Zoom

Teaching Tips with Technology

Theme: Teaching Effectively with Zoom

Zoom is a versatile video conferencing tool that allows instructors and students to meet online synchronously. It provides a platform for conducting classes virtually. Here’s how to get started using Zoom in your classroom:

1. Download the Zoom Client:
   • Visit the download center to download the latest version of the Zoom desktop client.
   • Install the application and log in using your MC Zoom credentials.
   • Use the desktop client for scheduling, joining, or hosting meetings, sending chat messages, and managing upcoming and recorded sessions.
2. Schedule a Meeting: As an instructor, you can schedule a meeting through the Zoom app, website, or Blackboard course. You can set the date, time, duration, and other settings for the meeting. Once scheduled, you’ll receive a meeting link that you can share with your students.
3. Invite Students: Share the meeting link with your students through email, messaging apps, or Blackboard. You can also provide students with the meeting ID and password if you’ve set up the meeting with these security features.
4. Set Up the Classroom Environment: Before the meeting starts, make sure you’re in a quiet and well-lit space. Ensure that your microphone and camera are working properly.
5. Start the Meeting: At the scheduled time, you can start the meeting by clicking on the meeting link or entering the meeting ID in the Zoom app. You’ll have the option to enable your camera and microphone.
6. Engage Students: Once the meeting has started, you can begin your lecture or discussion. Use Zoom’s features like screen sharing, chat, and breakout rooms to facilitate interaction and collaboration among students.
7. Manage Participants: As the host, you have control over the meeting participants. You can mute/unmute participants, enable/disable their cameras, and manage screen sharing permissions.
8. Record the Meeting (optional): If you want to record the meeting for students who couldn’t attend or for future reference, you can do so using Zoom’s recording feature.
9. End the Meeting: When the class is over, you can end the meeting for all participants. Make sure to thank your students and provide any additional instructions or resources before closing the meeting.
10. Explore Features:

• • • Virtual Classroom Setup: Set up your virtual classroom.
    • Security Settings: Use security settings to create safe learning environments.
    • Communication: Communicate the benefits of Zoom to parents and students.
    • Screen Sharing: Share your screen, whiteboard, files, and other content.
    • Chat and Reactions: Use chat features and reactions during sessions.
    • Recording: Record meetings and save them as MP4 files.
    • Scheduling and Joining: Schedule or join meetings.
    • Contacts and Channels: Add contacts or create channels for communication.

Remember, Zoom provides flexibility for both educators and students, allowing you to connect and engage in and out of the classroom!

Dan Levy devotes a chapter to “Guiding Principles” for teaching online in Teaching Effectively with Zoom. This month’s issue presents a summary of two of these principles.

Tip 1: Be Student–Centered

The main point is to remember that teaching is a “human enterprise” in which your connection to your students is paramount. “This implies a deliberate effort to learn about students (their names, their backgrounds, etc.), to get to know them, and to try as best as you can to understand what is going on in their lives that might be enabling or impeding their learning.” Even though we cannot control everything that affects our students’ lives, we need to be aware of anything affecting our classes. Levy mentions that his online students mentioned a variety of remote learning challenges in a course survey, including “getting easily distracted, difficulty staying motivated, and feeling socially isolated.” Those who acknowledge and assist students in dealing with these challenges will be more effective in stimulating their learning. “In sum, empathy for your students is at the core of teaching … Technology is just a tool to help you in this endeavor.”

Here are a few relevant resources found on The Hub:

• “Getting to Know You Survey”: https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/thehub/toolkit-surveys/
• Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) “Discover – Adjust – Assess” Diagram: https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/thehub/fundamentals-of-teaching/instructor_resources/culturally-responsive-teaching/
• Materials from ELITE’s Love of Teaching Conference, “CRT in the Remote Environment” (Webb, Gonzales, Spring 2021): https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/thehub/2021/04/23/love-of-teaching-2021/

Tip 2: Plan for Active Learning

According to Levy, “…, effective teaching requires creating meaningful learning experiences for our students that support their playing an active role in their learning, including opportunities for active processing, application, inquiry, and interaction with others and with the course material.” One good measurement of how much active learning is going on in your class is the percentage of class time you are speaking versus your students engaging in learning activities. This can be done by reviewing one of your class recordings. You might be surprised by the results. Simple ways to have students engage in learning in the remote environment include having them speak, vote (use Polls), write (use Chat), work in groups (use Breakout rooms), and share work (Share screen). One general piece of advice provided by Levy is to limit learning activities to 5 minutes or less. More importantly, active learning tasks should not be an end in themselves. “The goal is not to just get students to be active, but to do so with a clear intention of what you are trying to achieve.”

• What is Active Learning and a few examples: https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/thehub/2021/08/16/active-learning/
• Multiple means of engagement: https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/thehub/multiple-means-of-engagement/
• Engaging students using Kahoot!: https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/thehub/2021/01/28/integrating-authentic-engagement-into-your-course-using-kahoot/
• For information about these tips, contact: Ray Gonzales, raymond.gonzales@montgomerycollege.edu

For more detailed information, check out the Educator’s Guide to Using Zoom in the Classroom provided by Zoom