My home office

You can get a lot done in Educational Technology with just the gear you have, but a little investment goes a long way. In my case, I made a large investment, one piece at a time, over a long time, and I’ll list my own gear and my own experiences below if you are interested.

Disclaimer

Some links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click on the links and make a purchase, I may get a commission (at no cost to you). I only link to products I own or have used and would recommend. My recommendations are entirely based on my experience.


Elgato Stream Deck

The Stream Deck is absolutely transformative for my workflow, both in teaching and in other activities. I started with the standard 15 key model, and then graduated to the 32 key model. I use it on all platforms: Windows, MacOSX and Linux.

Stream Deck XL

Stream Deck XL

Find on Amazon

This is my main Stream Deck. 32 customizable keys, works on every platform (even Linux, with open-source software!) and fits in every workflow.

Stream Deck

Stream Deck

Find on Amazon

The original Stream Deck. A great device. 15 customizable keys.


My teleprompter setup

Desview T3 teleprompter

Desview T3 teleprompter

A terrific teleprompter
Find on Amazon

Neewer F100 7″ camera monitor

7″ Camera monitor

An excellent camera monitor for a teleprompter
Find on Amazon

Lilliput A11 10.1″ camera monitor

Lilliput A11 10.1″ monitor

This is my current teleprompter monitor
Find on Amazon

Orei 4K seamless HDMI switch

Orei 4 in 1 our seamless HDMI switch

I use this to use my camera monitor as both a teleprompter and a second monitor
Find on Amazon

Audio (mics, interface, speakers, and headphones)

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen

Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen

The perfect two-input starter audio interface
Find on Amazon

Shure MV7 USB microphone

Shure MV7 USB

I don’t own this, but it would be my #1 recommendation for someone who wants to pay a little more for a mic but doesn’t want to invest in an audio interface
Find on Amazon

Disclaimer: I don’t own this mic. However, not everyone wants to go overboard on gear like I have. The Shure SM7B is a legendary dynamic broadcast/podcast microphone. The Shure MV7 is designed to approach the sound of an SM7B without requiring a separate audio interface. It’s clearly not as good as an SM7B, but it is very warm and natural-sounding compared to many other entry-level desktop microphone

Earthworks Ethos condenser mic

Earthworks Ethos

An insanely good microphone
Find on Amazon

Bubblebee Sidekick 2 earpiece

Sidekick 2 earpiece

Sidekick 3 now available.
Sidekick 3 on B&H

I really, really dislike the look of huge headsets on live streamers. The goal of remote sessions is to be hear and be heard: invisible earpieces like the Sidekick do the job without changing your natural look.

KRK Rockit G5 R4 studio monitors (pair)

KRK RP5 Rokit 5 G4

The perfect studio monitor pair
Find on Amazon

The perfect speaker pair

Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun microphone

Sennheiser MKH 416

The gold standard shotgun mic
Find on B&H

This used to be my main mic, and is still the mic I use if I don’t want a mic in the frame. However, my usual recording space is quite small, and the fan noise is often picked up by this superb mic, so I wanted something with a more localised pickup pattern


Lighting

Dazzne D50 desk lights

Dazzne D50 desk lights

my main lights for recording
Find on Amazon

I’ve used these lights for a year, and they are cheaper than Elgato lights. They work well most of the time, but once in a while one of the lights will become very bright and towards the red end of the spectrum. caveat emptor

Hue Play lights

Hue Play lights starter kit

My background lights
Find on Amazon

These are really fun and versatile and can be controlled from the Stream Deck. I linked to the Starter Kit because a Phillips Hue Hub is required

Connectivity

Elgato Cam Link 4K

Elgato Cam Link 4K

The gold standard capture card
Find on Amazon

Elgato Cam Link Pro

My desktop capture card

Internatl, 4 HDMI inputs
Find on Amazon

BlackMagic Decklink Quad HDMI

BlackMagic Decklink
Quad HDMI capture card

An alternative to the Cam Link Pro;
I have this in my Linux desktop
Find on Amazon

Cameras and lenses

I don’t know much about photography or videography, but I liked the auto-focus on the Sony alpha series, and I liked the smaller factor and lower prices of APS-C instead of full frame. So I am firmly in the Sony APS-C camp, with three mirrorless cameras and a mix of lenses. Delighted with the ecosystem.

Sony Alpha A6600

Sony a6600

I use this with a Sigma 16mm lens
FInd on Amazon

Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens

Sigma 16mm f/1.4 lens

Lens for my main camera
Find on Amazon

Sony Alpha A6500

Sony a6500

I use this with a Sony 18-105 lens
Find on Amazon

I use this for my overhead camera

Sony 18-105 f/4 G OSS Lens

Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens

I use this with my a6500 for overhead
shots
FInd on Amazon

Sony Alpha A6400

Sony a6400

I use this with my Sigma 30mm F/1.4
FInd on Amazon

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens

Sigma 30mm f/1.4

A great portrait lens
Find on Amazon