Our virtual events rely on Zoom, a software application and service that allows people to transmit and receive videos on many kinds of devices. The information below has been compiled from various contributors and sources and can help you understand how to use Zoom in various capacities.
Zoom Q&A (web page from Æthelmearc)
Upgrading Zoom to the Latest Version (video from Zoom)
How to Use Breakout Rooms in Zoom (YouTube video)
How to Record a Zoom Class (YouTube video)
How to Configure and Troubleshoot Your Zoom Software (YouTube video)
How to Share Your Screen in Zoom (YouTube video)
So You Want to Teach (Virtually!) (FAQ)
Students & Teachers: for a trouble-free Zoom experience, test your connection (audio/video) beforehand. For this year’s Æcademy, we are planning to have a Play Room available the Thursday prior to the event for you to drop in and do a test run (stay tuned for details).
Zoomerators: please keep the following instructions in mind for a trouble-free Zoom experience for everyone.
At the start of each class:
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Make the new teacher a Co-Host.
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Remove Co-Host from any previous teacher.
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Ensure the new teacher and/or their presentation can be seen and heard.
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They are muted by default, un-mute them.
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Their screenshare button can be found at the bottom of the screen. Hover the cursor over it and a bar will appear.
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Let in new students from the waiting room.
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Hover over the bottom of your screen.
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Left-click on Participants to bring up the participant list, which will also include the waiting room list.
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Check each name – if it looks SCA-ish, good to go. If it looks suspicious, ask them what kingdom they’re from and ask them to change to their SCA name.
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Manually disable student video if they are set to automatically turn it on.
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Do this by clicking on the camera next to their name in the participant screen.
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In the (unlikely) event we get a Zoom bomber, immediately ban them by right clicking their name. DO NOT ban idly – bans cannot be reversed!
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If it is a bigger wide-spread issue you can use the Security button and choose Suspend Participant Activities to disable all mics, cameras, and lock the room.
At the end of each class:
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Check in ~5 minutes before the class should end.
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Encourage the teacher to wrap it up, if they are not already doing so.
So You Want to Teach (Virtually!)
Teaching virtually can be intimidating at first – but I promise, when you look at it from the right perspective, it can be a great opportunity for almost any class! This FAQ will help you explore some of the ways your class can adapt to Zoom…and some ways Zoom can adapt to your class.
- What can Zoom do?
- Zoom lets you present one of two things: your video, or your screen. But that actually allows you to do a lot more.
- What can I display via video feed?
- Your video feed is a live feed, piped in from a camera on your computer, cell phone, iPad, or tablet. You can obviously have your camera trained on you as you talk – but you can also use it to demonstrate activities as you do them. For instance, you might point the camera at your counter as you knead out bread. Or you might point it at a detail of a scroll. If you can see it with your eyes, there’s a way to get it on camera.
Best for: demonstrations. This can be a GREAT way to show a lot of people a particularly micro technique. For example, it might be hard to show everyone a small stitch, detailed element of a scroll, or other very small piece of craftsmanship in a classroom. But on Zoom, point your camera at it, Zoom in, and hundreds of people can see every detail as you work.
- What can I display via screen share?
- Your screen share does exactly what the name suggests: whatever is on your screen…gets shared with the participants! But that’s deceptively simple. You can use screen share to do everything from share a completely pre-recorded class, to sharing PowerPoint slides, to collaborating in real time in a text document, spreadsheet, or any other program.
Best for: text-based teaching. If you would usually have a handout or ask for a projector (or both!) screen share is for you. If you’re nervous about teaching, we HIGHLY recommend recording yourself in advance and simply playing the video the day of! We know you’ll be great, but when you pre-record your class, you’ll know it too. Pre-recording can also make things like messy demonstrations or even martial activity demonstrations accessible. Those can be a little hard to do live – it’s tough to make sure the camera catches all the action – but a pre-recorded clip will ensure you get everything just so.
- Should I use a script?
- That’s up to you. But if you DO use one, do not try to use Zoom’s split screen. This function doesn’t work very well, and we do not recommend it. If you want to have notes or a script, use split-screen with a second monitor. Please trouble-shoot beforehand. If this is also problematic, we highly suggest having them on a separate phone or tablet, printing a hard-copy, or even hand writing them.
- Will there be someone to help me?
- Yes! Any of us are happy to help you before the day of. And if you’d like, we can pair you up with your Zoomerator (more on that later) in advance for some additional technical help.
Speaking of Zoomerators – you’ll have a dedicated moderator-troubleshooter-planted person in the audience for your class. That person will help ensure that you and your class materials can be seen and heard. They’ll be there to troubleshoot, to help ensure audience questions get relayed to you, and to help you timekeep.
- How do I know my class will go smoothly?
- Every teacher will do a tech run through in the week before the event. This doesn’t have to be a full run through with your complete presentation – but we do need to test out everything you will use. Make sure to attend your run through with the exact setup you intend to have during your actual class – same microphone, same camera, same PowerPoint/video/etc. If the PowerPoint works today, it’ll work the day of your class too…even if you add to it between now and then!