Using Zoom for Live Lessons

Click on the links below to see how to use Zoom to put on a live lesson!

Setting Up Zoom for the Lesson

• How to setup a Zoom Meeting for a live lesson.

Sharing the Link with Students

• Through Google Classroom (Using Google Calendar, Assignment, or Announcement Features).
• Through Seesaw (Using Activity or Announcement)
• Setting up a link in Clever.  (Also helpful for learning how to add any link to Clever).

Running the Class

• Presenting a Live Lesson with Zoom (basic features) (link fixed 4/13 in the evening)
• Using different Screen Share Options in Zoom during a Live Lesson

Click here to visit Zoom's Support Page for more tutorial videos or step-by-step directions to read!

Tips and Tricks I have Learned (Updates from 4/14)

• It is very helpful having an aid, substitute teacher, or coteacher in on a lesson to help interact with the kids while you help trouble shoot parents having issues getting into the class.
• (In my district, kids are muted when they join in) - tell them how to unmute or turn on their video (if you want to see them right away).  Explain that there may be times that you mute everyone so you can do your lesson.
• Go over the expectations - not making silly faces, shouldn't be showing off toys, listening respectfully, etc.
• Tell the students how to use the 'Gallery View' so they can see their whole class.  This also helps with taking turns when speaking!
• For you - when you are on Gallery View - you can also easily mute and unmute kids!  You can also mute/unmute from the participation box, but you have to do some scrolling to find people if you have alot of kids in your class.
• You can use the 'share screen' option to help see a kid's screen to help support them with their learning.
• If you schedule a meeting ahead of time, use the Google Calendar feature to schedule it to your Google Classroom calendar - then the kids will see the meeting on the to-do calendar or they will see it on the class calendar!  Makes it easier for them to access the meeting!
• If you do share your desktop, the kids don't see each other on the side, only you can.  They will see their peers across the top as they have done the whole meeting.
• Groton has the whiteboard feature blocked as of this post (4/13/2020).
• Don't have students go to Zoom first, post the link through Google Calendar, Google Classroom, or whatever other platform your class is using.  DO NOT POST ANY INFORMATION ON AN OPEN WEBSITE!

Google Meet (Video Conferencing)

      Google Meet is another great resource for being able to have a live class, small group, or 1:1 tutoring session with students.  (You can use Google Meet to show the lesson, but use other platforms like Google Classroom, Classflow, Seesaw, etc to distribute materials).  You have the ability to share your computer screen with your students, but .  You may also just use it to record a lesson for you to then send to students at a later time.  You can also chat with particpants as well.

      Setting up a meeting is very easy.  Go to https://meet.google.com/.  You may sign in with your Google information. (if you are already logged into your device, you will be automatically logged in).  Click 'Join or Start a Meeting.'  You will be prompted to create a name for the meeting.  Once the meeting is created, you can share the meeting with students by looking up their names, sharing a link, or scheduling it through the Calendar.  The interface for Google Meets is simplified.  

      Google Meets allows you to record the session and automatically downloads the meeting to your Google Drive.  You will receive an email once it's available in your Google Drive.  Please make sure you keep the security settings locked down!  When setting up a video conference, you do not have the option to mute or block participants Video Feed.  (You can mute someone, but then they can unmute themselves).  Just a reminder about confidentialty here!  Students can not be taped or video taped without parental consent!  I have a Google Form that I am going to create and have parents fill out ahead of time (just in case).

Some other tips if you choose to do a video conference...

• Do not have any music playing in the background (intellectual rights issues can come up if you post your video online.
• Ask students to mute their side unless they have something to share - it can be distracting if someone's sibling is crying or a dog barking in the background.
• Students and parents can see what's in the background.
• Make sure everyone in the area is aware that you are recording, students are watching, and students are listening.  
• Keep in mind, if you are sharing your whole screen, your students/parents will see what ever is on your computer screen.  If you select to share only a particular window, then they won't see other content that's on your computer.  
• ****When you leave the meeting, your students can stay and chat!  Make sure everyone has left the meeting before you leave!****
• **You must click on 'record' to record a session and you must click it at the end to stop the recording.**

Video Tutorial: Click here for a video tutorial of Google Meet's features!

Zoom (Video Conferencing)

      Zoom is a great resource for being able to have a live class, small group, or 1:1 tutoring session with students.  (You can use Zoom to show the lesson, but use other platforms like Google Classroom, Classflow, Seesaw, etc to distribute materials).  You have the ability to share your computer screen with your students and they are able to share their screens with you.  Zoom does have a whiteboard feature as well that you can pull up anytime and annotate on during a lesson.  You may also just use it to record a lesson for you to then send to students at a later time.

      Setting up a meeting is fairly easy.  Go to www.zoom.com.  You may sign in with Google information or create a new username and password.  After setting up a meeting, you can send a link to students/parents via any communication tool you use.  They only need to do a small install that takes a couple seconds before being able to join a meeting.  With the COVID-19 outbreak, the founder of the company has lifted restrictions on teacher accounts - allowing you to have multiple participants for more than 40 minutes!

      Security is something we all must consider as teachers.  Zoom allows you to record the session and downloads the video to your computer after the session is done.  Included with the download is a video only file, a transcript of any chats that occured, and one other file.  If you are concerned about space on your computer, transfer it to an external drive, upload it to Google Drive, or other video storage platform.  Please make sure you keep the security settings locked down!  When setting up a video conference, you have the option to see participants' video feeds or not.  You may want to select not to see students' faces until you have an agreement with each parent that you have permission to video conference.  They can still participate, just no one can see each other (except you and what you share from your screen).  Just a reminder about confidentialty here!  Students can not be taped or video taped without parental consent!  I have a Google Form that I am going to create and have parents fill out ahead of time (just in case).

Some other tips if you choose to do a video conference...

• Do not have any music playing in the background (intellectual rights issues can come up if you post your video online.
• Ask students to mute their side unless they have something to share - it can be distracting if someone's sibling is crying or a dog barking in the background.
• Students and parents can see what's in the background
• You can setup a virtual background to block out everything behind you that works really well.
• Make sure everyone in the area is aware that you are recording, students are watching, and students are listening.  
• Keep in mind, if you are sharing your whole screen, your students/parents will see what ever is on your computer screen.  If you select to share only a particular window, then they won't see other content that's on your computer.  

Click here for a tutorial on how to use Zoom!