Here’s a list of things that you can do to make for a better Zoom online meeting experience. If you have any additional things you would recommend, please leave a comment.
In Zoom’s settings do the following:
Turn on:
- The Waiting Room feature
- Set up a meeting password
- The “Remove uninvited participant” feature
Turn off:
- The Private Chat feature. Direct people to use the Chat and Q&A for questions.
- Screen sharing by others. You can enable this during the meeting if necessary.
Additional recommendations:
- Do not post your Zoom link publicly
- Have another teacher or trusted participant set up as a Co-Host to manage comments and the meeting waiting room.
- Lock your meeting once all of the students have joined. You can do this using “Manage Participants” once the meeting has started.
- Practice and test your Zoom workflow with others.
- Mute digital assistants such as Alexa, Google Home, and Siri.
- Remove any visual distractions that may focus attention away from you in the background.
- Have good lighting in the room so that attendees can see you.
- Angle your webcam so it shows your face dead-on.
- Limit tapping, movement and other things that may cause audio distractions.
- Remove pets from the room.
- Remove pets from the room(s) next to the room you are in.
- If you will be sharing your computer screen, clean up your computer’s desktop.
- Try and not use WiFi. Use a wired network connection instead.
- Use a good quality headset with a microphone.
- Silence your smartphone and other devices.
- Turn off all the alerts on your smartphone, and other devices.
- Mute any digital assistants in your home.
- Check the batteries in your mouse/keyboard and make sure they aren’t running low.
- Close all of the other applications running on your computer.
- Turn off notifications or other pop-ups or anything else that may be disruptive.
- If you are in a bedroom, make sure that your bed is made and the room is neat.
- Have a test call with a friend prior to your meeting.
Bruce Elgort 