Lessons that work on any screen
Education videos here range from full university-style lectures to five-minute explainers. Students watch on phones, laptops and classroom screens, often on school networks. VideoBB streams in several qualities and switches between them, so a lesson keeps playing on a weak connection.
Plan a lesson around one learning goal
State the goal in the first minute: what the learner will understand or be able to do by the end. Then teach it in small parts, and check understanding with a question before you move on.
Practice works on video too. Pose a problem, ask viewers to pause and try it, then show the worked answer. Learners remember more when they have had a go first.
Keep lectures in parts
Long lectures are easier to study in parts. Split a two-hour lecture into topics, or add timestamps in the description for each one. Learners can then revise the one idea they missed.
Slides and whiteboards that read on a phone
Use large text, few words per slide and strong contrast. When you film a whiteboard, light it evenly and avoid glare. Leave each slide up long enough to read.
Lesson formats and how to film them
| Format | Good length | Filming tip |
|---|---|---|
| Full lecture | Split by topic | Wireless mic on the speaker; film the slides separately |
| Short explainer | A few minutes | One idea, one diagram, a clear ending |
| Worked example | As long as the problem | Film the page from above and talk through each line |
Captions are part of good teaching
Captions help deaf and hard-of-hearing learners, students working in a second language, and anyone in a quiet library. VideoBB can generate captions on its own servers, which you then check and correct in the editor. Our guide to captions and subtitles explains the difference between the two.
Getting lessons to students
- Embed a lesson in a class website or course page. Unlisted videos still embed, so the lesson stays out of public feeds.
- Make an audio-only version for revision on the go with the extract audio tool.
- See which lessons get watched, and when, in your hourly and daily channel analytics.
- Put a course in order with playlists, one playlist per unit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I share a lesson with my class without making it public?
Yes. Upload it as unlisted. Anyone with the link can watch it, and it can be embedded, but it does not appear in public feeds or search.
Do captions on VideoBB need editing?
Check them. Automatic captions save time, but names and technical terms are often wrong, so correct those lines in the editor before you publish.