Subject: Re: Some thoughts on using Zoom
From: "Adam J. Levitin" <[email-masked]>
To: Paul Rothstein <[email-masked]>
Cc: Naomi Mezey <[email-masked]>, Law Faculty and Visitors <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2016 19:16:48 +0000

I was generally satisfied with my Zoom experience, although I found teaching 2 hours on Zoom substantially more exhausting than 2 hours in the classroom.  Not sure why.  There might have simple been too many information feeds to manage for my overtaxed brain. 

I'd echo that Zoom does not interface with PowerPoint nearly as well as other platforms I’ve used.  You cannot use presenter notes or see the participants.  

A practical matter if you plan on calling on students:  ask students to use their first and last names as their Zoom IDs.  I found it very hard to know which “Nick” was which on the second day of class, much less what to call “JonLi000”.  

Another practical matter:  if you’re using video, be aware that everyone will see what is behind you in your house.  I found myself wishing I had a screen to put up just so the background wouldn’t be distracting.  (On the other hand, it was a pleasure to teach in fleece pants and slippers.)  And be aware that whatever is in the background of students may also be distracting.  

Finally, I wish there were a feature that would bring up the video feed of whoever was talking.  (Perhaps there is, but I couldn’t find it).  It wasn’t apparent to me whose video feed was selected for top-of-the-screen viewing.  

Adam

On Jan 26, 2016, at 2:06 PM, Paul Rothstein <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Thanks much, Naomi. Helpful. I ran several small test runs Sunday and  Monday with a few students who volunteered, preparatory to using Zoom later today in my large Evidence class. I found I was able to get a list of who participated in the meetings, after I closed the sessions. Can't recall exactly what I did to get the names, but it is there somewhere. 
> 
> Paul
> 
> Paul Rothstein
> Professor of Law
> Georgetown University Law Center
> "Law never is, but is always about to be."---Justice Benjamin Cardozo
> 
> ________________________________________
> From: Naomi Mezey
> Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 10:11 AM
> To: Law Faculty and Visitors
> Subject: Some thoughts on using Zoom
> 
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> Nan Hunter and I used Zoom for the first time yesterday to teach our class and I thought I would share what worked well and what didn’t in case this is helpful for others.  We were both co-hosts and we had 25 students participating.  Based on that experience, my sense was that Zoom works surprisingly well for smaller discussions or large lecture-based classes.  I think it would be too clunky to really do a large socratic-style class with lots of back and forth among many participants.  To my 20th century mind it does not compare to the in-class experience, but it is a fairly effective back up plan for snow days.
> 
> (1) Before you teach, be sure to do a test meeting with someone from IST.  They have done a great job making themselves available and it was enormously helpful.
> (2) It takes a little time, but I think it is worth doing a quick roll call at the start of the class to confirm which students are present.  You can see up to about 20 video feeds (with names) on your screen at once and you can scroll through to see the others, but some students (who have technical or audio problems) will use the telephone to call in and you will only see their telephone number.  There is not a record of participants afterward.
> (3) Ask your students to mute themselves when they are not speaking to eliminate ambient noise.
> (4) You can ask your students to use the “Raise Hand” function to ask or answer questions—it works pretty well and allows to see who wants to participate.
> (5) You can use power point with Zoom, which I thought was helpful for keeping everyone visually focused on content, but when you do that the video feeds scroll down the side of your screen and you can see many fewer students at one time.  Also, when Nan had the power point open she could not manage participants (to see raised hands or mute people).  As co-host I could do that, but that effectively required two people.  So combining Zoom with power point has some costs.
> (6) Kick everyone in your household off the internet before you begin!  I had some problems with connectivity at a couple points.
> 
> If others who have tried Zoom have insights or suggestions, please share.  Particularly welcome would be ideas for how to structure or design a class to make the most of Zoom.
> 
> Happy Zooming, Naomi
> 
> 
> Naomi Jewel Mezey
> Associate Dean for J.D. Programs
> Georgetown Law
> 600 New Jersey Ave. NW
> Washington D.C. 20001
> 202-662-9854
>