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Zoom remote learning etiquette

Zoom remote learning etiquette

As I watched my daughters embark on their first day of virtual learning yesterday, it became clear that their digital classrooms are strikingly similar to the business meetings that adults have been having for the past 6 months. Of course, the main commonality is that education and business are both using Zoom.

I also realized the importance of knowing some of the core functionality in Zoom in order to be a courteous participant in a Zoom class. For anyone whose children are remote learning, I recommend making sure your kids know how to use two functions in Zoom.

1. Mute/Unmute

When you are not talking you should be muted. That way your background noise won’t get picked up while others are trying to talk. This obviously applies to business meetings as well as virtual learning.

To mute, simply click on the microphone on the lower left of the Zoom window.

To un-mute, just click on that same microphone button. Pro tip: If you are muted, you can click and hold the spacebar to temporarily un-mute yourself. Then just let go of the space bar to re-mute.

2. Raise Your Hand (Virtually)

Zoom has a Raise Hand feature that allows students to signal to the teacher that they have something to contribute. This is especially critical for large classes or meetings in order to avoid interruptions.

To raise your hand, click Participants in the bottom Zoom bar. Then at the bottom of the participants screen, you’ll see the option to Raise Hand.

Once you have raised your hand, you’ll see a little hand icon next to your name — the host will see that icon as well. You’ll also have the option to Lower Hand in the bottom right of the participants window.

While there are certainly more bells & whistles to Zoom, I believe anyone on a Zoom call should know how to use these critical functions. It will help the classes and meetings go smoother for everyone.

Mike McElhaney
mike@keybridgeweb.com