Teacher Mr. Gerold has been looking for new ways to reach his students and impart knowledge to them. He found them on platforms usually known for gaming: Twitch and YouTube.
The Corona pandemic and the associated lockdowns have moved many professions to home office in order to reduce the risk of infection. This also included teachers, who held their lessons via Zoom or similar services.
One of these teachers was Alex Gerold from Cologne, who took a step further. To accommodate his students, he began uploading videos of his lessons to YouTube and also streaming on Twitch.
We talked to “Mr. Gerold” in an interview about his streams.
“At the beginning, the videos were only intended for my students…”
MeinMMO: Hello! Please introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you? What do you do for a living and in your free time?
Alex: Hey, my name is Alex Gerold, I am a vocational school teacher and IHK examiner from Cologne. I mainly teach in the training occupation of office management clerk. When I’m not at school, I do a lot of sports, meet friends, or cheer for FC Cologne in the stadium.
MeinMMO: You run Twitch and YouTube channels on your teaching topic. How did you come up with the idea to specifically start streaming?
Alex: Many teachers switched to tools like Zoom during the pandemic period. During the Corona pandemic, we conducted online classes with Microsoft Teams. That worked great, but I wanted to give my students the opportunity to access the learning content at any time, independent of class time.
That’s when I quickly thought of YouTube, and “Mr. Gerold” was born. At first, the videos were actually only intended for my students, but as it often goes (laughs).
By now, the videos have 2.5 million views. The idea of Twitch came to me accidentally while channel surfing on YouTube. I saw that many YouTubers like Montanablack upload their live streams from Twitch to YouTube. That’s how I got into Twitch and thought that this platform is perfect for providing live tutoring to a wide audience.
MeinMMO: You started with relatively short explanatory videos on various questions. What kinds of formats have you tried since then?
Alex: At the beginning, I made many short videos with a maximum runtime of 10 minutes. Sometimes that’s not so easy and certain things can’t be explained or related in such a short time.
That’s why I also created some longer videos that worked surprisingly well. It’s important that you don’t make the videos boring, but use practical examples and explain things as simply as possible.
Once, I made a quiz series. I was out in the woods on a treasure hunt, and the viewers had to help me solve various puzzles with lesson questions. I had a great time, but the videos weren’t clicked as often (laughs).
“It’s unusual at first to stream on Twitch in front of 200-300 viewers”
MeinMMO: How does feedback from your viewers influence the content on your channel? Can they suggest a video on a specific topic, for example?
Alex: I regularly conduct surveys on YouTube, Twitch, or Instagram. You can already tell that certain topics come up frequently. These include accounting or booking entries. The response is also greater for these topics. I generally have close contact with my community and try to answer all messages as best as I can.
MeinMMO: How does teaching and tutoring via YouTube and Twitch differ from regular frontal teaching via Zoom from your experience?
Alex: It’s unusual at first to stream on Twitch in front of 200-300 viewers you don’t know while teaching only your class on Teams. But surprisingly, you get used to it quickly, and the same people keep popping up in the chat, so a sense of group forms quickly.
Of course, normal online lessons with the class are different and more intimate just because of the microphone function, but the fun factor on Twitch is quite high with the chat function and various tools like giveaways or quizzes.
MeinMMO: What advantages and disadvantages do you see with Twitch and YouTube for your work?
Alex: I believe the biggest advantage is the recognition and popularity of the platforms among young people. It gives me great pleasure to do something meaningful, and I am thrilled with all the positive messages that I receive daily.
At the same time, however, the pressure also increases to meet the demands and expectations of the viewers. Many forget that this is my hobby and I am not a full-time streamer or YouTuber. I am still a passionate teacher in the classroom.
Teaching channels don’t get enough attention
MeinMMO: What difficulties do teaching channels face?
Alex: The loyalty of the viewers understandably only lasts as long as the education lasts. Why should you rewatch the learning videos afterwards?
Furthermore, there is unfortunately not much media and political attention for teaching channels. Totally undeserved. YouTubers like Lehrer Schmidt or Daniel Jung have saved the behinds of a whole generation of students.
Social media is also always entertainment. We live in a consumer society where everything has to be fast and entertaining. This is difficult for teaching channels (Mr. Lawyer does it very well).
MeinMMO: Your channels originated in connection with the Corona pandemic. How do you see your future now that restrictions have been lifted?
Alex: Corona was definitely a boost for the videos, but I still believe in the concept.
I recently started a podcast. I’m also experimenting with TikTok. Dance videos with my students, for example, cringe (laughs).
I don’t have concrete plans. I will keep going as long as I have fun with it. Right now, I’m having a lot of fun, and the positive feedback motivates me to keep going.
MeinMMO: What tips would you give to teachers who want to connect more with their students?
Alex: Just do it! And above all: Use the platforms that the students know. Exchange ideas with your students and ask them for their opinions and wishes. That’s the beauty of the teaching profession: You are very close to your target group.
We sincerely thank Alex for the interview and wish him continued fun and success with his activities on Twitch and YouTube.
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