Google Meet, New Features and Helpful Extensions
Many teachers, other staff and students are staying connected during distance learning using the web conferencing app, Google Meet. With our G Suite instance of Google Meet, you can hold a virtual meeting with up to 250 people.
Start by signing into Google with your granitesd.org account.
Google Meets can be scheduled at least 3 different ways:
Method 1
Go directly to meet.google.com
Click the button to join or start a meeting
Type a nickname for the meeting
Click on Join Now
Share the join information/link with those that will participate in the meeting
Method 2
If you use Google Classroom you can schedule a Meet from there
Click on the Settings gear icon in the top right
Scroll down to find the Google Meet option
Click on the Generate Meet Link button
Click Save
Method 3
Schedule a Google Meet from your Google Calendar
Click on the date/time you want to schedule the Meet for
Add a title
Scroll down and click on Add Video Conferencing
Click on Hangouts Meet
Add guests, additional information and click Save
Google is continuously adding new features to their products. On April 22nd, they began rolling out 4 additional new features for Google Meet that should be available now or in the near future in our domain. Some of the Google Meet extensions may soon not be necessary with the new features, but both are described below.
Tiled layout for larger calls: The expanded tiled layout now lets web users simultaneously see up to 16 participants at once (previously, tiled layouts only enabled you to see four people at a time). More updates are coming for larger meetings, better presentation layouts, and support across more devices.
Present higher-quality video content with audio: Users now have the option to present a Chrome tab (instead of just presenting their window or entire screen). If you need to share high-quality video with audio content in meetings, select this option for the best experience for remote viewers. The “present a Chrome tab” feature is rolling out to general availability as of today.
Low-light mode: Meet can now use AI to automatically adjust your video to make you more visible to other participants in sub-optimal lighting conditions. This feature is currently rolling out to mobile users, and will be available to web users in the future.
Noise cancellation: To help limit interruptions to your meeting, Meet can now intelligently filter out background distractions—like your dog barking or keystrokes as you take meeting notes. Noise cancellation will begin rolling out in the coming weeks to G Suite Enterprise and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers starting with web users and later to mobile users.
Google Meet Extensions
Google Meet Grid View
The Google Meet Grid View extension allows you to see multiple people in a grid on the screen at the same time. You can also choose to have a highlight around the person speaking and other options.
Google Meet Grid View may already be installed for you if you log into Google with your granitesd.org account. It looks like a small square grid icon and will show up in the top right of your screen. If it is not installed, you can go HERE to get it.
Once installed, Google Meet will have a grid icon in the top right. Click on it if there is a line through it to turn it on. Check the boxes for the options you want.
Google Meet Meeting Room
The Google Meet Meeting Room extension can be installed by clicking here. Be sure you are logged in with your granitesd.org account.
Prevent users from joining Google Meet sessions without any attendees!
Google Meet Waiting Room was designed with the educator in mind. This extension will help accomplish the following tasks:
Prevent users from joining any Google Meet without an attendee.
Remove the ability to "Add People" to the Google Meet.