Today, due to not being able to have class all together at UVIC we all participated in class online. Through my instructors help we set up an account for the website Zoom which enabled our class of 32 to be all on one video conference together. I have had some previous experience in group calls on platforms such as Facetime and Skype but I have never been on a call with more than four people before so it was definitely interesting. I think Zoom was a good alternative to being in class altogether, the audio worked well for everyone and it was nice having the option to be on mute or off as well as have your camera on or off. The chat was also cool to have a form of communication and to share links which helped in my instructors explanation of the following activity.
Due to schools being closed now until further notice I think Zoom would be a good option for educators to communicate with their students and hold class online for middle school, high school and post secondary students. It has a variety of features that an educator could take advantage of and has the ability to visually see everyone which gives educators visual cues to make sure the students are still engaged and listening. Some cons that I noticed from my experience today was that it was hard focusing sometimes because of how many distractions their were but almost because of this I was very engaged in the video call. The scene sharing portion of it was also helpful when my peers where doing their presentations so give a visual to their explanations and research.
Overall, I don’t know if I would use it unless I have to one day but it is a good tool to have in my back pocket if something happens where I cannot meet my students face to face in class.
