Best Equipment: Laptop, Headphones (headset), Mouse, and Lights for Teaching Online (with VIPKID or otherwise)
I’ve taught over 1500 classes with VIPKID and have over 1500 Chinese parent followers. I’ve traveled the world and taught from 12 different countries. Here’s the equipment I actually use for teaching online, with VIPKID or otherwise.
Laptop
Lenovo Yoga 910: 2-in-1 Laptop, 13.9″ FHD Touchscreen, Intel Quad-Core i7-7500U, 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR4, Windows 10
This 2017 version is more powerful and cheaper than the Yoga 3 Pro I bought in November 2015 and still use today. It is extremely lightweight and has a great feeling keyboard for typing fast. I used to design computers for high-end video gaming so I’m very picky about internal specs.
I highly recommend these 2-in-1 Ultrabooks. They have the processing power you need to know your equipment isn’t the limiting factor on any lag you encounter while teaching (just close unnecessary background programs), sufficient built-in cameras, and solid-state hard drives (SSDs reduce weight & power consumption and improve reliability — they don’t break easily from bumps or shocks like traditional hard drives). They are a must-have if traveling.
If you haven’t tried touchscreen, don’t hesitate. It makes drawing on the screen with the kids infinitely easy and touchscreens are inherently built to be tapped, bent, and pushed so they won’t take damage as easily as traditional screens. I love being able to fold mine over into a tablet and sit on the couch to read or watch a movie close up, I even use it in a reverse-fold position so the screen is more convenient to tap while teaching full-time in my more-permanent-ish residence (I’ll upload a pic later, this involves the NextStand and external Keyboard below).
(This model has options: a certified refurbished one if you want to save a little $$, I’ve bought refurbished products before and they work great and are covered by the full warranty; also, a 4K UHD screen and 16GB RAM version if you like to edit videos or enjoy viewing in ultra high definition)
HP Spectre x360: 2-in-1 Laptop, 13.3″ FHD Touchscreen, Intel Quad-Core i7-7500U, 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR4, Windows 10
Similar but more powerful than the first, and still pretty light. Same general specifications with a great feeling keyboard for typing fast. The HP has a solid aluminum body and its battery is bigger, these add weight but also make it feel a lot more secure and give you great battery life. Its built-in camera is even better than my Yoga 3 Pro’s, though I believe the 2017 model Lenovo’s is just good.
This is my life partner’s but I’ve used it to teach as a backup and it’s great. She bought it (read: we, I helped her with the research) February 2017 because her work applications require more processing power. Aside from work, we use it for watching movies in bed because it’s battery life is better, it has better speakers, and the connections to TV/Speakers (full-sized HDMI port and still-functioning 3.5mm audio jack) are more reliable.
Lenovo Yoga-300 / Flex 3 / 2016 Thinkpad Yoga 11E: 11.6″ Touchscreen, Intel N3150 Quad-Core 1.6 GHz, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM, Windows 10
Much cheaper than the others, though not as powerful, this fulfills the minimum requirements for VIPKID. I bought my Yoga-300 as a backup when I had to send my main laptop in for repairs and ended up using it for over a month (I got the EU version in Spain, which I think is sold as Flex 3 or Thinkpad Yoga 11E in the US). The screen and camera especially were a little below my standards but it’s OK if you’re starting out on a budget, or as a backup. I recommend investing in one of the others as soon as possible to save yourself a headache.
Headphones and Mic (Headset)
Logitech H390 Headset, Noise-Canceling Mic, 8ft USB Cable
Backup link if those are out of stock
(thanks to Erika Marlene for recommending these on YouTube)
I tried a lot of headphones — I still have multiple pairs around the house I can’t use while I teach. In one way or another, they were each clunky or didn’t entirely work with a variety of equipment. The specs you need are: a long cord so you’re mobile, volume and mute controls on the cord, noise-canceling microphone (look for a SOLID boom arm and directional mic to reduce other problems), and padded earpieces that aren’t too big, heavy, hard, or sweat-inducing. I use these every day, they work well with glasses, are fairly low profile so you don’t look ridiculous, and are comfortable enough for long-time use.
I don’t recommend wireless headphones as audio response time is too important and they make you run an additional program in the background (Bluetooth).
Yes, it’s nice to save a USB-port on our little laptops and use the audio-port, but in the long run, it’s very likely to break. 3.5mm Audio ports are extremely sensitive to static shock and they’ve gotten messed up on every computer I’ve ever owned, so now I only recommend USB. I also choose these over other USB headsets because they do not require running a driver (an additional background program) — some do. See the bonuses below for cheap additional USB ports.
Mouse
Targus BlueTrace Compact Retractable-Cord Mouse
Having done this as a digital nomad, I like travel mice with extendable retractable cords. My former career as a computer gamer gave me the insight that cords give better response time, precision, reliability, and don’t require any additional background programs on your PC compared to wireless. This is a nice, small, well-built mouse (trust me, a lot of these travel mice fall apart fast) with a new type of laser that works on a much greater variety of surfaces (blue laser rather than red).
Lights
Selfie Light Rechargeable, Portable, Dimmable Clip Ring Lights
Yes, selfie-lights. Adaptable brightness, clips right on to your screen, and charges via USB. It doesn’t get simpler than this.
You can use one in the middle of your laptop, they’re a hollow ring so they fit right over the camera. Sometimes I use two, one in each corner of my screen, to improve lighting direction or reduce glare.
Beware of ordering others as very few have the micro-USB charge port, so they run completely on disposable batteries — very wasteful IMO (yes, I accidentally ordered some that can’t charge, the listings on Amazon and eBay lack good descriptions for these cheap products).
Bonuses
USB to Ethernet adapter + additional USB ports
Necessary for the Ultrabooks, they are too thin to have Ethernet ports. If you’re doing computer video-conferencing full-time on WiFi, you’re losing speed and reliability. I use 2 out of 3 of these additional USB ports as well. This one is not the most inexpensive, but it is the one I use because I initially bought a cheaper one that broke. You get what you pay for.
This is what makes the top edge of my laptop screen eye-level regardless of what desk, table, or surface I’m working on, instead of always hoping there’s a pile of books or a box to use. This is the most portable option on the market, there are many imitators but I believe this is the original. The stand is adaptable, sturdy, lightweight and folds tiny to fit in any bag. It saves space on my desk so I can have more props or toys, I use the space under it like a cage so things don’t roll away. I’m even using it right now typing on my lap on the couch and on the coffee table!
10-14ft if you know you’ll be in the same room as the router, and 25ft if not. You may need a 50ft or 100ft cable, but I’d recommend moving your router/workspace so you’re not so far from it as above 40ft you may get visible reductions in Ping (a metric of connection speed & reliability). It does help to roughly measure before you order or run to a store.
Type: Cat6/Cat6a is a good middle ground, they’ll last you a long time as technology continues to improve, and you won’t notice much loss at 100ft (Cat7 is futuristic, Cat5 is outdated, and Cat5e is on it’s way out as internet speeds improve. Check your cables, the type is always written on them). I love these flat cables as they’re more space efficient.
Makes typing lower easy when the laptop is raised by the NextStand, and is really nice for holding up to the kids or banging on to act out Keyboard and Typing! This is the one peripheral that might be OK as wireless/bluetooth.
I really hope these recommendations help. If you’d like to join the VIPKID family they give bonuses for new teachers, click here and use the code 01QBU3 . Please contact me and comment below with any questions or feedback!
Disclaimer: I get a portion of the sales from the Amazon links. The product prices are unaffected, and I’m very grateful if you use the links to buy something as the proceeds help fund this website and other projects, reviews, and advice for the teaching community (see the VIPKID Digital Nomad Facebook Page)!
For the clip-on rechargeable lights, how long do they last before they die? And, can you have them plugged into the USB port charging while you’re using them? Just wondering, as sometimes I teach hours of classes back to back.
Hi Sorenne! Yes, they can charge while you’re using them, and unplugged I’ve had them last at least an hour, though I have not specifically tested to see them run out of power.
Hello,
I have the Yoga. I can only draw or circle in full screen mode in the classroom, but I cant see the stars to award them in full screen. Is there a trick to draw/circle in regular classroom mode? Thanks!
Thanks for asking :). I don’t use it much in fullscreen mode. However, I maximize the browser I’m in and then use “Ctrl +” or “Ctrl -” to zoom in or out on the page to make the parts I want fit.
Thanks for the headphones advice. What supplies do you have in case of power outages?
Good question! I jump on my phone, hope there’s still 3G/4G, and try to hotspot off it (I’ve only worked off a laptop for years so I have no advice on backup power). Sometimes that doesn’t cut it, so I send a message to VIPKID one way or another (teacher app or email) and tell them “power’s out, cancel the current class!” and that I’ll check back in 5 mins before my next class to let them know if power is still out and it needs a substitute teacher / cancelation. They’re very good about removing power/internet outage-related missed classes from your permanent record, you just provide them a link to some news article after the fact that says when/where the outage was 🙂
Hi! I am experiencing a lag in my mic/voice ONLY while using the VIPKid practice room. I have a brand new Logitech USB headset with mic. I’ve tried problem solving every way i know, including adjust computer settings as well as Practice Room settings. Any ideas?
Max I’m using the same Logitech H390 as yourself but am having trouble with receptivity in the practice room after all the settings are confirmed in the settings window. The problem comes when I click the DONE button in the settings window and go back to the practice classroom. At that point and only at that point I have NO SOUND in my headset, but the volume is still being monitored as working in the practice classroom window. I keep contacting ITT @ VIPKID, but the same person keeps sending the same suggestions, which I have checked off as not applicable to my situation. Any suggestions?
OH, my interview I passed in the same situation, but with the SONY MDR-7506 headphones (without built-in microphone), unlike the new Logitech H390. Evidently, sound is being transmitted, but I cannot hear it.
Assisted me a lot, just what I was searching for : D.
Enjoyed studying this, very good stuff, thankyou.
I have a Lenova Yoga 11S and have been having issues with a 7 second delay when on the video. It is from 2013….do you know if it is just maybe not compatible? Thanks for your help!
You may be right, at that age it sounds like it may be too old to keep up with current software.
I appreciate you sharing this blog post.Much thanks again. Keep writing.