Ten Tips for Teaching in Zoom

Here are ten tips for teaching adults in Zoom:

#1. When hosting a Zoom session on your computer, log in a second time with your phone. When students join the Zoom session on their phones, this will allow you to see what is happening the same way the students see it.

#2. Use the Share Screen function to share a document or screen in Zoom.

#3. Look at the second device (see tip #1) to verify which screen is being shared. Without looking at my second device, I easily lose track of which screen is being shared, or whether I’m really sharing a screen, or just looking at it by myself.

#4. When sharing a screen (point #2), you can annotate, or make markings or write on the shared screen.

#5. When annotating (point #4), you can annotate with your phone by using your finger. If you annotate on a traditional desktop computer, you’ll need to use a mouse, which can sometimes be more difficult.

#6. If students need to work together on something, start a Breakout session. Breakout sessions can be planned. They can also be unplanned, for example, if a student has a question that another students can answer, or if students need to discuss something in their own language. Set the timer to let the breakout room inform you when the allotted time has expired.

#7. When starting a Breakout session, stay or let someone else stay in the main room. Students who are late, or get disconnected and reconnect, will find themselves in the main room when they join or rejoin. You don’t want them to be the only ones in the main room.

You can also use the main room just like a breakout room, and create only one breakout room for two groups, or two breakout rooms for three groups.

#8. If necessary, for older adult students, relatives may be available to help them join Zoom for the first time, adjust the camera and microphone. Depending on how the device is used between sessions, joining a Zoom room the second time is often easier.

#9. With older students and students with literacy issues, it may be necessary to increase font size for written text. To increase the font size, you can (1) use the Format function in Annotation mode (2) use 24 + point font in the document being shared OR (3) increase the View to 200% or more.