups where there are many students since the chat remains active during the whole transmission, and it is not advisable to see the students.

Something common is to assign the person who is a teaching assistant as the transmission moderator. This is in charge of answering the doubts, writing them down, ordering them, and moderating the interactions between the participants.

It all depends on the group; it is not the same to broadcast live with active chat to 15 students of a course, then a broadcast to 125 students of a diploma, where each student from where they are connected to YouTube can ask a question or comment.