*Zooming Ahead*

Using Zoom to teach online

When using Zoom to teach online, these are some pointers to remember to make it a smooth process.

*Introduction*

Preparing for a Zoom class meet

Beginning the lessons

Ensure the students have enough to do. Inorder to inculcate leadership in them, delegate tasks or parts of the meet, where they take on the main role.

Get your security system setting, right for the meet.

Neither you nor other innocent members should get to have to deal with any of those participating, for whom learning is not a priority.

Building up the team cohesive feeling

Getting ready to troublesome small glitches and hanging of the session, due to internet connectivity problems etc.

Planning the topic for the session

Ensuring a backup of the meet as videos of the session is also important, to revert back for information on just about everything that took place, in the session.

Keeping the students busy

Continuous interactive activity.

Unmute them at times allowing for this, while ensuring you have control over the entire session, for them to question for doubts, give their opinion and later share their completed assignments and also what they would like in further sessions, along with what they did find useful, in the completed online class meet.

Elaborated lessons on the above and more, as examples are there as video lessons in the course.

Also for better communication, basic grammar, pronounciation, vocabulary for the class in English medium of instruction is provided in the lectures.

Points to keep in mind and expanded on here.

Giving easy to follow online class lessons

Timing prefered and suitability of days or dates sorted out, ahead of time with optional timings given.

More the number, less the attention per participant so tinier groups on different days works out better, unless time is a restricting factor.

Quality is any day better than Quantity.

Remember this always.

Reminders for the class meet in email and whatsup or telegram group as messages twice in the day, a few hours before and just before.

The notification on their mobiles should serve to ensure that there is no way they lose out on the lessons, paid or otherwise just because they forgot or because if preoccupation with other things.

Lessons as introductory videos also keep and sustain their interest and inform them, about what the session is about.

This will help them prepare for it, if needed to ask questions or talk if needed, new queries etc when given a chance.

Using a writing instruments as medium of instruction, once in a while or throught the session keeps their focus on the meet.

This will enable them to concentrate and imbibe lessons better.

Review of previous sessions, as follow up in the beginning will jot their memory for the session.

Final analysis of the present session in the end to summarize will ensure the class contents, stays in their minds.

Experts advice in a simple way explained has been given with a lot of resources on this and according to this, there are the summary of some tips, to get you started off on a good footing.

As a teacher, Zoom or Google meet, Skype etc ensures you can keep your class happening, if you are unable to have it offline, face to face.

Systematic online class meets, where students join a class meeting at a prefixed time, will serve to get all the classmates together, regardless of their location``` .

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Online lessons act as further lessons for usual classes and teaching sessions.

One day Workshops or weekend ones keep the momentum going, in a lighter way, however, without the intensity of the normal weekday session.

The lessons can be done on any device allowing them to have a class in several optional settings and giving them entry into various kinds of classes.

Hybrid classes with both online and offline options, as choices for the students gives them more flexibility, in their lessons.

Starting your session

Online meets were meant to be just once in a while before but now, it is an all the time thing and the main learning session - the new normal...

So giving it the platform of utility it deserves is what will ensure maximum output for students creativity etc.

More can be learnt online and less unlearnt too!

Timings can be moved around and so on.

Get to know the pros and cons of having an online meet and finally when comfortable with using it, have your meet.

Students should not have a feeling that the teacher is an amateur and realise that the teacher knows their way about .

Start by downloading and installing the application, from the Playstore.

Getting all the functions right, by reading rules of usage helps.

Assisting students to do this too, gets easier then

Every student will have their own unique way of presenting themselves, before the teacher just as their mentors do.

They will each, also have obstacles in their environment to get online, presumably.

Helping them tide over this is your responsibility but not completely.

Do not take too much on but yet give them enough help.

Achieving this delicate balance is needed and comes with experience and practice.

Controlling the meet

Having total control but giving genuine learners, peers or members some way to express themselves is amso needed

Getting your settings right and perfect for your meet, well ahead of time.

Stability of your internet connection, speakers, seating arrangements, lighting are all to kept at its optimum best.

The focus will be on you and also provide equal opportunity for them to give them a fair chance at it, too.

Breathability in the room you teach, like the mask you wear, heating or cooling factors.

Neither should you be sweating away and look uncomfortable, making them uneasy too, nor should it be a noisy cooler or heater that does its job well, at controling the climate for you but is a source of background noise.

Ineffective room comfort affects a teacher and is an unnecessary source of distraction from the work, at hand.

Any number of possible options ensure a happy class online and a well conducted one.

Recurring meet links give members of the meet, ease of entry, for regular sessions.

Control over what they do is needed but if familiar with them and they are trustworthy of appropriate behaviour online, then more options for video, audio, renaming, sharing of screen etc can be given.

Determination of this is your call

Rigidity of control can be avoided if the trust factor is in place.

If not sure of this, sole control is advisable.

Asking your participants to register prior to the meeting, a week before and much ahead of the class, saves you a lot of headache over minor issues that you will have to tackle and reduce the workload for this on the actual date.

Know the participants and get needed details, without invasion of their privacy and without getting too nosy.

It is your right as a host but can be asserted in a graceful abd poised way.

Last but not the least, your attire and body language has to be just right.

If you are noticeably too casual or too formal, it affects the whole session. A relaxed but effective learning environment, which is ideal for learning has to be made.

The onus for this is on your shoulders but asking for help, if you require it isn't such a bad idea, either.

This serves the purpose of learning and imparting knowledge so if you need to gel better with others around, in conducting your sessions, do so.

Let them know it is important to you and ultimately their final equation with you that you are able to have meets that pave the path to enlightenment for you and in turn, others.

Get your own stuff for this and have it, if possible for your sole purpose only.

It is not being odd but sensible to do this.

In the long run, peaceful and better teaching and learning will take place.

Encouraging other teachers and students along their online goals is of paramount importance.

Remember it is not easy to be out there, looking through a phone or computer to either learn or teach.

Make it secure and better by following this and more, as online meets are here to stay now so it is in your best interests to do so.

Best of luck to online teachers and keep going``` !!

_Sarita Wariyer_