As you may know I teach a small variety of movement classes online. I am so fortunate that some of the students I taught in person wanted to keep moving and they were willing to do it online via Zoom. For me, part of the draw of doing it live via Zoom is that I get to see the students. I feel more connected to them when we are all online together and I am doing a live class. When I teach I have Zoom set to “gallery” so I can see all the students. But I feel I need to emphasize that having the camera on when you attend a class is not necessary. There are days when having the camera on may not work. I want to make sure that people know that they have that option.
I know there were some days when I just got up in enough time to take a class (when I am attending someone else’s class) and I don’t want to have the camera on. Sometimes when I am taking a class I don’t want to set up the computer at just the right angle in just the right spot. Sometimes it is easier for me to just have it where I can see the monitor and I don’t want to be concerned with what the instructor – and everyone in the class – is seeing. There are a million reasons why you may not want the camera on and that is ok. It is actually really great that we can “show up to an exercise class” and we don’t have to be concerned with what we look like or how bad the traffic is.
Having the camera transmit the video is optional and it can change every time you take a class. In my classes I want to make sure no one is feeling pressured into having the camera on. I know sometimes when I am taking a class with hundreds of people I am confident no one is really going to be focused on me. I have small classes so chances are if someone has it set to gallery they are going to see you so it is completely up to you at the time of the class.
There are a lot of reasons why a student might sign on and say hello, then once we start moving turn the camera off . . . again, it is all up to you and how you want to do it that day – that class.
And, if you want to ensure the camera is not able to see what you don’t want it to see you can always buy something cover it with something like the little covers I bought. I really like those because even if you don’t have your camera on transmitting . . . it is still on.
Having a camera transmit during class is a person choice and there is no pressure to have it on. Check my website for my class schedule.
Cheers!
Terre Pruitt's Blog 