8 Free & Best Open source Video Streaming Servers Software
Online education has never been more critical than it is today. The ability to learn online has given a new career to educators. In addition, live streaming classes allow students to access educational content wherever they are.
Digital distant learning via paid and free courses would also be helpful during blizzards, hurricanes, and other natural crises as it was during the pandemic.
The internet and live streaming have been key players in the accessibility of online education by eliminating geographic and financial barriers that prevent access to education. With the proper online video education platform and equipment, live streaming classrooms, online lectures, webinars, and other educational content are pretty simple. In addition, class streaming makes sharing educational content more accessible than before. These courses allow students to learn in-demand skills, earn professional certificates, and access world-class education remotely.
Even in the absence of a crisis, distant learning is changing lives for many learners. It truly is opening the doors to the future of education.
Want to teach computer science, photography, science, cooking, writing, music, or soft skills? or interested in entrepreneurship or starting a brand new career at your own pace as an online instructor? This post will examine the setup process and tools required to create an online live streaming classroom. We will also discuss how virtual classrooms are the future of education and why live streaming classes are essential.
You will walk away knowing how to live stream a class and share educational video content online.
Live Streaming Classrooms: The Future of Education
Live streaming classes are the future of education.
Over the past year and a half, the importance of education has become very clear. The pandemic forced many educators to jump into the realm of virtual lectures and remote learning.
Although many schools have resumed their in-person classes, the value of live streamed courses and virtual classrooms still needs to be improved. Teachers, students, and administrators recognize that virtual live streaming can be effective with proper planning and preparation. Live streaming paid or free online certificate courses open up access to the content for learning new skills allowing schools to reach more students through professional certificate programs.
Even schools that return to in-person learning will likely continue incorporating live streaming courses in their classes. Allowing additional students to attend using a live classroom is vital. Subjects such as entrepreneurship and computer science are just as good candidates for remote learning as creative fields such as a photography or graphic design course.
The Importance of Live Streaming Classes
There are many benefits of teaching professional certificate programs via online courses instead of in-person courses. One of the main benefits is that remote learning makes education accessible, even in the face of natural disasters.
Virtual learning also provides flexibility for students who want to attend schools far from their homes, even if they cannot afford to move. Accessibility like that creates new job opportunities for learners around the world to follow their dreams. Access to education is the key to economic growth, and schools that offer live streaming help facilitate economic growth and personal success.
Live streaming classes are also great for students who thrive without the distraction of other students. But unfortunately, the traditional classroom environment isn’t the best learning environment for everyone.
Some other exciting benefits of remote learning via live streaming classes are that it saves time for all parties involved and conserves energy. Both teachers and students have to travel to school for in-person lectures. Between the commute and finding parking on campus, the time adds up. Live courses save everyone time.
Avoiding travel to and from campus also cuts back on energy consumption. Although the conservation may seem small for one person, looking at it through a wide lens shows that the combined effort is significant.
A study by Dita Academy found that switching to remote learning can decrease carbon emissions by up to 85% per student. The same study found that switching to remote learning can cut energy consumption by 90% per student. This impact is significant. The effect is substantial. If you want to impact students and the environment positively, it’s a great way to achieve your personal and professional goals.
How to Live Stream a Class
Physical limitations no longer restrict learning. With the support of a professional streaming platform, educators like you can easily host live courses.
You need to tick a few boxes before you start your first live streaming classroom or online lecture. Then, we will help you quickly learn how to live stream a class.
Here’s the rundown:
1. Collect the proper equipment.
2. Choose an online video education platform.
3. Check your internet connection.
4. Prepare your content.
5. Start your live stream class.
As long as you carefully follow each step, you’re bound to learn how to create educational materials that make your student’s virtual streaming experience feel like they are attending a live lecture.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, we will discuss the five significant steps of conducting live online classes. At the end of completing this tutorial, you will know how to live stream lectures and other educational content.
1. Gather Your Equipment:
Getting a high-quality HD video camera will make your students’ experience better.
You will need a camera and a microphone to host live stream classes. Since an online live streaming classroom replaces real-world learning, the quality should match that of a real classroom.
Here are a few pieces that you will need to invest in:
· Streaming video camera or webcam
· capture card (if using an external camera)
· An external microphone
· Proper lighting equipment (if necessary for filming location)
· An encoder
· A tripod
Unlike many professional live streaming verticals, investing in professional-grade recording equipment is necessary practice for education. If you have 100 teachers recording live courses and course material from their homes, providing everybody with thousands of dollars of equipment will get both expensive and complicated.
However, note that some online courses don’t even have presenters on screen. Sometimes an online class will only have a slideshow presentation on-screen and live audio commentary. You only need good audio equipment if you don’t plan to present yourself on camera.
You can also use the Wirecast Desktop Presenter plug-in which facilitates the live audio stream with screen-sharing capabilities, perfect for capturing and lecturing with a visual presentation.
There is no single best way to live stream a class; the key is to create an educational environment that is best for the material you are presenting.
How to Choose a Streaming Encoder
A high-quality camera and audio-capturing equipment are self-explanatory. However, if you are new to live streaming, you may need to learn what an encoder is.
A video encoder is either a device or hardware that creates compressed versions of your teaching video clips as they are recorded. The purpose of having a compact version is to stream it without buffering or getting grainy, especially if a viewer needs a strong internet connection. In addition, low-latency streaming is essential for a positive viewer experience.
Using encoding software or a hardware encoder depends on your budget and computer speed. Hardware encoders are much more expensive. That’s because they are independent of your computer and run on their processor. However, they are compelling.
We recommend several streaming encoders, including the free and open-source OBS Studio software encoder. Other RTMP options work with Mslive, including VMix and Vidblaster. Telestream’s Wirecast is one of the best available for a more professional software encoder. You can download a free trial before purchasing.
For more information on setting up live encoders, check out the Mslive Encoder Configuration guide.
2. Choose a Live Streaming Classroom Platform
Distant learning might be the norm, so free live streaming for teachers is a handy tool.
With that equipment in place, an essential part of live education broadcasting is selecting the right streaming provider. You want to choose a reliable streaming solution with a
Video CDNs guarantee that your content is distributed all over the globe without clogging your own servers. Mslive partners with the Akamai CDN, one of the best and largest CDNs in the industry, to provide you with a multi-CDN network. Akamai also works with famous and successful companies like Apple and Facebook.
You want to pick a streaming platform that is affordable and easy to use if you’re new to live streaming, choose a provider that doesn’t require any technical knowledge to use their system.
Streaming platforms like Mslive help you start live education broadcasting with just a few clicks. With our highly affordable platform, you can easily stream live video on your website while maintaining control of and rights to your content. Additionally, we have a Zoom live integration which gives you unlimited access to peer-to-peer streaming and opens up the possibility of dialogue with students. When video streaming classes, interaction can help improve the learning experience.
A powerful streaming solution also provides a monitoring and business analytics feature. You want to have access to viewer numbers, behaviors, and engagement. For example, when teaching an online class, it’s helpful to know if your students stayed on the stream the whole time or left before the end. With the right live streaming platform, you will get access to analytics that will allow you to learn how to create the best live stream class.
Also, you want to know if your lesson or material is engaging enough for your students and tailor your lesson plans to your student’s needs and preferences. Video streaming analytics can improve your educational content.
It is a good idea to think beyond the live stream. Determine whether you plan to make the videos available for playback after they have finished. If that’s a capability that you’re looking for, make sure your online video platform has video-on-demand (VOD) capabilities.
Another thing you should take into consideration is the degree of privacy and security capabilities of your OVP. Some broadcasters choose to publicize their live streams; others only give access to specific students. The decision ultimately comes down to whether a public or private live stream classroom makes sense for you.
We will compare 10 of the best live streaming classroom platforms later in this post.
3. Tailor Your Educational Content
Convert your lesson plan to make them work on the camera.
Educators work hard on their lesson plans. They use their years of training and experience to create engaging materials and lectures that resonate with their students. However, switching from traditional lessons at school to live-stream courses takes a little extra work.
Think about the way you present information. If you use whiteboards or smartboards, you’ll have to figure out how to get that all in the camera’s view without distorting it. You could do screen-recorded lectures with voice-overs, or maybe you need to adjust your whiteboard so that the camera captures it.
Only minor tweaks are required, but these things should be tested and prepared before you go live.
In addition to preparing the content, it is vital to remain confident. The uncharted territory might be intimidating, but you must present confidently because your students will feed off your attitude. When video streaming classes, your confidence in your material enhances the classroom experience.
Even if creating video lessons is not the norm for you and your organization or team of teachers, online learning can undoubtedly be effective. That’s something to remember, especially if you’re skeptical about the transition.
For example, video in an educational context can facilitate learning and improve collaboration. It can also increase student engagement and the teacher’s effectiveness.
According to the American Public Broadcasting Service’s (PBS) annual teacher survey on media and technology, the majority of teachers believe that video is an effective excellent learning tool:
· 68% believe that video stimulates discussions
· 66% believe that video increases student motivation
· 41% believe that video increases student achievement
Among other use cases, we can observe this trend in the increasing popularity of massive online open courses (MOOCs). Companies like Coursera, for example, have offered edX courses and free online courses from top universities like Stanford, Harvard, and MIT.
The preference towards this learning style and free courses should be taken as reassurance that young students enjoy learning online, and no students know better than those eager for class. Moreover, students today are ready for live stream teaching environments.
4. Secure Your Internet Connection
A stable internet connection is vital for any live stream. Live education broadcasting is no exception. Therefore, you want to ensure your content reaches your audience without glitches or latency issues.
Blank screens, lagging, and sudden interruptions to the stream can be a source of great distraction for both students and educators.
Your internet connection needs to reach certain speeds to stream at a high quality. Therefore, we recommend that you reach at least 750Kbps to 2Mbps. We also advise that your internet connection be twice as fast as the speed you want to stream.
For example, if you want to stream at 1Mbps, your upload speed should at least be 2Mbps. You can test your internet speed at SpeedTest.net for free. A quality internet connection is essential for a low-latency classroom live streaming experience.
5. Start the Live Classroom Stream
Choosing the perfect live streaming platform makes a difference in your students’ digital classroom experience.
Once you have collected and set up your gear, please set up your online video education platform, check your internet connection, and prepare your lesson. It’s time to start your live stream.
Here are some broadcasting tips for how to conduct live online classes:
· Speak slowly and clearly
· Consider simultaneously running a discussion board so students can ask questions and participate.
· Pause to check interactions
· Use the restroom before you get started
· Have water nearby
· Make sure your devices are charged
· Wear a plain shirt (no stripes, plaids, or anything distracting)
Once you’ve ticked all these little boxes off your list, the most important thing is to relax and have a little fun. Of course, your goal is to educate, but letting your personality shine will help students connect with you better. The best live streaming classrooms feel authentic.
Final Notes
Whether it is because of school closures or personal preference, distance learning is an excellent alternative for students outside of the classroom. In addition, live streaming classes expand educational and career opportunities.
These five steps will help you create the most effective live streaming classroom possible. Your students will pick up on your preparedness and take your live streaming classes much more seriously than if you conferenced everybody on a primary video chat platform.
Choosing the best live streaming classroom platform for your school and students is essential if you want to achieve the most with your virtual classes. We recommend using free trials to find the best platform for your institution’s needs.
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