Tech Savvy Mama

Parenting in the Digital Age

4 Ways to Improve the Background of Your Video Calls

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This post is sponsored by Corning® Gorilla® Glass

Over the last year of the pandemic, we’ve learned things we might not have learned otherwise. We’ve realized our family’s limits spending time together 24/7, managed virtual schooling while working from home, and noticed how important good lighting is for video calls.

But how often have you peered into a colleague’s life through what appears in the frame behind them? Webcams have given us a window into the personal lives of teammates, providing glimpses we weren’t always privy to in the workplace

Now that you’ve spent the past year improving your home office setup, it’s time to pay closer attention to your background. Your webcam and what appears in the frame of your video calls matters.

4 Ways to Improve the Background of Your Video Calls

Here are some tips on how to level up your webcam background game and keep reading for a chance to win Razer’s newest webcam, The Kiyo Pro designed with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3.

Assess Items Appearing in Your Background

I’ve been inspired by a co-worker’s reads in their loaded bookshelf, watched joyfully as kids play on the edge of the webcam’s frame during video calls, and admired the aesthetic of carefully curated wall art and houseplants.

While I’ve learned more about my colleagues through what appears in their backgrounds, my middle school students get to peek into my life too. Every time they log into our online classroom, my Kiyo Pro’s wide-angle lens captures my virtual classroom’s bookshelves. They’re colorful but not too distracting and share a bit of me without revealing too much.  

Students and colleagues see bookshelves a couple favorite photos, books I’m reading, and awards from blogging. The ever-changing array of personal items in the background helps me build connections with my students through things they wouldn’t see if I was teaching from my computer lab. I’ve curated the items in my background to provide a window into my life outside of school and beyond the walls of my classroom.

Here are some tips to level up your background game:

  • Consider perspective- Do you like what’s behind you when you turn on your webcam? If not, consider altering the perspective for the people who are on the other side of the call by changing your position in the room.
  • Adjust placement of items- Once you like the perspective, put yourself in the frame and adjust the items behind you. Move items around accordingly to make your background interesting but not cluttered.
  • Add some color- White walls are stark and not fun to look at during video calls. If you’re sitting against a wall, add color quickly and easily by adding a curtain rod and different colors and patterns of curtains to mix up your background during calls. If there’s a bookshelf behind you, consider the colors of the spines on the book.
  • Keep it interesting- Consistency is nice but it’s also good to switch up what people see, especially if you have regular meetings with colleagues who see the same background. One of my teaching colleagues changes what’s behind her according to what she’s teaching while others have seasonal décor to keep things fun for students.
  • Upgrade your webcam- Not all webcams are the same! Keep reading for how to level up your background by swapping out the one you currently use

Get a Webcam That Helps You Look Your Best

It’s always been important that my students can see, hear, and understand me and my webcam is a critical device to my instruction. I’ve made a lot of adjustments to my at-home classroom throughout virtual schooling. When the pandemic first started and I quickly shifted to teaching online, I made do with the webcam on my laptop.

As webcams became more available, I upgraded to an external one with a microphone but now I’ve upgraded to the Razer Kiyo Pro. The Kiyo Pro’s wide-angle lens captures me in full high definition as I’m providing instruction. The clarity ensures my students can always see me and what’s behind me to keep class interesting.

One of my pet peeves during video calls is bad lighting. The Kiyo Pro designed with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 puts me in the best light thanks to a high-performance adaptive light sensor for imaging in any lighting condition. I appreciate the clarity of Gorilla Glass 3 also provides a high-quality image to ensure I always look my best.

Level Up Your Background Game Wherever You Are

This matters because even though I’m teaching at home now, our school system is shifting to a simultaneous learning model. This means I’ll be providing instruction to students both in the classroom and at home on some days. Other days I’ll be engaging in staff meetings and holding office hours from home.

Since I’ll be teaching at home and in-school, the durability and longevity of glass on my webcam matters since I plan to travel with my devices. I don’t want to sacrifice the clarity for convenience whether at home or school. 

My webcam needs to be portable and durable since it will be commuting along with me.

Enter the Razer Kiyo Pro Background Showdown Contest

Whether streaming, on a work call, or just chatting, the only thing more important than a great webcam is the right background. Corning and Razer invite you to submit a photo from your webcam’s point of view for a chance to win a Razer Kiyo Pro designed with Gorilla Glass 3. The top 3 winners will also get a Razer Iskur gaming chair!

To enter, tweet a photo of you and your webcam background using the hashtag #bgshowdown.

This contest is open to US residents only. Full contest rules can be found here. 

To learn more about Corning® Gorilla® Glass:

Although this post is sponsored by Corning, all opinions are my own and based on personal experiences with the brand over the years. A Razer Kiyo Pro was provided to facilitate this post. This post first appeared on TechSavvyMama.com. If you are reading this post on a site other than TechSavvyMama.com this means the website you are on is stealing my content and violating copyright laws.