When the pandemic closed us all down, I started going LIVE on Facebook to talk to my friends all over the United States and world. Facebook LIVE was fun, and using Zoom was okay until my friend and fellow educator, Mandy Froehlich, encouraged me to try StreamYard. I tried it’s free version, then the Basic version, but now I use its PRO version and I LOVE IT!
I use StreamYard to go LIVE in the Alice Keeler Facebook Community all the time. I interview other educators and authors. StreamYard allows you to connect to several different social media channels, including YouTube, so now I can even turn my LIVE videos into a podcast (one of these days I just know I will).
Like everything else, with more practice, there is growth. Before I go LIVE, I create a graphic using Canva to share on my socials. I also use these graphics as the StreamYard overlay when I am LIVE with that person. But I don’t like how it looks sometimes. Depending on how many people are going LIVE with me, sometimes the overlay made the overall picture look too busy or a little funky.
So…I finally realized I can make a generic background on Canva from the same design set I used to make the announcemnt graphic!! That means I don’t have to update my overlay every time I go LIVE, unless I want to make it a little more personal to whomever I am interviewing.
Why Go LIVE?
Going LIVE or recording a conversation about education, the state of the world, or just highlighting the hard work of others is a fun and purposeful way of using StreamYard. Using Canva to create graphics makes it feel more professional.
You can do this, too! Go LIVE with your hobbies and share with others who have similar interests. Make a class YouTube channel! StreamYard can help you create a school broadcast even while you are in remote learning. You could also use StreamYard to help your students learn broadcasting and design skills along with learning how to interview others. It’s FUN and it will create extremely memorable learning moments.
Try it!
About the Author
Melody McAllister is a wife, mother of five, educator, and author. She and her family relocated to Alaska from the Dallas area in 2019. McAllister is 2017 Garland NAACP Educator of the Year and author of the I’m Sorry Story. She is also the Logistics Manager for EduMatch Publishing and Alice Keeler, LLC. McAllister has spoken at ISTE and ASTE about equity issues in education, and writes about her journey in her blog, HeGaveMeAMelody.com. If you would like to schedule an author read with your class, please contact her on Twitter or email her at melody@mjmcalliwrites.com.
Join Melody’s BookChat every Wednesday at 8pm EST at YouTube.com/melodymcallister
