Use LED Lights to Brighten Up Your Online ESL Classroom
As an online ESL teacher, lighting is among the few factors you will need to keep in mind while setting up your workspace. In fact, many online ESL companies consider the brightness of your workspace both during the recruitment stage as well as when evaluating your performance. What’s more, you may be asked to improve your lighting setup if the online ESL company you work with thinks it is affecting your classes.
Having good lighting as an online ESL teacher is important. A good, bright ambiance for your virtual classroom ensures your students can clearly see you – especially as you speak and interact with them – and makes you appear professional. Besides, a nicely lit room might also brighten your mood.
Many online ESL teachers neglect lighting, and needlessly pay the price in terms of lower ratings and popularity. Invest in good lighting options and your investment should pay off in better ratings and more classes, and more opportunities.
Improving the lighting in your virtual classroom set up is not expensive, and not difficult to accomplish. The only challenge with lighting is that everyone is going to have unique lighting needs, depending on other factors such as your skin complexion and the current brightness of your workspace. Because of this, we are going to look at different types of lighting solutions for the online ESL teacher.
LED Lights are the Way to Go
LED lights cost a bit more than other types of lighting, but the prices are coming down. Even then, using LED lights costs less over the long-term, as they need to be replaced less frequently, and are significantly more energy-efficient than alternatives. Another benefit of using LED lights is that they can provide continuous light for long periods while not emitting as much heat as other types of lighting. The last thing you want is to teach ESL online for hours sweating buckets because of the heat coming out of your lights. You won’t feel that way with LED lights.
If you use a green screen while teaching ESL online, adequate LED lighting can provide continuous brightness for illuminating the screen.
So, let’s look at the several advantages LED lighting offers over alternatives:
- Longer lasting than incandescent, fluorescent, CFL, and halogen
- Significantly more energy efficient: a 6-watt LED bulb can produce the same amount of light as a 40-watt incandescent bulb
- Give off less heat, making them safer and more comfortable to use
- Higher brightness and intensity than other types of lighting, and as much as 10 times the lumens as an incandescent light with the same wattage
- Wider color range: LED lights offer a wide range of color and color temperatures, making them ideal for adjusting the intensity or warmth of the lighting to suit your desired ambiance
- More reliable and durable: unlike some alternatives, LED lights don’t break easily, thus providing more stability
- Illuminate instantaneously: when you turn on a LED light, the light is at full brightness immediately
- Emit light in one direction: whereas other forms of lighting emit light all around, LED lighting emits light in a single direction, giving you concentrated illumination and little to no light leakage
Getting Your Lighting Set Up for your Unique Situation
Before you go buying a bunch of LED lights, you need to first think about the room or space, and the current lighting situation, where you plan to teach ESL online.
Overhead Lighting
The first thing you want to address is overhead lighting. If you already have bright lighting fixed into or hanging from your ceiling above where you will teach, you will probably need to add minimal lighting close up to get the job done. If not, then you want to first address the overhead lighting, because that is going to have biggest impact on the ambiance of your workspace.
The easiest way to address overhead lighting is to install LED lights overhead. You want to be sure that the lights are facing down, directly above where you sit or stand while teaching online.
Natural Light
Natural light can be a plus, but it can also work against you. Depending on what time of day you teach English online, and where your windows are situated, natural lighting can have either a positive or negative impact on your room ambiance, as well as your own comfort. Natural lighting is not consistent due to time, direction, and weather patterns. You might also feel incredibly hot during summer months, and natural light from behind can actually make you appear darker – or even silhouetted – on screen.
Green Screening
If you intend to use a green screen while teaching ESL online, your lighting setup is even more important. When you green screen, your lighting set up should not only illuminate the green screen consistently, you will also need some lighting to illuminate yourself. Indeed, lighting is just as, if not more, important than the green screen itself.
Everyone will have unique lighting set ups for green screening, so there is no one size fits all solution. At the same time, green screening for online teaching doesn’t require the same expensive equipment as it does for photography or videography. An affordable green screen kit that includes lighting might well get you the results you need. Or you may need additional lighting overhead and on the desk.
Best LED Lights for Online ESL Teachers
We are going to look at different types of LED lighting options you have as an online ESL teacher, as this will better prepare you for considering and setting up lighting based on your specific needs.
LED Shop Lights
LED shop lights are ideal for online ESL teachers who work in a dimly-lit room and need bright overhead lighting. The first step to achieving good, consistent illumination is to start with a well-lit room, and shop lights will give you that. Of course, shop lights are intended for workshops, and while technically your workspace is not a workshop, it is a space where you will require bright lighting.
The single biggest pro of installing shop lights is obvious – you can significantly brighten the room with one or more shop lights. One downside is that you will either need to fix or hang them from the ceiling, which means they do require a bit of handiwork. Another consideration is that you can’t easily move shop lights around. Since you fix them to the ceiling, you ought to be sure this is the spot where you’ll be teaching ESL online for a good long while.
- ULTRA BRIGHT & SAFE: Designed with 30 energy-efficient LED for 360 degree lighting (97 sq.ft coverage), the latest COB technology features 350 lumens, emits softer and brighter light than other LED lantern; Use 3 AA batteries (not included), is safe to touch the fixture with low temperature
- RELIABLE CONSTRUCTION: Made of military-grade and water-resistant plastic, the durable, portable and lightweight build allows you to hang or carry it to anywhere, hard enough to resist external shock
- COMPACT & COLLAPSIBLE: Features foldaway handles for easy suspension and portability, collapsible to store when not in use; Pull up the handles to turn it on or control the brightness, no switches required
- PERFECT GIFT: Ideal gift for children, family or friend, survival kits for Hiking, Camping Trips, Emergencies, Backpacking, Fishing, Storms, Shop; Emergency kits for Car, Home, Outages, Attic, Garage, Backyard, etc.
- ENHANCED ERGONOMICS: Precision-engineered handle and lantern case designed for ergonomic perfection, ensuring a visually striking product that is not only comfortable to hold but also effortless to carry
- AUTO ON/OFF: The decorative night light with special smart light sensor chip will detect the luminance of surrounding environment, make night light turn on automatically at night and turn off in the daytime. Do not need to switch night lite on manually.
- BRIGHTNESS ADJUSTABLE: This dimmable plug in night light are brightness adjustable from 0lm to 60lm with a slide switch. You can choose the brightness you want to cater to your different usage scenarios.
- ENERGY EFFICIENCY: The night-lights with the maximum power consumption is only 1W, which helps save electricity bills and protect the environment. Perfect for bathroom, kitchen, nursery, hallway, bedroom, kids room, baby room, stairway, toilet, etc.Simple design can make your home more cozy and warm.
- PLUG-IN LED NIGHT LIGHTS: the night light plug in design provides wider brightness in the darkness and gives enough light to guide your way when going to the toilet or getting water in the kitchen at night.
- DURABLE & RELIABLE: nightlights made with high quality plastic,this farmhouse night lights has a long lifespan with over 30000 working hours. The well-designed mini outlook is space-saving and does not block the bottom outlet for other devices.
- Realistic Flickering: Experience the warm ambiance of real candles without the hassle or safety risks with our flameless candles featuring realistic flickering LED lights.
- Long-Lasting Battery Life: Powered by long-lasting batteries, these candles provide up to 300 hours of continuous, uninterrupted illumination.
- Convenient Remote Control: Control the candles' brightness and flickering modes with the included remote for effortless operation.
- Safe and Versatile: Enjoy the cozy atmosphere without worrying about open flames, making these candles perfect for homes with children or pets.
- Decorative Design: Available in various sizes and styles, these flameless candles add a touch of elegance to any room or event decor.
LED Puck Lights
LED puck lights are actually intended to brighten up areas like the kitchen or closets, but they can illuminate your online ESL workspace just as well. Puck lights are very inexpensive, but their real advantage is the ability to adjust their brightness to set the right ambiance for your workspace, and this can be done with a remote control. You can also set them to turn off on a timer, and they’re very easy to install – just stick them onto the ceiling or a wall. These low power lights will last for a long, long time.
The major downside of puck lights is they operate on AA batteries, so you will need to replace batteries, and probably need a lot of batteries on hand.
- Upgraded Motion Sensor Under Cabinet Lights: Setting the under cabinet lights on motion sensor mode, they auto-on when human motion is detected within 120°and 10ft in a dark or low light environment, and auto-off after about 20 seconds of no motion detected. No longer have to worry about tripping on the step in the dark trying to turn on the switch
- Always-on Mode: The under counter lights for kitchen can be also be set to be always-on, or off. The always-on feature allows you use the motion sensor lights on daytime for a long time task. It can be used in reading, camping and as a flashlight
- Upgraded Dimmable Closet Lights: The cabinet lights are bright and eye-protection, thanks to 40pcs energy-saving LEDs and a non-glare frosted cover. In addition, unlike fixed brightness of others', our motion sensor light indoor has 5 levels of brightness. So the dimmable under cabinet lighting allows you to brighten them for task like meal preparation and dim them for a motion sensor night light without waking other people up at midnight
- USB-C Rechargeable Under Cabinet Lights Wireless: These under cabinet lights built-in a 1800mAh rechargeable battery and can be easily recharged via type-C cable. Don’t worry about wiring, available outlets or battery replacement like other styles. One full charge can last up to 7-30 days on Motion Sensor Mode(depends on how often you use) and 8 hours on Always-on Mode at 100% brightness. Note that the USB wall adapter is not included
- Easy Installation and Wide Usage: With built-in strong magnets, these closet lights are easy to install, no need for an electrician. It can be adsorbed directly on ironwork surfaces. Or use the included adhesive metal plates to stick on anywhere you want. That also means it’s easy to take off and put back on when it needs a charge. Great under counter lights for kitchen, clooset, cupboard, pantry, basement, stairs, hallway, bookshelf, etc
- Press Control, Easy Operation: Just press the center lens of the LED push light to turn it on and emit soft light. Press it again to turn off the light. Very suitable for the elderly and children, even some pets can use it easily
- Ultra-high Quality Light Source with Soft Lighting: Our under cabinet puck lights have 4 pcs 0.5W 140 Lm/W Ra 90 LEDs output 50 lumens with high CRI. Adopt milky white anti-glare panel, provide soft light to protect your eyes, better for kids and elders
- Battery Operated: Each stick on light is powered by 3 AAA batteries (not included). Wireless lighting, uncomplicated and safe, no worries about the risk of electric shock to children. For extended use, we recommend using rechargeable NiMH AAA batteries
- Split Design and Easy Installation: Just twist it, our touch closet light is easy to remove and reinstall when the battery needs to be replaced. Customized ultra-adhesive pads ensures a stable installation and can be easily mounted on any surface
- Mini Size and Wide Application: 2.76 inch samll size makes our tap light perfect for anywhere you need extra light, such as closet, cabinet, wardrobe, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, classroom, laundry area, hallway, stair, nightstand, drawer, dollhouse, safe
- Home Lighting – Add light anywhere you need it with this 2 pack of LED puck lights! Great for under cabinets; closet; pantry; laundry; work area; garage; workbench; bookshelf; and much more
- Touch Light – Easily turn the puck lighting on and off with a touch – never search for a button again!
- Bright Puck Lights – The 20 lumen; long-life; cool-to-the-touch; and energy-efficient LED means no bulbs to replace
- Wireless LED Lights – Each of the battery-operated puck lights requires 3 AAA batteries (not included)
- DIY Installation – Installation hardware and instructions are included for easy wall mount installation
- Peace of Mind – This product comes with a 1-year limited warranty
LED Softbox Lighting Kits
LED softbox lighting kits are intended for studio use, and you’ve probably seen these types of lights when hiring a photographer for family portraits. Softbox lights are great for online ESL teachers using a green screen, as bulbs provide continuous lighting, and the softbox softens the light reflection, which is ideal for the green screen setup.
Softbox lights can take up a bit of space, so these might be the best LED lights for online ESL teachers who have a relatively spacious workspace.
- 【MULTIPLE COLOR TEMPERATURE & ADJUSTABLE BRIGHTNESS】Provide 3 Color temperatures (2800K, 4800K & 6500K)to create various lighting atmosphere; This Upgraded Studio Light which is equipped with 352 Led beads to make the light more ample and avoid unnecessary shadows. Features a high CRI of 97+ for precise color rendering. Adjust the brightness in a range of 10 to 100% with button up and down on remote to meet different photography circumstances, offering extra lighting for your works.
- 【LIGHT PANEL & POWER CABLE】Extended LED light panel with compact design allows you to carry around conveniently with our durable storage bag. Extended light panel provide a larger area of light which will be more softer. Ideal USB port for powering the device with 5V, 2A Dc wall charger or power bank. Comes with USB-C adapter that allows you to power the device with cell phone or laptop. It doesn't require any stand-alone charger or extra batteries which saves time when preparing for shooting.
- 【HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE TRIPOD】The tripod of the video light adopts durable but lightweight aluminum with powder sprayed layer, looks chic and classic. The light stand can be raised up to 61”. Folded size 17", perfect to store and carry. Adjust the height flexibly with 3 screw knobs loosen and tighten. Attach and detach the light panel easily with the 1/4" threads on the top of the tripod. Loosen the screw on side to rotate the light panel angle in range of 180°, tighten it when get suitable angle.
- 【WIDE APPLICATION】Essential equipment for Photo Studio, Video Recording, Photography, Low Angle Close Shooting, Portrait, Live Stream, Vlogging taking, Youtube Podcast Applications. Light weight and durable design allow you to carry around conveniently and move easily.
- 【Package List & Customer Service】There will be 2 LED studio light panels with cable. adjustable tripod stand for each light panel, 1 user manual, 1 storage bag, 2 USB-C adapters. We offer 1 year warranty, if there is any problem, please feel free to let us know.
- 【Illuminate Your Creativity】 Torjim softbox lighting kit is made of high-quality PET fabric and a foldable nylon cover, which has high reflectivity, softer and even light, and a wider range of illumination. The inner baffle of silver particles built into the lampshade makes the light cast evenly, which maximizes the soft light ability and eliminates shadows.
- 【Energy Efficient Bulbs】 Softbox photography lighting kit is equipped with 85W energy saving bulb, 3000-7500K daylight CFL lighting bulb, which can save up to 80% energy, the bulb not only can work in low temperature environment, but also the bulb life is beyond your imagination. While saving electricity, it also provides constant and even light, providing a good photographic environment.
- 【Sturdy and Reliable】 This studio softbox is equipped with a tripods with independent locking knobs, made of high quality aluminum alloy, and the sturdy locking system ensures that your items are not affected by any wobble during use. Experiments have proved that the tripod can easily resist scratches from hard objects, providing excellent safety, reliability and sufficient stability for your lighting softbox.
- 【Flexibility at Your Fingertips】This Torjim softbox comes with a 210° rotatable head that can adjust the angle according to your needs. It is suitable for photography art, meeting different needs such as photography lighting, live broadcast, video fill light, etc. It can easily create perfect lighting effects for indoor shooting and make photos more attractive.
- 【What Will You Get】Our package contains everything you need: 1 X Softbox, 1 X Remote, 1 X LED Bulb, 1 X 60in Tripod Stand and 1 X Soft Diffuser.
- 【Stepless Dimming & High CRI】Our light box features 112 high-quality LED light beads with a dimmable range of 0%-100%. Easily adjust the brightness for the desired lighting effect. With a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 95+ and no strobe, our lightbox creates brighter, softer lights, resulting in more natural and textured photos.
- 【Multi-angle Shooting】Capture the perfect product features and beauty with our light box photography. Its multiple openings design allows you to choose any photo shooting position.
- 【6 Color Backdrops】Photo box included 6 detachable backgrounds (White/Black/Orange/Blue/Green/Red) made of thick PVC. These sturdy backdrops are wrinkle-free, making it effortless to change background colors and create various shooting scenes.
- 【Assembly in Seconds】Our portable photo light box is designed for quick and easy assembly. With a folding design, it takes only 5 seconds to set up. No brackets, screws, or complicated lighting layouts required. It comes with a durable, waterproof carry bag, making it compact and convenient for on-the-go use.
- 【Advanced Photography】Enhance your photography experience with the special inner reflection board and light diffuser included in our photo booth. These accessories address the issue of highly reflective products and ensure detailed contours. Suitable for photographers of all levels, from beginners to professionals.
- 【Package & Friendly Service】The package includes 1 x Photo Studio Light Box, 1 x LED Lights (112 pcs Beads), 6 x Color Backdrops (PVC: Black/White/Orange/Blue/Red/Green), 1 x Light Diffuser, 4 x Reflection Boards, 1 x User Manual, and 1 x Non-Woven Tote Bag. Our product is backed by a 12-month warranty and lifetime friendly customer service. If you encounter any issues, please let us know, and we will provide a satisfying solution.
LED Desktop Lamps
Most online ESL teachers will probably get by just fine with two LED desktop lamps. Essentially, these are study lamps, so you can use them for reading or other work during non-teaching hours, and then repurpose them for lighting when teaching online. What’s good about LED desktop lamps is that they’re inexpensive, bright, and easy to place on your desk. You can also move them around to get the lighting just right. Some desktop lamps are designed with a clip, which is useful if you want to clip your lamp on to the desk or attach it to your screen.
The one factor you need to keep in mind if you use LED desktop lamps is that they typically emit light in one direction, so you may indeed need more than one lamp, especially if you are using a green screen.
- Look the part: Logitech G’s TrueSoft technology delivers balanced, full-spectrum LED light with cinematic color accuracy for a natural, radiant pro-level look to elevate your game
- Play to your strengths: Litra Beam’s innovative design lets you shape and direct light for a customized look that’s unique to your gameplay
- The ultimate desktop fit: The slim, elegant design goes where other lights can’t, making it easy to achieve professional lighting effects in your gaming space
- Capture your best performance: brightness and color temperature settings (2700K–6500K) let you adjust the light precisely to your liking
- Quick access to your favorite settings: Customize and save presets for easy access to your best looks using the on-board controls, USB or Bluetooth with the G HUB desktop app
- Play all day: Litra Beam has cleared the strictest UL testing guidelines so you can game and stream safely all day long
- Find new angles: The Litra Beam USB desk light features a 3-way adjustable stand and 3 mount points on the light for endless positioning flexibility during gameplay
- 💻Multiple Shortcuts Features: Customize any key scenario: key game action, song switching/volume adjustment, multimedia control, fast forward and fast backward, code copy and paste. All keys are programmable.
- 💻DIY Keyboard and Buttons: Our keypads support customizing the meaning of each keyboard and button, you can start your own gaming journey when you finish the setup after installing the software.
- 💻Cool LED Lights: Full red-green-blue lamp beads, supporting 3 light effect modes: single color, Marquee, and shutdown. with a stronger ambiance and better use experience. USB wired and BT dual mode to use.
- 💻Ergonomic Design: Ergonomically designed to fit the curvature of your hand, and feel comfortable in your hand, this compact keyboard reduces head fatigue, and can greatly improve your work and study efficiency.
- 💻Widely Used: Small and lightweight to carry anywhere, our keypad is not only suitable for gaming occasions, but it can also open folders and launch websites with one click, a good partner for your study and work.
- 8ft of Cree style LED Lights - 150 Lights TOTAL
- Easy Install - Complete Kit - Fits ANY Desk
- FREE U.S. Technical Support (7 days a week)
- Remote Control with Beautiful Colors & Effects
- Lifetime WARRANTY - Satisfaction GUARANTEED
LED Ring Lights
LED ring lights are among our favorite types of lights to use for online teaching, because they’re not as glaring to the eye as other LED lights. LED ring lights are portable, attach to a tripod stand, and are easy to place practically anywhere on your desk. Though more ideal for taking selfies and posting videos on social channels, LED rings lights get bright enough to illuminate your immediate your face for the webcam.
We don’t recommend using just one LED ring light – you’ll need at least two, plus additional lighting overhead in the room. Ring lights are useful for ensuring your students can clearly see you on their screens. They are also handy for traveling teachers. You can neatly pack these into your suitcase as they’re both lightweight and compact, and because they’re flat, they don’t take up much space in your carry-on.
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Finishing Up
Lighting is something you will need to spend some time tweaking and refining as you go with online ESL teaching. There is just no one size fits all solution for everyone, since online ESL teachers work in different types and sizes of rooms, with their own unique atmosphere, have different skin complexions, and may use lighting for green screening.
If you already have a brightly-lit room for teaching online, we recommend starting with two LED desktop lamps. These should be adequate for enhancing your ambiance in front of the webcam.
On the other hand, if you’re working from a dimly-lit room, you’ll want to invest a small amount of money to brighten up the room, and for this, shop lights are great, assuming you are working in a dedicated space in your home.