Young people are extremely technology efficient, and if educators don’t keep up, you’ll find students’ attention and desire to be involved fade.  What may seem unimportant to you, for young people is make or break.

Over the past 18 months Burn Bright have become quite the Zoom experts. We have facilitated many school programs, the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australia 3 day 500 students Student Leadership Conference plus Perth College Leadership Camp from Sydney all via Zoom Meetings.

While we incorporate many functions into our Zoom capabilities such as external broadcast software, professional standard lighting, external sound boards and audio interfaces, these tips are NOT those! Whilst we’d be more than happy to offer some help and advice if you’d like, we thought we’d start with 5 things that every educator can implement TODAY to dramatically improve the engagement and quality of your own Zoom classes.

Turn chat on and off to minimise distraction and gain maximum engagement.

As educators we can use the chat function to our advantage – however the chat box provides a distraction at times. The last thing we want is to be discussing a serious or important topic while your students are busy chatting about the new Kanye West album about to come out. As the host of a Zoom meeting, you can easily turn chat on and off during and throughout the meeting. By clicking the security icon and unticking/ticking the chat option, you can turn it off and on as you please.

Use the Spotlight feature for yourself & students.

 Using the Spotlight feature in Zoom is a handy function that pins a certain or multiple people for everyone. Using this feature allows you to Spotlight your camera screen for the whole group, but more importantly if you are asking a specific student or students a question or wanting them to share with the group you can add them as a spotlight too. To learn more check out this SHORT VIDEO

Are you streaming in full HD?

The people at Zoom are a little sneaky. First your account may not be set to have HD video turn on. If not, we recommend enabling HD video as this will dramatically increase your video quality and the quality of your class! Some accounts will also have the option to choose 1080P video – which if this is an option for you you should definitely take it! To learn how to turn on HD video take a look at this short video HERE.

Enable 49 Participants on Gallery View.

If you haven’t done this already, you definitely should. This will mean that on gallery view you will be able to see 49 participant windows instead of 25 and will be able to keep an eye on your students more effectively. Do note however, that this option is only available for if your computer is capable – so if you don’t see this option, please don’t spend hours trying to figure it out as if it’s not there it unfortunately isn’t a possibility for you on that computer. To watch a short video on how to enable this CLICK HERE.

Regularly check your internet speed.

Unfortunately, for some of us our internet speeds aren’t always regular and there’s nothing more off putting on a Zoom call than someone not being able to hear or see you clearly. It’s handy to regularly check your internet speeds before you have a Zoom call so that you can either reset your router or worst-case scenario, hotspot. While the official recommendations are a lot lower, we always try and aim for a minimum of 25Mbps download speed and 8Mbps upload speed. You can easily check your internet speed HERE.

If you found these helpful or would like to look into Burn Bright running an ONLINE 1.5 Hour Zoom Program with your students, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We understand that stay at home lockdown is challenging but we believe we can still have an impact on your young people’s leadership and wellbeing development.

Looking for Ways to Bring Energy to Your Classroom?

Maintaining an energetic environment in online classes is a challenging thing to do. Having some activities up your sleeve to keep the investment and focus of your students can be a game changer in creating a positive learning environment online.

Click here to get 5 easy-to-use activities that will energise your students.

First things first, the work begins in your setup before the meeting has kicked off. Now what we are going to say sounds like it should be obvious but after the 4 consecutive zoom calls I had with family on the long weekend (and the hours of talking them through how to use it) it apparently needs to be addressed.
Set Up Your Account and Install Your App Pre-Call!
This is the first step to seeming like a slick professional in the Zoom world. Give it a test out with a test call between devices and setting up call meeting links to yourself. If you need more information than that about the whole install process. Check this out here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362033-Getting-Started-on-Windows-and-Mac

Alright, your account is setup — what else do the pros do?
Build an agenda for your meeting.
This is just a simple doc of what you need to cover so you have an agreed understanding with your co-Zoomers on what you are actually there to chat about. Now, a quick disclaimer, this WILL NOT PREVENT PEOPLE GETTING SIDETRACKED. It is simply insurance against side conversations for when your friend has rambled on too long about their Carole Baskin theories or how much free time they’ve had in the last 3 weeks.

Time for appearances. What is the required level of fashion to be considered a bona fide Zoom pro?
The answer may be more close to home than you think. Like all of us, we think of Zoom Pros as someone who has class and style. Someone who has gravitas in their fashion and always has their hair done perfectly imperfect. But the truth behind the curtain is this…

Are you ready?

They’re still in their pyjamas from the waist down.
I know.
I was as shocked as you are.
But it is reassuring isn’t it? Put on your best tuxedo or ball gown from the waist up but below the camera’s field of view — it is trackies and fluffy socks all the way.

Time for the meeting.

Let me paint a picture of where we are now. You’re in the meeting. You’ve followed our first three tips and you’re ready to feel like a Zoom Pro.
The meeting kicks off and you’re pumped until it starts devolving to chaos. No one can hear each other properly. You’re trying to talk but different screens keep flashing over your screen, different voices are getting louder and quieter. Panic sets in.
But don’t fear. There is a solution and it is devilishly easy.

Hit the mute button.
When you talk over other people, no one gets heard. It’s just the way Zoom works. So mute yourself and let them talk so when your turn comes around, the same will happen for you.

There are 2 more key steps to Zoom like a pro so hang in there!

Having a clean, presentable background is paramount to commanding the respect of your fellow Zoom Pros in your Zoom calls — we all know this.
But did you know that there is a way to have a clean background all the time without actually cleaning your room?
Our science team have been experimenting with techniques of permanently cleaning a room and they’ve found the ‘fake it til you make it’ method to be the most successful in attaining the desired results.
Here is how it works.

Clean your room once (I know but it has to be done just this one time). Set up your computer in your standard Zoom position. Move out of the frame and screen shot what the camera sees.
Go back into Zoom and go to select virtual background.
Upload the photo of your clean room and voila! Your room is now permanently clean. Pretty nifty, if we do say so ourselves.

Our final pro tip is the most important!

Snacks! Everyone needs, everyone wants them. Get yourself some! Grab yourself some popcorn or a toasty and a nice hot coffee and set your snacks up to be right behind your screen so they are just out of camera shot. It is genius — now you have snacks on command.
There is the extra effort option of getting Uber Eats while on Zoom call but this requires finesse in timing ability and the ability to eat foods that may go cold so this is reserved for only the most elite Zoom Pros.

And there you have it!

You are now a certified Zoom pro! Go impress your friends with your knowledge and impeccable skills!