Here are some features that are likely to be used in Zoom: breakout rooms, mute, video on/off, sharing screen, “pinning” a speaker. Let’s go over how each works and how you can use it (along with any other important information):
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- Chat. At the bottom of the screen, click the “chat” icon. To the right, you can begin typing in a chat box. You may need to type into the chat to ask me a question, communicate with others, or to do some writing. I have turned private chat off, just because I think there are privacy concerns there (it is too easy to feel like you are texting someone that no one else will ever see, but, technically, Zoom saves all the chat information for a certain time).
- Mute/Unmute. At the bottom of the screen, the left-most icon. You will be automatically muted when you first get on, and it is best practice to stay muted until you are ready to speak. As you might know if you’ve been in the online game for a while, lots of people forget to unmute themselves (we all do) so just don’t forget to make sure you are unmuted when you want to say something or when you’re ready to respond to a question.
- Start/Stop Video. At the bottom of the screen, the icon to the right of the mute/unmute button. You will have your video stopped automatically as you enter our Zoom meetings. You can choose to start your video, but you are not required to do so. It is totally up to you. I don’t feel comfortable requiring you to share video of yourself if you do not feel comfortable doing so. That said, if you initially don’t want to share but eventually feel okay to do so–go ahead! The converse is also true–if you decide you don’t want to share video of yourself any longer, you can stop, as well. Don’t feel like you have to stick with any initial decision you make. I encourage you to keep your video on and unmute yourself to participate in class and create an engaging atmosphere akin to in-person classes, but I will not require you to turn the video on.
- Sharing Screen. At the bottom of the screen, to the right of the chat icon, you can share your screen if called upon to do so or during breakout sessions. You will only be able to share your application (e.g., Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, PowerPoint, Google Chrome) so you don’t accidentally share personal stuff that you did not want others to see (e.g., on your desktop). I’ll be sharing my screen for sure as needed.
- Pinning someone. In Zoom, the video will stay on the host (I’m pretty sure) and you will also have a rotating view of other participants (if there are more than a few, which will always be the case with us). If another student is speaking, to ensure you don’t lose them, you can click on their video and select “Pin Video” so that this person won’t rotate out.
- Breakout Rooms. We will be using breakout rooms quite a bit. This is a way to do small group work. I might break you up so you can respond to a question, do some group writing, give each other feedback on writing in-progress, etc. When you are in a breakout room, things mostly work how they would in the main room (can share screen, can mute/unmute, etc.) but all that happens only in the breakout room. I’ll end the breakout rooms when time is up and I might pop in to answer any questions.
Setting up Zoom application and account
Aside from using Zoom as we are today, I want to help make it work a bit easier in future sessions. First, by downloading the application. Second, you should also know how to log in to your Baruch Zoom account if you want to create meetings (e.g., with your Writing Group). Please be sure that your name displays when you enter our Zoom classes, instead of your phone number for example, so that I can easily recognize who is who. Set up your Zoom account by next class:
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- First, go to https://zoom.us/download to download the Zoom application to your device (this will make life easier because if you rely on the browser only, it tends to crash more. Having application on your device helps Zoom work more reliably).
- Then, go to baruch.zoom.us.
- Then, log in with the same username and password you use to get into your email and Blogs@Baruch.
- If prompted, set up your Zoom account.
- HOMEWORK: Add a photo of yourself to your Zoom profile (note: this class does not require you to turn your camera on so adding a profile picture will help me and your classmates put a face to your name).
Go to “Meetings” to “Schedule a Meeting.” More information on working to set up Zoom meetings can be found here.
The info on this page was adapted from a course designed by Professor Seth Graves. Thanks, Seth!