Category: Educational Technology

The Zoom application was updated on Monday 4/19 (Version 5.6.3) which brought a couple of features you might enjoy in your classroom. When someone is screen sharing, you now have the ability to Annotate with a Vanishing Pen. This is helpful if you need to point out something on a screen share, but don’t need the markings to persist. Any marks made with the vanishing pen disappear within a few seconds. 

Students often forget about due dates for upcoming assignments and quizzes. The Office of Innovation and Information Technology (OIIT) in collaboration with the Undergraduate Student Government Association made available a new tool for students to receive text reminders about important deadlines. Students now have the ability to set up a daily automated text message alerting them to upcoming assignments and quizzes via a new tool called Lazy Texts.

There aren’t any software updates from Zoom this week, except for a few minor tweaks in the most recent update to version 5.5.4. This version includes some minor enhancements to controls over Gallery View with Non-Video Participants and a clearer designation of shared content along with a few bug fixes.

This week in Zoom news there isn’t much that is new, except a few minor tweaks. There are enhancements to Gallery View with Non-Video Participants and a clearer designation of shared content along with a few bug fixes.  Even though it isn’t cutting edge new, we wanted to be sure you were aware of the relatively new feature of sharing slides as a virtual background. This feature is perfect for the faculty member that wants to share a presentation while continuing to have presence in the presentation. If your system can utilize a virtual background this feature will be available for you in zoom versions 5.2.0 and higher.  There is a slight difference with how you share your screen, and you need to click on the Advanced Tab from the screen sharing options to access the feature, next you will need to load your presentation, but then you get to enjoy being within your slide and not being relegated to a box next to your presentation. You can position where on the slide your webcam video is shown and resize it as needed.  To read the full documentation on Using Slides as a Virtual Background check out this link from Zoom.    […]

This week in Zoom news, we don’t have an official update from Zoom, but it does appear that Zoom during its most recent update to version (5.5.2) has enabled the long awaited feature of Live Transcription. There is now an option that allows hosts to enable transcription in their Zoom sessions. With this option enabled by the host, students are given the ability to view a live transcript of the zoom session. Full live Automated Transcripts from the session can viewed and are searchable during the session. This is helpful if a student needs to look back to review something discussed earlier in the session. The Full transcripts also separates the text by the user that made the comments. One important thing to note is that these automated live transcripts are not entirely accurate and can vary depending on the clarity and volume of the speakers voice and background noise. It may not accurately represent lexicons and dialects specific to a geography or community. Although it is not an ADA compliant Closed Caption solution primarily because of the potential for inaccuracy, it does make it easier for students who may have trouble hearing the zoom session to be able to […]

  The next Zoom update is anticipated to arrive sometime today and in this update there is a change to existing features as well as a couple of new features that will impact the online classroom. Let’s dive in to those changes. In terms of updates to existing features, the non-verbal feedback options recently moved into the Reactions button, and when they moved the feedback options of Yes, No, Slower and Faster, each would disappear after being on screen for a short period, rather than persisting until the attendee or host removed them. This update restores the behavior of those reactions so that they persist until removed. This is helpful if for example you are using the Yes button to collect feedback from students if they completed the reading and need to scroll through multiple screens of student video streams because you have a large class. In this update, new features include an enhanced video playback tool that accepts MP4 and MOV files with typical video controls. This is great if you share MP4 or MOV files directly from your desktop and not an online streaming site. The other new feature that is welcomed is for those who find virtual […]

As we approach final exams, here are a few helpful resources to help you secure your Canvas based exam: Lockdown Browser – https://web.respondus.com/he/lockdownbrowser/resources/ Respondus Monitor – https://web.respondus.com/he/monitor/resources/ Rapid rollout for instructors: https://web.respondus.com/rapid-rollout-instructors/ Weekly training webinars: https://web.respondus.com/webinars/ Technical support: https://support.respondus.com/