Using Zoom

 

Today more than ever our face-to-face contact is becoming less and less as we are attending things such as class and work through virtual meetings. Many institutions and workplaces use the technology of Zoom web meeting places to still have virtual face-to-face meetings with their students and employees.  One difficulty we may face when using such applications is downloading and using this platform on our computers and other devices.

First, you must download the Zoom application from the app store or the Google Play store for mobile devices. You will need to download the desktop client version/application for other devices such as computers or access the meeting you wish to attend by going to Zoom’s website.  The link provided will take you to the Zoom download center in which you will see multiple links for how to download the software onto your device: https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting

Next, once the application is installed and you open it up, you will see two options; one is to join a meeting, or the second option is to sign in. If you choose the sign-in option, it will have you make an account through their website by clicking “sign up” in the bottom right corner, or by signing in with a Google account or Facebook account.

Once, you are signed in you will get the option to join a meeting by entering the meeting ID or through the personal link name. Normally your professor, employer, or whoever is hosting the meeting will provide you with a code that you can copy and paste into the meeting ID section, and you can simply click join. Another way this can be done is by clicking the link in which they might have sent to your email or through text. This link will open the meeting application and take you right to the call. Once opened it will ask you if you want to join the meeting with computer audio and video, basically saying that it will show your picture and your voice if you select these options and have a webcam enabled. There are also options pinned down on the bottom bar of the screen for muting and unmuting your audio as well as starting and stopping your live video feed. Additionally, there are buttons for sharing the content of your screen to others. This may be used for instance if someone is showing a powerpoint presentation or showing documents. There is also a tab labeled “participants” which allows you to see everyone that has joined the meeting.

Lastly, there are a couple more options in which you can take advantage of with zoom. The “more” tab will take you to features such as the chat function which allows you to type questions into a messenger that others can see and type back.  Recording the meeting is also a function that can be found under this tab as well as the raise your hand option which will allow the host or speaker to see that you have a question you would like to ask.

Ready to start using zoom? Follow the link provided to start your download and begin attending those virtual meetings from home! https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting