Schools are closed but the need to communicate with staff, parents and students is still a priority. To meet that need, lots of people are turning to Zoom. It has become the go-to video conferencing tool for millions of people during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, it's also one of those tools that have hidden gems that are just waiting to be explored. In this post we are going to cover 10 Zoom tips you might not know!

If you go to the Settings in your Zoom app and click Video from the sidebar, you will see an option called Touch Up My Appearance. If you check this box, you will see a video filter applied to your webcam. Essentially, the purpose of this filter is to soften your skin. It won't make you look ten years younger, but many people prefer this version to the standard webcam view.

Learn More: Touch Up My Appearance

Did someone drop a Zoom meeting on you at short notice? Do you wish you had more time to tidy that messy spare bedroom? Fear not. Virtual backgrounds are here to save the day. Simply go to Settings > Virtual Backgrounds and choose an image (or a video) to use as your background. You can use one from the Zoom gallery or upload your own. Although you can do this in front of a green screen, you don't have to, so long as your lighting is good and your background is not too busy. Simply uncheck the box that says, I have a green screen.

Learn More: Virtual Background

If you want to create a webinar, record a podcast, or simply save a record of your meeting for future reference, you can record your Zoom call. This option is available to free and paid subscribers. You can then upload your recorded video to Google Drive, YouTube or other cloud platforms. All you need to do is click the Record button on your meeting toolbar to start recording. You can pause or stop the recording at any time. The media is saved to your Documents folder on your computer where you will see two folders; one that has the video and one that just has the audio.

Learn More: Local Recording

If you created and scheduled the Zoom call, then you are the meeting host. This gives you some super powers that you can help you bring order to your remote meeting. You can also delegate some of these powers to another person in the meeting by making them a co-host. So, here are a list of some of things you can do as a meeting host in Zoom from the Manage Participants window:

• Mute participants: a quick way to make silence all background audio
• Request that a participant unmutes: Hover over a participant and click More for this option
• Stop a participant's video: Hover over a participant and click More for these option
  
• Request that participant starts their video: Hover over a participant and click More for these option
• Prevent participants from screen sharing: click the arrow next to Share Screen and click Advanced Sharing Options. Under Who Can Share, choose Only Host
• Rename a participant: Hover over a participant and click More for this option
• Choose to play an enter or exit chime
• Lock the meeting to prevent anyone new from joining

Learn More: Managing Participants in a Meeting

As you probably already know, it is sometimes just best practice to remain muted for much of the meeting if you are not the one who is talking. This cuts down on background noise and other interruptions. However, being muted doesn't stop you from interacting and adding your voice to the conversation. You can do that with the Reactions button on your toolbar. From here you can choose a thumbs up or an applause emoji to let the speaker know that you are on the same page as them. The reaction will display for 5 seconds and will be visible to everyone on the call who can see your video. For more options, you can also use non-verbal feedback options.

Learn More: Meeting Reactions

If you're setting up office hours, or you want to have the same meeting at the same time every week without creating a new link for everyone, you need recurring meetings. Here's how it works:

• Open the Zoom app for Mac or PC (or on the web)
• Click Schedule to setup your meeting.
• Under the title of your meeting, click the Recurring Meeting checkbox.
• Then, fill in the rest of your details and click Schedule.

This will open your default calendar app, (Outlook or Google Calendar), where you can use the recurring event options in your calendar to choose the times you want this meeting to be held. The meeting will repeat for as many times as you need it and the same URL will be used for each meeting. You can also invite people to the meeting from your calendar so that they get all the meeting info they need.

Learn More: Scheduling Recurring Meetings

If you want a quick way to to take attendance at a Zoom meeting, don't take attendance, because Zoom does that for you. Simply log in to your Zoom account on the web, click Reports, then Usage Reports. This lets you filter your Zoom meetings by month. Find the one you want, then click on the number of participants. This shows you who attended, how long they were in the meeting and even their attentiveness score. The data can also be downloaded as a CSV file if required. You need a Pro, Business, or Education plan in order to take advantage of this feature.

If you have your whole staff on a Zoom call and you want to divide and conquer by splitting up a task so that small groups can work on it, you can use Breakout Rooms. You will find this option on your Zoom toolbar at the bottom of your screen. Breakout Rooms need to be initiated by a host or a co-host, but once activated, you can manually choose who goes in what group, or you can have Zoom randomly assign people to groups for you. There is even an option to upload your groups ahead of time so that they are ready to go when you start your meeting.

Learn More: Getting Started With Breakout Rooms

Zoom's built-in annotation tools can be used while screen sharing or on a virtual whiteboard. They are also collaborative so everyone can annotate at once, (although this can be disabled if required). When you share your screen, you will see the Annotate button at the top of your screen on the screen share toolbar. If you are viewing someone else's screen, click View Options from the same toolbar at the top of your screen, and then select Annotate. This will give you access to a whole slew of annotation tools that you can use to markup screens, images, and more. Annotations can also be saved as a screenshot at any time by clicking the Save button from the Annotations toolbar.

Learn More: Using Annotation Tools on a Shared Screen or Whiteboard

It's not enabled by default, but if you log in to your Zoom account on the web, you can turn on something called Remote Support. This allows you to request control of another participant's computer. Once they approve, you can control control their desktop, a specific application, or even request a restart on their computer. This can be great to help a teacher troubleshoot computer problems or fix and it can all be done remotely.

Learn More: Remote Support Session

If the link for your Zoom meeting is public, and you are unsure about who might join your Zoom meeting, you can enable the Waiting Room feature. This puts all attendees in a virtual waiting room where they need your approval in order to join the meeting. If you don't see a name you recognize, you don't need to let them join your call. You can approve all attendees at once, or individually as you see fit. You can enable the Waiting Room before your meeting starts, or do it once you have started your meeting. So, if you are a little nervous about unwanted people crashing your party, this can be one method you can use to make your room a little more secure.

Learn More: Waiting Room

Jonathan Wylie (@jonathanwylie)
Digital Learning Consultant
Grant Wood AEA

1. Concept maps are NOT graphic organizers. Instead, it is the process of organizing thoughts and key ideas.
2. Concept mapping is a scaffolded process facilitated by the teacher. Teachers help students identify the relationship between key terms by asking probing questions and providing language stems.
3. ​It is crucial to honor student voice and choice when concept mapping to support personal visualization of the connected concepts.

​~Gina Rogers
~Mindy Cairney

If you have ever attended PD at Grant Wood AEA chances are you have been exposed to the obligatory Jigsaw Method for processing learning. Although this is said with a hint of sarcasm, the Jigsaw Method ranks as a 1.2 high effect size instructional strategy.  Originally the Jigsaw Method was implemented in Austin, Texas as a way to diffuse racial tensions in a recently desegregated school. In order to get the students to work together and learn from one another’s diverse perspectives, researchers devised a method that focused on cooperative learning. The history of the Jigsaw Method is quite fascinating and can be read about here.  

Although you might not find me on Twitter quite like you used to, I feel very strongly about how important it is to continue to share ideas with other educators, which led Jonathan and I down the road to podcasting. It allows us to share all of the great things Grant Wood AEA school districts are doing to provide the best learning environment for our students. Because of this experience, we’ve been able to meet and chat with so many amazing educators that also share new ideas with us, which we then pass onto you.
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Technology has truly changed the way we communicate with one another. And although there’s nothing that trumps a face-to-face chat, our conversations can expand around the world with the tap of a button.

We would like to challenge you to take this month to try something new. Perhaps connect with someone outside your inner circle or share something a little differently with the parents of your students. We would love to hear about it!

~Mindy Cairney
Digital Learning Consultant
​GWAEA

Communication is increasingly important in education. It’s one of those crucial life skills that students will use long after they have finished with school. Yet, communication isn’t a new idea in education. We’ve been teaching this for years, but as Jeff Utecht noted, technology has changed how we communicate, and it will continue to do so as it evolves. The tools, etiquette and means we use to communicate today are a lot different from those that we used even 10 years ago. In this blog post I am going to take a look at some ideas to help you explore the notion of communication in the classroom and what that looks like for today’s students.

The P21 framework suggests students need to be communicating to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade, and that they should this using oral, written and non-verbal mediums. So what does that look like in the age of technology that we live in? Here are some ideas for the kinds of mediums you could explore. It’s not an exhaustive list, but I think it includes some of the more popular communication channels that students are engaging in today. They include:

• Email or texting
• Blogging, journalling, and online writing
• Podcasting
• Video production, video conferencing, or vlogging
• Social Media
• Graphic design
• Multiplayer games

This inevitably raises the question, how can we help model and give students a safe environment to explore these kinds of experiences? Step one could be to practice with peers. When you are introducing one of these mediums to students, let them practice on each other before you go public on the web. Have a conversation about what is appropriate to be shared privately, versus what should be shared publicly, and if you need ideas for what that looks like, check out some of the modules from Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum because if you haven't considered this before, communication has strong ties to digital citizenship.

There are lots of great edtech tools to support communication in these kinds of mediums. In fact, many of the best communication tools are actually creative tools, because when we create something, more often than not, it is to communicate a message, tell our story, or share our thinking in a new way. Blogging, podcasting, video production, and graphic design are all creative endeavours, but they are also almost exclusively about communicating an idea or a message.

So, if you find a great creative communication platform to use with students, (e.g. Flipgrid, Twitter, Anchor, Canva, YouTube, Adobe Spark, etc.), then by all means use it, but don’t get too attached. Anyone who has been a teacher for any length of time is well aware that tools come and go. In fact, the way we communicate with each other today has changed over the years precisely because tools have come and gone.

Instead, teach the skill of communication. Teach students the value of communicating effectively, clearly, concisely, accurately, and politely. Teach them how to be empathetic, to be culturally aware, and to communicate with a purpose. If you teach communication in this way, the tool you use is just the vehicle that helps students share their story. If you teach communication, and not the tools, your students will become esteemed global citizens who are better prepared to succeed in a technology infused global workplace.

Jonathan Wylie | Digital Learning Consultant | Grant Wood AEA | @jonathanwylie