Unless you’ve been completely offline for the past year, you will be aware that Zoom is a cloud video conferencing app that’s dominated much of the remote work meeting market.
It’s a software developed by zoom.us for use by small to medium-sized enterprises and large corporations. The Zoom app offers quality video meetings, audio, and screen sharing capabilities.
The free version enables hosting meetings of up to 100 people for up to 40 minutes. One-to-one meetings are unlimited. Depending on your usage, however, you may wish to consider a more flexible paid subscription, which starts at $149.90 per year per license.
Zoom is available for download as a web browser client, a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook, IBM Notes, Intel-Unite, and Skype for Business, as a web browser, and as a mobile app for Android and iOS.
Zoom Trust Center Unveiled
Zoom announced the launch of its new Trust Center, which they describe as a one-stop-shop for assets on Zoom compliance, privacy, security, and safety. It pulls together in one place its existing content and information, including compliance and corporate governance, and detailed overviews on privacy, security, trust and safety policies, etc.
If you are looking for FAQs on trust and safety, an encryption white paper, or a blog on virtual classroom best practice, it is the place to go.
Tips for teaching in the hybrid classroom
The global pandemic and switch to teaching and training remotely have thrown up a multitude of challenges for both teachers and students.
What has emerged is a mix of hybrid or blended learning. But teaching in this new paradigm is a wholly different experience compared to traditional in-person instruction. However, Zoom enables teachers and trainers to use a suite of digital tools and features to obtain an engaging learning experience for everyone.
Among these features are breakout rooms to facilitate group learning and collaboration between in-class students/trainees and other students or remote team members. Have all the participants join your Zoom meeting and then enter Breakout Rooms. These rooms give everyone the chance to work together and collaborate no matter their location.
Pre-assign participants to Breakout Rooms
Save Breakout Rooms for recurring meetings, which is useful for long-running projects
Randomly assign participants to Breakout Rooms
Let participants choose their Breakout Rooms and move between them
Allow participants to notify you if they need help so you can jump in when required
Allows you to break large groups down to allow smaller, more focused discussions
A timer allows you to set limits on discussions before participants must return to the central meeting
Breakout rooms can get messy without strong meeting host leadership
It can be challenging for those leading the teaching/training to follow what is happening across numerous rooms
Download Zoom from their website. There’s a lot of flavors to suit your preferences.
Create an account using your email address, Facebook, Google, or your company’s domain on Zoom
When you are done, you enter the Meeting ID or the Personal Link Name you have been given. And that’s it.
