Zoom

What is Zoom?

Zoom is a video chat tool that students can use to attend online classes and interact with their teachers and peers in real time.

How does Zoom work?

Students will find the Zoom links inside their virtual classrooms (learning management systems) after the teacher creates a meeting. Sometimes, for safety precautions those links will be posted just minutes before the scheduled time.

What can students do in Zoom?

Besides just voice and video chatting, Zoom gives students plenty of tools to interact with each other and the teacher, work together, and even break off into smaller groups -- just as if they were sitting with each other in a classroom. Here are some examples of what you can do if these features are enabled:

• Share screen. This allows the entire class to view one person's computer screen. Students can even annotate a document on another kid's computer. Teachers can restrict this so only their screen can be shared.

• Whiteboard. This is a brainstorming tool that lets kids toss ideas around, such as for a group project.

• Breakout rooms. The teacher can divide students up into smaller groups, and then bring the entire class back together.

• Raise hand, clap, disagree, speed up, slow down. These are icons kids can use to: let the teacher know they have a question or comment, react to something, or ask the teacher to talk faster or slower.

• Chat with the group. Kids can send a message to the entire class.