Many of the links are affiliate links. You can help support Learning in Hand and my gadget habit by making purchases through these links.
If you're interested seeing the gear I use to produce videos, check out this clickable image.
After years of using the same old clicker as my presentation remote, I've upgraded! The Logitech Spotlight connects through USB or Bluetooth. Its killer feature is that it is an air mouse—I can wave the remote to move the mouse on the screen, and the area around the cursor is highlighted. It's great for pointing out buttons, words, and parts of photos. There's also a button that can black out my screen.
I designed this shirt to help raise awareness for the option to make a copy of a Google document instead of requesting access to the original.
I've used a Brother label printer for years to make stickers that I hand out at my presentations. Brother's P-Touch software makes it easy to add QR codes. A roll of replacement labels is about $13 and yields about 500 stickers (if you use this template I made in P-Touch).
The Cricut Maker marks on and cuts paper, vinyl, fabric, foam, and chipboard from what I design on my computer. I use the Cricut machine for classroom displays, custom stickers, and badges. If you don’t need to cut fabric and chipboard, the Cricut Explore Air 2 is a less expensive choice. I’ve been buying multiple colors of removable vinyl for my classroom walls 10 rolls at a time, and I use use (and reuse) Best Crafts transfer paper.
The ZipSnip is rechargeable and easily slices through cardboard. It’s great for makerspaces. For safety, the handle has to be squeezed and the button needs to be pressed for the blade spin.
Before using a ring light, getting the lighting just right for my videos was not easy. Now I place my smartphone in the middle of the light, and I have a perfectly lit face for videos and photos. It turns out that this kind of lighting is quite flattering. To complete your the setup, you'll also want to get an adjustable light stand, hot shoe adapter, and smartphone tripod mount. You could buy all this together in one kit, but it more expensive that way.
I don’t have a wall I can paint green, so this pull down green screen is handy. Since my screen is mounted to the ceiling with hooks, I’ve added chains to lower the screen 14 inches. The screen is 80 inches wide and 70 inches tall. That’s wide enough for close up and mid-shots (but not great for wide shots).
The iRig HD Mic is the microphone I use with my computer, iPhone, and iPad. It connects to a USB or a Lightning port and does a fantastic job of reducing background noise.
I bought these windscreen foam covers for my iRig Mic HD, and they will fit other handheld microphones as well. They are super cheap and it's fun when my audience notices that I've switched colors.
This cube slips onto my handheld microphone. I can affix logos, web addresses, and social media information to the cube, making that information visible to my audience.
I love this drone! It has a 4K camera, a couple mile range, 27 minute battery life, and very smooth camera stabilization. It can fold down to the size of a shoe, making it great for travel. The Mavic Pro takes stunning photos and videos, and it can broadcast to Periscope, YouTube Live, or Facebook Live.
I’ve been intrigued by 3D printing for a while, but knew nothing about it. After a lot of research and asking around, I bought the FlashForge Creator Pro in April 2018. It does a lot for the price, namely it has dual extruders so that my creations can be printed in two colors.
A clip-on lens increases my smartphone or tablet camera’s field of view from 75° to 110°. The wide angle allows me to capture more of my surroundings in photos and videos. This lens is very high quality and is quite heavy. It comes with a nice protective case.
Putting my iPad, tablet, phone, or microphone into a voice isolation booth significantly reduces background noise and echoes. I use an isolation booth when I record voice overs because it gives my productions a crisp clear recording. One of these would make for an excellent classroom recording center! A much cheaper option is to buy acoustic foam and make your own isolation boxes.
I use the Nootle to mount my iPad on a tripod for recording videos or for using my iPad as a teleprompter. The Nootle is adjustable and fits small Android tablets, iPads minis, and other tablets. It does not expand large enough to hold an iPad Pro.
Beam Authentic is a digital button that can display slideshows and animated GIFs. The screen is 1.4 inches, and you can wear it by using its included magnet or pin. There’s a smartphone app for creating and transferring images to the device. Alternatively, Pin ONE is a slightly smaller digital button at a slightly smaller price.
The Theta S has dual 180° cameras that take seamless spherical photos and videos. You can view the photos and videos in the Theta iOS or Android app or upload to the Ricoh website. You can also upload (after your Mac or Windows computer processes the video) to YouTube for 360° viewing in a Google Cardboard viewer.
If you don't already have a tripod, this one is sturdy and can be adjusted to be very tall or very short. Its three-way pan head allows it to work perfectly with the Grifiti Nootle to mount an iPad or the Square Jellyfish to mount a phone.
I used the Square Jellyfish to mount my smartphone on a tripod.
The Nifty Zip Pod is the tripod I travel with. It's very compact and takes seconds to set up because it instantly springs open. At 48 inches, this tripod isn't as tall or as adjustable as a full sized tripod, but I love that it fits in my backpack.
It's not fun to hold a smartphone for long periods of time when filming video. This hand grip is super helpful. I use a Square Jellyfish tripod mount to attach my iPhone to the grip.
I use a DJI Osmo 2 to stabilize my videos. I've got some amazing shots with this gimbal. It uses motors to stabilize my phone. My videos look so smooth—they look like they were filmed using a camera crane. Unfortunately, I cannot use a microphone with this gimbal because plugging in a mic will cause imbalance.
I carry a lot of little gadgets and cables with me, and Grid-It helps keep them organized. It's a board with lots of elastic straps. I use the largest Grid-It they make, and it can fit my USB cables, power adapter, hard drive, power bank, presenter remote, adapters, and portable speaker. When traveling, I just pull out my Grid-It for easy access to my stuff.
At 8 feet tall, this green screen is very large and needs to lean against a wall. I love that it's collapsible, so I can easily store and transport it.
Proper lighting helps my videos look more professional. My pair of StudioPRO lights are extremely bright, so it's a good thing they are dimmable. Having two light panels positioned correctly reduces shadows. The lights come with diffuser covers, which I help me control the lighting, and the stands are completely adjustable.
These lights are powered by AA batteries and I use them to light myself when I record webinars. I also use them for when I film in front of a green screen. These lights come with a variety of diffuser covers, which I use to control the lighting. The included tripods are very short, so you may need to place them on tablets, chairs, or taller tripods.
I've been using a Yeti microphone with my computers for years. It's great for recording podcasts and voice overs. I've seen it used in lots of classrooms because several students can huddle around the mic to say their parts. Yeti can work with an iPad or iPhone is you use the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. The adapter needs to be plugged into a wall outlet in order to provide enough power to the Yeti.
The Mevo camera is a wide angle 4K camera with iOS software for zooming, panning, and cutting. Mevo works with Facebook Live and Periscope. It's great for live streaming interviews and presentations. When viewers watch, it appears that you have a camera crew working for you, but in reality it's one high-resolution camera image that is being edited live!
JustandGo is designed to hold any iPad or smartphone above a surface so you can use it as a document camera. JustandGo is not as adjustable as the Justand v2, but it is much more compact and portable. Read more about JustandGo.
How about sporting a Learning in Hand premium t-shirt? Pick your color and size from Amazon and get it within a week. Sizes run small, so you might want to order a size larger than your usual.