10 Reasons You Need ManyCam When Teaching English Online

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ManyCam is an easy-to-use software that allows you to enhance your video feed while teaching English online. Gone are the days of worrying about keeping your background tidy and having just the right lighting. ManyCam gives you any virtual background you’d like. Want to teach from the beach? No problem. Have a class about the ancient Romans? Teach from the Colosseum if you’d like. Cluttered desks covered with props are a thing of the past. ManyCam gives you access to more digital props than you’ll ever need.

Today we are going to share 10 different ways you can improve your online English classes using ManyCam. All of these tips are extremely customizable based on your personal preferences, student’s ages, and the lesson of the day. As you are about to learn, there are many reasons to love ManyCam!

Check out this video by Teacher Joe where he goes through all the features of ManyCam outlined in this article.

#1 - ManyCam’s Virtual Backgrounds

One of ManyCam’s most useful features is the green screen function. The green screen option allows you to change your background with just a click! 

There are a variety of backgrounds to choose from. You can make your background the country or the city, whatever fits your mood for the day. You can even create a custom background from your own pictures. If you really want to impress your students, you can create a background based on the theme of your lesson.

You don’t actually need to have a green screen to utilize this function, though it will work best with one. Try using any brightly colored background, as those tend to work best on camera. If you don’t have a green screen or a bright space, you can also use the blur function to hide your background.

Creating a virtual background with ManyCam.

#2 - Class Countdowns

This feature shows your students when the class will start. Students are often very excited to begin class and it’s not unusual to get a barrage of chat messages when they are. “Teacher, are you there?? Hello? Where are you???” By adding a countdown timer, they can see when you’ll start and wait patiently.

You can even add a pre-class screen that has moving pictures and a nice message for your students to read next to your countdown. This is completely customizable and helps you interact with your students before you’ve even entered the classroom.

An example of a class countdown with ManyCam.

#3 - ManyCam’s Virtual Props

By utilizing the effects option, you can add fun new elements to class. You can have pictures that move and even act out little scenes with them. There are animals, food items, buildings, and even more options that you can add from the library.

Most online English teaching platforms require that you utilize props while teaching and virtual props are a great option. ManyCam has so many fun props that you’ll likely stop using physical props altogether! 

Don’t just explain, show them with ManyCam’s virtual props.

#4 - Use Your Own Images

You can share pictures of yourself in your day-to-day life as a personal way to connect with your students. This option makes it easy to share your trips, pets, favorite places, etc. The more personal you make your classroom, the more interested your students will be.

Kids love to know more about their teachers and will appreciate the time you take to introduce yourself. You might even find your shyest student becomes willing to ask you questions about your life once you start sharing your own photos!

Show students photos from your personal life with ManyCam.

#5 - Virtual Face Accessories

This is one of the most interactive effects and the kids (especially younger ones) will be extremely surprised to see you wearing them. Some of the accessories hover above your head, such as police hats or crowns. Others act as a full face mask, allowing you to transform into animals! 

These act very similarly to the filters you find on social media apps like Snapchat or TikTok. Simply select whichever visual effect you would like to see and it will follow you as you move. 

You can even create your own custom virtual face accessories with ManyCam.

#6 - Use ManyCam to Draw on Your Face!

This is a very creative option that allows you to really direct your student’s attention to particular parts of the screen. For example, you can draw a circle around your face and use the paint fill option to change the screen to a completely different color.

Alternatively, you can use the drawing function to write letters and other visuals that would help your students understand the concept you are teaching. This feature acts very similarly to a virtual whiteboard, so you are only limited by your imagination!

What a hilarious way to demonstrate parts of the face!

#7 - Distortion Effects

Distortions are special effects that change the way your screen looks. For example, you can choose a distortion that makes you appear bigger or smaller. Fun ones include the swirl effect, which twists your whole background as you move! 

These are a bit less educational than the other effects, however they are great for getting students to laugh, and therefore building rapport. These effects are extremely exciting for students to see, so you can even use them to quickly recapture their attention if they’ve lost focus in the lesson.

Sometimes you need to just forget the lesson and build some rapport. Try it using ManyCam’s distortions.

#8 - Add Classroom Borders

Borders are a great way to make your classroom kid-friendly. Almost every online teaching platform requires you to have borders and ManyCam makes them fun. You can download a variety of borders and even make your own combinations. These are great to showcase the seasons or upcoming holidays, for example. Setting a border with colorful letters floating around your head is a surefire way to let nervous young learners (and their parents) know they have nothing to be afraid of.

ManyCam’s border effects will make you appear friendly and approachable to younger learners and their parents.

#9 - Easy Cropping and Zoom Effects

If there are specific parts of your background that you don’t want to be seen, then the cropping option is a useful tool as well. This is a great feature for teachers who travel, or for those who simply don’t have a regular location to teach from. Furthermore, you can zoom in and out so that you can control how much of your background is visible.

Cut unwanted things (like your microphone, or your cat) from your video feed with ManyCam’s crop and zoom effects.

#10 - Reward Systems

When you are teaching English online to young students, a reward system is a must! This keeps them motivated and reassures them that they are on the right track. In fact, it is mandatory at many of the online English teaching companies. You can give stars or other rewards that can be related to the topic of the class.

If the school you are teaching with already has a reward system, then you can easily add that to ManyCam as well. Just search through the library to see if the images you need already exist or add your own directly from your computer.

Using ManyCam to create custom reward system based on the lesson.

There are many reasons to love ManyCam

As you can see, ManyCam is an extremely useful tool for any online English classroom. 

With so many ways to customize your video, your students will never be bored.

Making classes fun is the best way to make your kids excited for learning and eager to participate in class. Your lessons will fly by and your students will always look forward to seeing how their classroom changes.

Give ManyCam a try and we’re sure you will love it just as much as we do!