Backgrounds in a Videoconference
January 14, 2008
As we get ready for Read Around the Planet and our spring student projects, think about what is behind you when you videoconference. Here is an example of how a background should NOT look.
I know that it is not always possible to pick what is behind you…yes, if you have connected to our office you have seen our desks! Trade show curtains are portable and professional looking…and expensive for K-12 schools. So I started thinking about a low-cost (yes, CHEAP) alternative for K-12 schools.
Here is the Wal-Mart version: A garment rack and a navy twin sheet ($20)
The color is perfect, but the size only works for one speaker.
Here is what it looks like assembled.
Other ideas are to use two rolling racks or to get the high school Ag/shop students to build something out of PVC pipe that is mobile and a bit taller than the garment rack. What else have you seen that works well as a backdrop that is portable and inexpensive?
Posted in Read Around the Planet, Staff Development
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Rox!! You rock! What a great idea!!
Janine
[...] So…what does this mean for those of us that are committed to using room-based, H.323 systems? One thing I am thinking of is to create some training session using this. I know we can use the fancy-schmancy recording devices for videoconferences do a better job of capturing the speaker on the screen and the remote sites, but they are expensive. If you have worked with Shane and me, you know that we are on a limited budget and are always finding low-cost solutions. [...]
um, err. Well, we just pin a black sheet on the wall behind us and decorate it according to the theme of the VC. (We got a queen size, though, for two people, hehehe)
Hmm…y’all must have some fancy new-fangled walls…we have a lot of cinder block walls so I was looking for something portable. Of course, then you have to move it and then you have to store it and then you have to find it.