Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! Zoom Reactions Have Changed

Zoom … it’s always changing!

You may have noticed some recent changes to how Zoom Reactions work, specifically that they are easier to find and the experience is more consistent. The Reactions button is now at the bottom of the screen for everyone, and everyone, regardless of their role in the meeting has the same choices: the emojis for Applause, Thumbs up, Heart, Joy, Open Mouth and Tada, plus Yes, No, Slower, Faster and Raise Hand.

Some Reactions that used to be available are now gone. Some Hosts are disappointed by the loss of the Thumbs Down emoji, as it offered a simple way to get feedback to a question like “Is this okay?” or “Do you understand?”

Now that the Zoom emojis are all positive in nature, it’s more complicated to use them for a dichotomous response. There are however, alternatives to the Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down emojis. 

The simplest solution is to use the Yes and No responses to get feedback. Unfortunately, that requires the intrusion of English in a second language class, and some find it too direct. 

Another option is to create a poll that you prepare in advance and launch and relaunch as necessary. The simple responses to a single question poll could be Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down or Yes / No in the target language. 

The poll feature is also useful for quick questions with more than two options. For example, it could be used to quickly quiz students on the gender or case of nouns. The instructor could say a word such as "apple" and students would choose the appropriate gender - Masculine, Feminine or Neuter.

If you’re just using the poll to get a general Audience reaction, plan to quickly report the results verbally, and you do not need to save responses, you can relaunch that same simple poll over and over again in the meeting. After you administer a poll, instead of sharing the results, you can relaunch it. This will clear the older results, but if you’re just trying to get a sense of how your audience is feeling at a moment in time, there probably is no need to keep the results.

A reminder that Co-hosts can launch existing polls, but cannot answer poll questions, so if your meeting includes Co-hosts, and you want to include their responses, the Reaction button is a better choice than a poll.

Have All Students See the Same Grid Configuration in Zoom

In any size of online classroom in Zoom, it may be useful for all students to see the same video grid configuration. Having everyone see the same grid can make it easier to keep track of who has been asked to contribute to the class discussion, for example. 

There is a way for the host of the meeting to make this happen with just a few simple steps. 

The host and all participants must go to Gallery View within the View options in the upper right of the Zoom window.

Instructor (host) clicks and drags one or more student’s video to a new position.

Under View in the upper right, the instructor (host) now has the option to have students Follow Host’s View. 

Once Follow Host’s Video Order is selected and, again, everyone is in Gallery View, all participants will see the same configuration of videos. Release Video Order is also available, seen in the above image. 

The rules for window ordering in Zoom are complicated, and there are ways this configuration could change(e.g. a student uses the Raise Hand feature.), but this is a simple way to create a uniform, shared “seating chart.”

Zoom Roles in a Meeting & Do You Really Need a Co-host?

Zoom Roles

Zoom Host, Co-host, Alternative Host, Participant … the specifics of these roles can be hard to remember and there have been some changes as Zoom has been upgraded over time.

Fortunately, if you have questions about how to set up your meeting, check out one of the most useful documents Zoom has produced: Zoom Roles in a Meeting. This handy grid will help you determine what roles are necessary for your meeting, and whether you need anyone in roles other than a Host and Participants.

If the meeting is critical and must start in your absence, then you absolutely need to assign an Alternative Host who can start the meeting, and this role must be assigned in advance. It is in fact, the only role you can assign in advance. An Alternative Host becomes a Co-host once the Host is present at the meeting.

Do You Really Need a Co-host?

Having a trained Co-host can be essential if you are managing a large class or other group, but it may not be necessary for all meetings. Here are a few things to think about before you assign Co-host(s) in your meeting:

• Polling: Co-hosts can start a poll, but they cannot set up a poll in advance of the meeting. Critically, Co-hosts also cannot answer poll questions. So, if you are polling your class or group, and you have Co-hosts in the mix, you are missing their voices in the poll responses.
• Screen Sharing: There is a case to be made for making student presenters temporary Co-hosts, particularly because it subtly indicates their enhanced role in that class. However, if you are only making your Participants Co-hosts to facilitate Screen Sharing, think about changing your Zoom settings to always allow Screen Sharing (you can turn that off in a meeting if necessary).
• Breakout Rooms: In older versions of Zoom, it was necessary to make Participants Co-hosts to let them choose their own Breakout Room. However with Version 5.3 and higher, you can set up your Breakout Rooms to allow Participants to choose their rooms.
• Managing Participants: A Co-host has powerful capabilities to manage Participants in a meeting, including the ability to remove Participants (possibly by accident). If you are the Host, think about whether you are comfortable allowing your students or other meeting attendees to have this power.

Creating a Background Image in Jamboard

Jamboard is a very versatile tool. It can be used as a blank whiteboard, or you can populate the board with text, sticky notes, graphics and images and ask students to manipulate these elements. One common use might be to have students fill in a grid with either pre-made elements or with their own texts. Here is an example:

In this activity for a German class, students are asked to identify the function of words or phrases in the orange squares and to drag each square into the rectangle at right according to the type of information in each orange square: When, how, where (time, manner, place). 

The next step is to create three sentences with elements from all three rectangles in the appropriate order -- time, manner, place.

This Jamboard frame is created out of standard elements: Rectangle graphics of equal size for each of the white rectangles, orange sticky notes for each sentence element, text elements to form the labels in the rectangles and to write the instructions, as well as to initiate each sentence at the bottom of the screen. Once the screen is constructed, you can duplicate it as many times as you want, so that each student or group of students can work on their own copy.

All elements in Jamboard are moveable by default. While it is desirable for students to move the orange sticky notes to new locations, it is also possible to inadvertently move the rectangles or the text instructions out of place, thereby disrupting the grid. 

As with other Google apps, Jamboard is constantly evolving, adding new features automatically. Recently, the programmers have added the capability to use an image as a background for the screen, thereby keeping the organizing structure as intended. The best way to ensure that a layout is the way you want it in Jamboard is to create it first in Jamboard and then save the layout as an image. Then import that image as an immovable background for the frame.  Here’s how:

Construct a Jamboard frame as you want it to appear with all the elements that you want to remain fixed and constant:

Once the fixed elements are in place you can download a PNG image of the frame. 

Click the three vertical dots at the top right of the window, just to the left of the “Share” button:

In the dropdown menu click Save frame as image.

This will download a PNG image to your downloads folder with the same name as the title of the Jamboard: 

On your Jamboard you can now erase your template, returning to a clean screen. 

In the Jamboard menu bar at the top left, click Clear frame:

Your design is erased. You can now upload the template as the background for the frame. 

In the Jamboard menu bar, click Set background:

In the dropdown menu, select the image icon at the bottom right.

In the dialog box, select Upload tab and then the Browse button:

Navigate to your downloads folder and select the newly created PNG file (It will have the same name as your Jamboard’s title). 

The image is now the background and cannot inadvertently be changed or moved when students move other elements. You can now add movable elements, such as sticky notes if you wish, and then duplicate the screen as many times as you need. 

You can use any JPG or PNG image as a background in Jamboard. The advantage of creating your background image within Jamboard initially is that you can visualize the final layout as it will appear. Jamboard will size any image you import to fit the Jamboard screen. The resulting image may be stretched or reduced in unexpected ways. Saving a PNG image of the Jamboard frame results in an image that fits the Jamboard interface as you have laid it out. 

A subsequent post will demonstrate how to create uniform sticky notes for this kind of activity. Also look for a post that incorporates actual images in a fixed Jamboard background.

 

Using Audio in Canvas Discussion Forums

Since January 2021, the primary box where you create content in Canvas, known as the Rich Content Editor, has a new look!  Today we will show you how to use the new version of the Record/Upload Media feature and provide an example of how to use these audio recordings in Discussion Forums.  

How to Record/Upload Media in the new Rich Content Editor

In the new editor, there are two options for getting started with inserting content.
You can click on the Insert menu and then Media, 

 

 or you can click on the Media icon.  

2.  You will see the tool set to the default to upload from your "Computer".  Click on "Record" to activate the camera and microphone.

4.  From this point on, the tool functions as it did in the previous version of Canvas. To record only your voice, turn off the webcam video and click Start Recording.

4.  After speaking, you will have the opportunity to preview the recording and then to save the recording.

Using Audio in a Discussion Forum

When we think of discussion forums, we tend to envision students writing. If you have used a tool such as Flipgrid, however, you may also be familiar with posting video messages and the possibility of threaded responses. Whether writing or speaking, these asynchronous tools provide students opportunities to review messages multiple times and respond after formulating or practicing a response. This can contribute to students' confidence and success. Through the Upload/Record Media feature in Canvas, threaded audio-only oral discussions in the regular discussion forum tool are also possible!  

Why might you use this functionality?  Here are just a few reasons:

1. Audio recordings process faster than video recordings

2. Some students feel more comfortable recording only their voice

3. Recordings can be heard by everyone in the class, as opposed to an assignment that only the instructor can access 

4. The Rich Content Editor provides space to include clear instructions, images or additional resources.

5. In Canvas you can easily track all contributions by one student, including individual replies.  

Example with Audio Recordings in a Discussion Forum

In this scenario, 

1. The instructor records a prompt, asking students to describe a trip they took sometime in the past, including information about who, what, when, where, why and how. (Alternatively, the instructor could present the prompt in writing.)

Place the cursor where you want to insert the audio recording. Follow the instructions outlined above to record your prompt.

After you have saved the recording, it will appear as a gray player box.

Once you have posted the prompt and published it, the gray player box will have an icon with a music note. The entire post will look like this:

2. Students listen to (or read) the prompt. \ They click Reply and record their oral response using the Upload/Record Media feature.

3. Students listen to responses from 3 classmates and reply to each individual with an oral comment. \ For example, students could be asked to highlight the way their own travel experiences are similar or different from the examples they heard.

Other uses of the Record/Upload Media Feature

Don't forget that previous posts in this blog have shown how instructors can use the Record/Upload Media feature in Canvas to provide feedback on student submissions, provide aural support of written texts, and record questions for use in quizzes. In the future, look for information on how students can provide oral responses to quiz questions!

Navigating the Tip of the Day Blog

As the University begins the second full semester of online instruction, the Tip of the Day team is preparing to provide more tips throughout the semester. As we move forward, we thought it may be useful to share some ideas on how to navigate through the more than sixty tips located in our archive. 

If you would like to see if there are any previous tips on a specific topic, video editing i.e., you can use the internal search feature on the homepage of the Tip of the Day homepage. 

Go to https://lctip.blogspot.com/ 

Enter the search term in the Search This Blog bar in the upper right of the homepage. 

All of the posts relevant to the search term will be displayed. 

Users can also narrow down their search by selecting what month’s (or year’s) posts they wish to see. 

Below Search This Blog, you will see the Blog Archive, organized in order of the date each entry was posted, most recent first. Select the desired month and a list of links to all of the posts from that month will appear. 

As an additional tool to assist a search, each tip has been tagged with one or more labels, or categories. For example, if there is not a specific feature that you are looking for, but rather you are interested in browsing through all of the existing tips on a topic, these labels can help facilitate your search. 

Below the Blog Archive is the Categories list. 

Select one of the categories, and all of the previous posts that have that label will be listed. 

The Tip of the Day team is looking forward to providing new tips this semester, as well as updating certain earlier tips to reflect updates and changes to the various instructional tools. 

Welcome back!