Moving instruction online is tricky proposition under the best of circumstances, but when there is little warning or no preparation, it definitely challenges everyone.
From my own first attempt using the Zoom application, I thought it was going to be a breeze. I tested and tested my video camera and microphone several times before the actual meeting, yet when it was time for the real thing, I crashed and burned.
Of the 5 people who joined the class, I was only successful in speaking to 3 people. One of the 3 was my colleague Mr. Steve Shickling, fellow CTE Engineering teacher and the other 2 were my students Kimberly and Raylene. Thank you both for hanging in there with me.
There can be so many reasons why but at some point, we all can only do the best we can and learn together for the next time we need to suspend learning in traditional classrooms.
POSSIBLE CAUSES
- Internet connection speeds on either end, the host who initiated the meeting or the the guests
- It might matter as well if the guests are using newer phones or computers.
I am planning on scheduling another meeting with the same class period students next Thursday at the same time.
Hopefully that will go better. I’ll keep you all posted. If you’re reading this and you’re a student of mine, you should check Google Classroom for your class period.
Students, in case you still don’t know how to get to your Google Classroom, look over to the left column or side bar.
By the way, the free version of Zoom is actually very good. Once I got used to its GUI (Graphical User Interface) and became familiar with the locations of the tools, I actually like it.
The one feature I loved was how it automatically recorded the meeting in .mp4 which you can import into any video editor and make yourself look like a professional who knows what they’re doing in front of a camera.
Why record the meeting, you might ask? Once the meeting is recorded, I can post it here or wherever I want so those who missed the meeting can watch it.