What’s up friends?
Hope everyone is doing well!
FYI – This is not my normal Phys Ed content blog post. If you’re looking for games and things like that, check out some of the other content we offer.
In this post we’ll be going over the technology toolkit I carry everyday in my backpack.
I wanted to give you a tour of what’s in my backpack. This is the backpack that I carry around daily and take with me on any trip where I’m doing presentations for Phys Ed at a conference or something like that. It’s also the backpack that I run my entire website and business out of.
Hope this is super-helpful for you. So, let’s get started with a not-so-quick review of what my backpack’s packing!
I’ll be providing links to everything I talk over that’s available online.
Hopefully, you’ll find a tip or something that helps you in your teaching or a presentation.
You can check out the video below for a full walkthrough of the technology toolkit I carry around with me everyday.
For all the links in the order mentioned in the video you can check out the breakdown of the tour below, you can also view the video on Youtube and check out the description for time coded links if you want to skip to a specific topic.
Also since shooting that video I’ve discovered this cool external hard drive pocket that you can attach to your laptop for more storage
There are links on our Amazon Page if you’re interested
The Backpack
My backpack is fine, but honestly nothing special (it’s a 28 Liter Patagonia Petrolia Pack that’s no longer in production).
However, I’m excited to tell you about what’s inside.
All the organizational things I’ve found to be necessary or at least very helpful over the years.
Most things in my pack are there because I didn’t have at a conference presentation that left me scrambling around and borrowing things from other presenters or canceling something I had planned to do.
Sidepockets
Water bottle on one side. Coffee cup on the other, for my daily cary.
The mug I use is one of my favorite things.
It’s a great Yeti knock-off. Keeps the hot drinks hot and the cold drinks cold.
The coolest thing about it is that you can put a 12-oz can into it, screw a grommet on top of it, and you’ve got a can coozie. It will also holds 12 oz bottles. I love it because it’s a versatile product that can be used for any kind of drink.
Laptop Sleeve
This is a pretty basic backpack. It has a laptop pocket on one side. I carry a 15-inch Macbook Pro in there, in its own laptop sleeve for some extra padding because I’m super paranoid that my laptop’s gonna get messed up when I set it down on the ground.
Inside the backpack is a giant opening with not very much organization. Because of that, all my stuff was always jumbled up in there.
Top Pocket
The top pocket is my junk drawer with quick-access things.
I keep my small wireless Bluetooth headphones (Beats 3).
Bluetooth headphones changed my life in so many ways to allow me to comfortably listen to things in the gym, when I’m on a walk, on a skateboard ride or a bike ride, listening to podcasts or audiobooks all the time.
It’s allowed me to take in so much more information on the go, comfortably. Basically, it allows you to turn your phone into a traveling university so you can learn more everyday about whatever it is that you’re interested in.
Other random stuff in the quick access pocket:
- Hot tea for those late-night work sessions
- Some post-notes and some extra phone chargers
- A tripod mount I can hook my iPhone into with metal thread mounts that won’t break like many of the plastic ones I’ve tried in the past.
- Most of my youtube videos are shot with my iPhone.
- If not my phone, I shoot on my Canon 70D with a Takstar Shotgun Mic.
- On the back of my iPhone, you may notice a Batman Pop Socket Ring which is awesome for not dropping your phone
- Granola bars and some Emergen C Hydration Packs
- Cell phone battery pack for when your phone is dying at the most inopportune time. The one I have isn’t available anymore, but I personally like the smaller ones that are about the size of a phone, like this one.
- Mints… first impressions matter people
- USB-C adaptor for my new Macbook, since it only has USB-C inputs.
- Paperclips, pens, pencils.
What’s In the Big Pouch?
A Bluetooth speaker, JBL Flip 4. I’ll only carry it when I’m going to a conference (also great for a bike ride as it fits in a water bottle holder perfectly.
A lot of times at a conference, they’ll have a speaker that you can hook a mic into. I like to play music also out of that speaker.
I’ll hook a Bluetooth receiver into the PA speaker for my music, and I’ll use the Flip 4 for my computer audio, so I don’t have to shuffle out unplugging and replugging any wires in the middle of a presentation.
My Favorite Thing: The Electronics Organizer
This electronics organizer saved my backpack.
Inside the Organizer Top Pocket (Smaller):
- Adaptors from USB C to HDMI and VGA
- Whatever computer you have, you’re gonna need a way to connect to HDMI or VGA. So, I always have my computer plugs ready for either one.
- Male-t0-male, 3.5mm headphone/AUX cord, to hook my computer audio into whatever it might need.
- Phone Headphone Jack Adapter – If you’ve got a recent iPhone, you’ll be familiar with the lightning to 3.5mm adaptor (Google it and buy from Apple, they’re cheap).
- A lens cloth to wipe my screen with.
- USB cord extenders.
- Micro USB chargers for any Android devices or various electronics.
- Two or three iPhone chargers for my iPad or iPhone, to charge whenever I want.
- 3.5mm to Red and White Audio (RCA) Cord
Inside the Organizer Large Pocket:
- My iPad – What sold me on this specific organizer was that there’s room for my iPad to fit while it’s inside my iPad case, which is a little bulkier than the iPad on its own because the case also holds my Apple Pencil!
- The case’s cover closes magnetically and can be folded to prop up the iPad on a table. If I ever have kids interacting with my iPad in PE class, I’ll put it in this case because it’s a little more bomb proof.
- SD card reader for my camera card
- Some extra 3.5mm cables and iPhone charger cables.
- The base of the compartment has velcro sections you can organize however you want.
- I keep another phone battery pack in there
- An HDMI cord (I almost wasn’t able to do a presentation one day because they didn’t have an HDMI cord, and I couldn’t hook up into the projector.)
- A slideshow clicker presenter
- A wireless mouse
- AA and AAA batteries
- My external hard drive (WD 4-terabyte)
- And my Bluetooth receiver.
- The receiver charges via mini USB, has a 3.5mm headphone charger. Turn it on, it will pair with your phone, and you can plug it into any speaker or you car’s AUX in.
What Else Is In the Big Pouch?
My screencasting Mic: Audio Technica ATR 2100 USB mic.
Anytime I’m doing a video where I’m screen sharing my computer, to prevent the clicks on my keyboard from going into the computer Mic, I’ll set up the external mic on its own little tripod and talk into it.
Another camera phone mount with a little bendy tripod, similar to this one. Sorry, I couldn’t find a link for it, it’s so old. But it’s just a backup for when I can’t use the metal mount I really like.
In the pocket that I stash my laptop power cord in, I’ll also keep a multi-plug for coffee shops. So like, if one person’s hogging all the plug space, I can just politely say, “Hey, can I plug in my multi-plug?” And I can open up a couple of plugs.
Big Headphones and Blue Light Glasses
Inside of my headphones case I also keep my blue light glasses.
If you’re working on a computer a lot, especially at night, it’s a good idea to wear something to shield the blue light. It gives it kind of a reddish tint, but it’s keeping the blue light spectrum from hitting your eyes.
If you’re working late, the blue light on a computer mirrors the light of the sun and tricks your body into thinking it’s daytime. So, until the blue light is shut off, and you get off the screen, your body has trouble producing the melatonin that allows it to have a good night’s sleep.
I also have a nicer pair of blue light glasses I keep at home, called “Swannies.” Google ’em.
If glasses aren’t for you, most current operating systems also have features you can activate or schedule to make your device stop projecting blue light whenever you want.
- For Windows, it’s “night light,”
- Android, “blue light filter,”
- Mac and IOS, “Night Shift.”
I use both the night settings and glasses because I frequently work late and want to do everything I can to get quality sleep.
A great book to check out if you’re trying to get better sleep is one by Shawn Stevenson, called Sleep Smarter. He’s the one that turned me on to the glasses. After reading his book, I’ll put them on at 6 o’clock every night, and it really does help me like start to get a little bit more tired, and it helps me sleep better.
At least… I think it does and that’s really all that matters right? Placebo effect anyone?
One giant space taker-upper that I’ll leave behind when I’m going on a long trip but help me focus when I’m editing video, doing writing or just really need to focus is my over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones.
I did a good bit of research and couldn’t find anything better than these for under $50.
They have an insanely long battery life, something like 30-40 hours, they’re super-comfortable, and they look really cool and cancel the noise pretty well.
I keep them in a protective case so they don’t get damaged in my bag.
Other than that, I have a couple t-shirts, a change of clothes for the gym, and some pens and pencils.
That’s All Folks!
Hopefully you got a few new ideas or at least some entertainment from this post.
Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!
More Technology Tips?
To check out my other blog posts about Technology Click Here
Ann Sirignano says
do anyone know of a book can read about a athlete who went through a hard time and got through it. For example the Cross-over but with a girl as the main character.
Ben Landers says
Check out this on on Mia Hamm: https://amzn.to/33ZvuwW
Also, this one on Wilma Rudolph
https://www.amazon.com/Wilma-Unlimited-Rudolph-Became-Fastest/dp/0152020985
Teri says
What do you use to record your videos that you use to teach us teachers? Like the one above (What’s in your backpack). And you are able to add animated things to it and type on it. Do you just record from an Ipad? Your phone? Anything in Google?
I’m just looking for the fastest and most efficient way to record 15 minute lessons for my PE students to use on Google Classroom during this remote learning time.
Thanks!
Marcus Nellems says
Hey Teri! For creating and editing videos Ben uses a program called Final Cut Pro. For anyone starting out, I would recommend using IMovie via your IPhone or IPad. IMovie is a simple platform for beginners to create and edit videos.