Standing desks are an excellent option for online teachers surprisingly. While they did become a bit of a fad as the “dangers” of sitting were overblown (being sedentary too much is in fact bad, just make sure to move a bit), they do make for a good choice for an online teacher who want’s to create a more engaging classroom.
With a standing desk it’s obviously easer to move in front of your webcam. This in combination with a desktop computer, props and a whiteboard, it can become a lot more fun to teach online as your movement is not restricted. Please note, standing desks can be adjusted up or down so you can still sit at a standing desk if you like as well.
What to look for when getting a standing desk?
So there are some considerations that should go into a purchase decision for a standing desk. Desks can range for different price points, setup and heights. You should also think about the devices you’re using to teach online with as well as an additional props or materials.
Electric standing desk or manual?
A lot of teachers may be surprised that you can have it all with a standing desk, particularly if you get an electric standing desk. These types of desks are adjustable at the click of a button from a standing to a sitting position.
So if you’re setting up a home office or classroom and want to be able to both sit or stand, consider an electric standing desk that can adjust as needed.
The cost of a standing desk
You also need to consider your budget as the price points for standing desks can vary. Electric standing desks for example while the most useful, are often quite expensive.
There are more affordable alternatives so you have a lot of flexibility with what you need depending on your home classroom.
Are you using a desktop or a laptop?
Most online teachers who have a home office or home classroom tend to prefer using a laptop for online teaching. Though there are some excellent all in one desktops (like the iMac) that would be perfect on a standing desk.
The 9 best standing desks for online teachers
So what are the best standing desks for online teaching and a home office? Here is what we here at Teach and GO found the most useful as an online educator:
- Seville Classics Airlift
- Vari Electric Standing Desk
- Fezibo Electric Standing Desk
- Flexspot Standing Desk
- Stand Steady Desk
- Amazon Basics Computer Desk Converter
- Jarvis Standing Desk
- Flexi Spot Desk Converter
- SHW Desk
Seville Classics Airlift – The Stylish Choice
This electric standing desk is the right mix of style, design and flexibility with height. It’s quiet to use when adjusting the height and it comes with a lot of helpful features like multiple fast charging USB connections, a dual motor mount and an overall sturdy design.
Lastly, this standing desk is of average size. Depending on what you use or need this desk on average is the right size for most users. The only downside of this desk is that depending on how tall you are, you may need to put your laptop on some type of mount if you’re too tall so you’re not looking down at your webcam.
Pros:
- Excellent, modern style.
- Easy to assemble and adjust with regards to the height.
- Fast charging USB connections.
- Excellent choice for a desktop computer.
Cons:
- If you’re tall and use a laptop to teach, the position of the webcam may be awkward.
Vari Electric Standing Desk – The minimalist option
We just love the simplicity of this standing desk, it’s truly one of the best choices for an online teacher as it is easy to adjust from sitting to standing. So if you have paperwork you need to do or if you need to jump into an online class, this desk is great for both.
What we liked most about this desk is that it’s just a large flat surface with no annoying space for a keyboard. This simple design makes setting up your props, material and online class extras easy. This standing desk also pairs really well with an active chair. A type of chair that is a hybrid between a stool and chair.
Pros:
- Large, flat surface with a classic design.
- Easy to adjust and flexible for all types of heights.
- Sturdy design with a quiet motor.
Cons:
- The price point for Vari desks tend to be a bit high considering how simple and elegant their designs are.
Fezibo Standing Desk – The Affordable Option
This electric standing desk comes with 4 memory switches so you can easily adjust the height to whatever you pre-set it to. It also comes with a simple drawer in the front to store pens, a small note pad, wires and other random accessories.
The surface area like a lot of the standing desks we tired out is massive and flat. Perfect for having paper, props, your keyboard and additional electronics you use on a day to day basis.
Fezibo also offer a standing desk comfort mat to go along with their desks, we can’t comment on this as we’ve not tired it but it seems like a good thing to use if you’re going to be teaching for a long period of time.
Pros:
- Large, no frills surface area for work.
- Sturdy design with a quite motor to adjust the height.
- The additional floor mat make for a unique teaching experience.
Cons:
- Like any electronic motor device, their is potential it could break or wear down with excessive use.
Flexspot Standing Desk – The Best Overall Value
The Flexspot standing desk is a lot like Vari standing desk in that it’s a simple, adjustable desk at a great price. If you’re looking for something feature rich (and perhaps more complicated) this is not it. The Flexspot is just a simple, adjustable standing desk. Perfect for any online professional who want’s an easy to use desk.
The only downside of this desk depends on how tall you are. Fully extended, it’s fine for most teachers who are using a desktop computer with a built in webcam. For laptop users, the camera may be positioned too far down so you would appear to be looking down at the webcam. As such, you may also want to have something to also put your laptop or tablet on.
Pros:
- Simple, easy to use standing desk.
- Large surface area that makes it easy to attach monitors and additional technology.
- Two button controller, up and down.
Cons:
- Can be a bit difficult and annoying to assemble.
Stand Steady – The choice for laptop users
To be honest, the main feature we really liked most about this desk was the fact that it comes with a shelf. When fully extended, a laptop on the shelf will be perfectly positioned on your face which is what we want and need as online teachers.
Of course you can simply buy a simple shelf at any home goods store and use that with any of the desks on this list, but overall we were happy using this standing desk that is quite large and easy to adjust.
Pros:
- Large surface area.
- Easy to adjust the height at the touch of a button.
- Additional shelf that matches the design, perfect for laptops.
Cons:
- No additional storage features built in.
Amazon Basics Computer Desk Converter – The Simple Choice
Alright, so you already have some simple desk or table you love to use for teaching, but you want to have the flexibility to stand up and be a bit more animated and mobile when teaching? That’s where a desk converter comes in.
The Amazon Basics computer desk converter is an already assembled desk converter that works by simply extending it up and placing your laptop on top of it, allowing you to stand and teach. If you’ve been looking for something simple with good build quality, this is it.
Pros:
- Simple and easy to use.
- Can adjust the height as needed.
- No assembly needed.
- Small, can be used on any flat surface.
Cons:
- Not a proper standing desk like others on the list.
Jarvis Standing Desk – The Big Option
Want a large, oversized standing desk for your home office or online classroom? At a surface area of 72 inches by 30 inches, this standing desk is one of the largest you can buy.
It comes with a simple, easy to use controller on the front of the desk. Up and down with four memory presets you can set. The desk can also move up quite high for tall people and quite low when you’re sitting so your keyboard is positioned comfortably.
Like all standing desks, you may want to consider an additional shelf to mount your laptop on if you’re going to be teaching.
Pros:
- Very large surface area.
- Easy to use and adjust.
- Can go both very high and low.
Cons:
- It’s quite large, please make sure you have the space in your home before buying this great standing desk.
Flexi Spot Desk Converter – The low priced option
Want something with more design features than the Amazon Basics desk converter, but something that is also small and light? The Flexi Spot desk converter is a great choice, particularly if you’re going to be using a laptop.
While it’s designed to use both a laptop and a monitor, we find the second shelf that’s built into this ideal for putting your laptop on and the lower shelf to be a perfect spot for props, additional technology like your mouse or a notebook.
The Flexi Spot is not the smallest converter around, but it does live up to it’s name in that it is flexible with regards to your mobility. You can store this in a closet when not in use or put in on any table or desk in your home.
Pros:
- Tiered shelf design makes this ideal of using a laptop when teaching.
- As a converter, you can take it with you or put it way when not in use.
- Ready to use out of the box.
Cons:
- It’s on the larger side, if you want something small and simple go with the Amazon Basics laptop converter.
SHW Desk – The “L” shaped option
This is one of the few “L” shaped, adjustable standing desks you can purchase. It’s large and really only fits into the corner of any room. For most teachers this a fairly niche requirement.
The L shape is nice because you can have your laptop or desktop facing you as you stand and teach while you can use the L section to have any go-to props or accessories you need.
Pros:
- Good corner desk that is adjustable.
- Large surface area to keep all your technology on.
- Easy to adjust the height at the click of a button.
- Comes with it’s own cable management box.
Cons:
- The desktop part of this is actually two pieces which you put together. This is a bit of deal breaker as your desk is going to have a visible line, but if you’re set on getting an L shaped standing desk this is still your best option.
Additional things to consider with standing desks
With an adjustable standing desk you’re going to need to decide on what type of chair you will use. Most of use here at Teach and GO found that using a standard office chair for sitting and then standing when teaching was acceptable.
But you can buy a dedicated “active” chair which is like a glorified stool with a bit of support and flexibility. You can also consider getting a dedicated mat for when you’re standing and teaching. A mat for a standing desk is actually a lot of fun to use as they are quite comfortable.
Last, you need to decide if getting a dedicated standing desk or a converter is right for you. If you already have a simple table or desk you use, consider getting an affordable converter that you can take with you from home to school.
Best Standing Desk Conclusion
So that’s it for Teach and GO’s guide to some excellent standing desks for online teachers and really, any working professional who wants to get a quality desk for their home office.
Our personal favorite is the Jarvis standing desk, but it is a bit large and expensive for most teachers. We also really liked the Flexi Spot converter because of it’s price point and ease of use.
