New technology is always a little overwhelming, but using Zoom in your digital classroom doesn’t have to be stressful! In this new digital age of virtual teaching, students and teachers alike are learning how to integrate technology into their daily activities. Though there are many features to learn, starting with the basics will ensure that you are armed with tips and tricks to lead a successful Zoom class. With these Zoom tips, you’ll be able to interact with students, foster an engaging classroom community, and manage your digital classroom effectively to ensure that your students have the easiest path to learning.
Zoom has many nuances, but there are a few basic features that elevate your classroom community. By taking your digital platform from a simple lecture format to an interactive approach, you can engage students and encourage participation, skills development, and conceptual practice, right on the screen! Utilizing the whiteboard feature, presentation mode, on-screen reactions and chat, breakout rooms, and more, your digital lesson is sure to go off without a hitch.
Zoom Tips for Teachers
• Keep students on task by disabling Private Chat. By providing open chat only, students will be less likely to post off-topic conversations in the chat box. You can find this feature in the Meeting Settings on your Zoom homepage.
Settings > Schedule Meeting > Private Chat > Switch Toggle Button to Grey
• Use the Mute All feature early and often! Encourage a respectful classroom community by keeping students on mute unless they are actively speaking or presenting. You may leave it up to the students to mute themselves, or you can Mute All from the Participants menu to ensure a quiet environment.
Main Screen > Participants > Mute All
• Encourage non-disruptive participation by asking questions in the chat box. Have students choose from verbal multiple choice answers, or ask them to write their own concise response. Call out correct answers to recognize on-task students. Have students expand on their answers verbally to dig a little deeper!
Main Screen > Chat
• For more active participation, allow students to present one at a time or in small groups. Students can share their screen with the class for interactive feedback and peer input. Teachers can also share assignments with the Presentation option.
Main Screen > Share Screen
• Allow students to express themselves and respond to verbal prompts with reactions. By enabling the reactions feature, students can respond with a hand up (you can use this to simulate raising their hand to answer a question!) or thumbs up. This tip is really engaging because it allows students to mix what they already know (emojis and text reactions) to something that may be a little more unfamiliar (Zoom).
Main Screen > Reactions
• For a more authentic classroom feel, enable the Whiteboard feature. This will allow real-time mark-up on the screen. Work through a tough math problem by showing students step-by-step how to solve it, or call students to “the front of the class” to make grammar and spelling corrections.
Main Screen > Share Screen > Whiteboard
• To simulate small group activities, use Breakout Rooms. You can automatically assign students or manually sort them out. You can even allow students to choose their own group. As the teacher, you can monitor all rooms to ensure students are staying on task, while allowing them a bit of freedom to collaborate.
Main Screen > More > Breakout Rooms
Don’t let your fear of the unknown stall you in your tracks! Embrace all that your Zoom digital classroom has to offer by implementing these tips and tricks. Zoom has so many features to elevate your digital teaching experience, and once you dive in, you’re sure to find a method to your own madness! This nosedive into technology has been a trying experience for many, but with preparation, you can deploy many technological techniques that will engage your students each day!
