Zoom for the Classroom

Zoom is one of several great videoconferencing tools being used in remote learning environments.

The Zoom Help Center is a great resource of quickstart videos and instructions, available at this link.  Below, I will repeat many of those features, but in the context of a classroom environment.

Here is an overview of the different features of the packages that Zoom offers:

Paid Pro	Education Account	Basic (Free)
co-hosts allowed	one host	one host
Audio - computer or phone call-in	Audio - computer only	Audio- computer only
extended session	extended session	40 min each session
Polling feature	-	-
Breakout Rooms	Breakout Rooms	Breakout Rooms
Record locally or cloud	Record locally on laptop Limited on iPad	Record locally on laptop Limited on iPad
HD Video record	standard video resolution	standard video resolution
Password	Password	Password
Waiting Room	Waiting Room	Waiting Room

A few key points as you get started:

        1.  Use your Personal Meeting Room number

        2.  Change your password for your Personal Meeting Room to something easy, such as 'zoom' or 'tigers'

        3.  Enable Waiting Room 

These are a general rule of thumb, so there are some exceptions.  For more details, continue reading below.

	Introduction Zoom is one of several videoconference options we have available to use for direct instruction in a remote learning environment.   Google Meet, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and GoToMeeting are similar tools.  You can log in using your school Google account credentials.  Click here to get started.
	Zoom Settings for Remote Learning Turn on:   -Password   -Meeting ID   -Waiting Room   -Screen Sharing   -Local Recording Teacher discretion:   -Chat   -Virtual Background   -Whiteboard   -Breakout Room
	Zoom Ground Rules: Managing the classroom experience These can similar to your face-to-face classroom ground rules.   -Be on Time   -Prep your Tech   -Sound Off, Video On   -Presentation   -Active Participation These should be established early with regular reminders.
	Zoom Basics: A Walkthrough We will make a quick walkthrough each of these:   -Gallery View, Speaker View   -Chat   -Sharing   -Audio and Video
	Zoom Basics: An iPad View Menu commands are found in the upper right of your screen instead of the bottom, such as on a laptop. The host settings are best viewed by visiting zoom.us and signing in.  There are some setting that can be adjusted from the Zoom app. An iPad gives the user extra portability and flexibility with its light weight and two cameras.  However, these can create extra distractions, too.
==	Features for classroom use not available in the education version: Polling - With a few clicks, the host can get quick feedback from the meeting participants.  Alternatives:  This can be done with the paid version of Kahoot, polleverywhere.com, or even a Google Form. Hosting The host will control the flow of the classroom experience.  The free education accounts only allow for a single host.  The Pro version allows the host to hand off control to another participant. Cloud Recording - All Zoom meetings may be recorded to the device and uploaded to a streaming service, such as YouTube.  The Pro version allows that recording to be streamed directly from a Zoom streaming service instead.