Exploring Features of a Videoconferencing Platform

Teaching Online, Videoconferencing Platforms, Virtual Learning Environments, Virtual Teaching 0 comments

Castelo dos Moros, Sintra - Portugal
Picture taken by Jonathan Acuña (2020)

Exploring Features of a Videoconferencing Platform

What to look for

When traditional classroom educators make the transition to the online teaching setting or find themselves instructing in a virtualized environment, it becomes essential for them to delve into the array of features offered by videoconferencing platforms. In instances where the educational institution dictates the platform choice, school authorities should prioritize the selection of a proficient trainer who can adeptly guide teachers through the multifaceted functionalities it encompasses.

In a course “Teaching English Online” led by Lindsay Warwick and Marie Therese Swabey (n.d.) on FutureLearn’, educators who are venturing into the realm of online teaching are provide with invaluable guidance on selecting an appropriate platform for their lessons. The course adeptly convers a range of fundamental features, including but not limited to chat box, share screen, tick icon, interactive whiteboard, notes, and breakout rooms. Emphasizing the significance of platform familiarity, both Warwick and Swabey stress that learners must feel at ease navigating the online environment (n.d.). A sense of confidence in using the platform is pivotal, as any unease could hinder full engagement in lessons subsequently hampering the learning process (Warwick & Swabey, n.d.). Just as new teachers require comprehensive onboarding into the English teaching program, learners also stand to benefit greatly from an onboarding process tailored to the online platform they’ll be utilizing for their virtual lessons.

Warwick & Swabey (Researching different platforms, n.d.) highlight “five different platforms that teachers use.” This inclusion serves to empower course participants in FutureLearn in evaluating and slecting the most suitable platform for their needs. The course’s platform list emcompasses Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and WhatsApp (Warwick & Swabey, M. T., Researching different platforms, n.d.). As part of my contribution to novice instructors, I took the initiative to conduct a comparative analysis of three of these platforms, focusing on the features available to users. ahead and compared three of them based on the features I get to use when using them.

Conferencing Feature	Microsoft Teams	Zoom	Google Meet
Video	ü	ü	ü
Background Choices	ü	ü	ü
Audio	ü	ü	ü
List of Participants	ü	ü	ü
Screen Sharing	ü	ü	ü
Interactive Whiteboard	ü	ü	x
Breakout Rooms	ü	ü	x
Annotate Tool	ü	ü	x
Chatbox	ü	ü	x
Reaction Icons	ü	ü	x
Recording	ü	ü	ü
Online Storage	ü	ü	ü
Meeting Calendarization	ü	ü	ü
Mobile Compatibility	ü	ü	ü
Document Sharing	ü	ü	ü

It is crucial to note that the three videoconferencing platforms I chose do offer paid subscription options or require the acquisition of a licence. While these platforms do provide free usage options, it’s imperative to acknowledge that they come with certain limitations, impacting both teachers and for their learners.

After grasping the core features of the videoconferencing platform, educators must dedicate time to explore their integration within a synchronous lesson. Among the essential steps for all teachers is to meticulously review the feature list of the chosen platform, followed by an exploration of how these features can be seamlessly incorporated to mirror their established methods from traditional classrooms. This process involves devising strategies for facilitating group work activities and effectively executing interactive speaking tasks such as the “find-someone-who” exercise. These critical questions necessitate thorough exploration. Here you have some valuable information about the three compared platforms I carried out. Now it is time for you do explore them on your own:

· Zoom tutorial

· Microsoft Teams tutorial

· Google Meet tutorial

By delving into the intricacies of these three platforms, teachers can better navigate the challenges of adapting traditional teaching practices to the online environment.

To sum up, the journey from traditional to true online teaching is marked by a dynamic process of discovery, trial and error, and adaptation. By immersing ourselves in the features of videoconferencing platforms and aligning our practices with the virtual context, language instructors (or any other type of educator) can effectively bridge the gap between physical-traditional and virtual-digital classrooms, ultimately enriching educational experiences for both ourselves and our learners.

References

Warwick, L., & Swabey, M. (n.d.). Exploiting features of a platform. Retrieved from FutureLearn.Com: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/online-tutoring/9/steps/1381032

Warwick, L., & Swabey, M. T. (n.d.). Researching different platforms. Retrieved from FutureLearn.Com: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/online-tutoring/9/steps/1381033

Suggested Reading Comprehension Exercise

Reading Task 1

Instructions: Based on the comparative chart provided, decide if the following statements regarding Zoom, Microsoft Team, and Google Meet are true or false. The answers are provided below.

[1] - Microsoft Teams offers Video, Background Choices, and Audio features.

True

False

[2] - Interactive Whiteboard is available in all three platforms: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.

True

False

[3] - Breakout Rooms and Annotate Tool are features present in Zoom.

True

False

[4] - Chatbox and Reaction Icons are available in Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

True

False

[5]- Recording, Online Storage, Meeting Calendarization, Mobile Compatibility, and Document Sharing features are present in Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

True

False

[6] - Google Meet offers Background Choices and Audio features.

True

False

[7] - Microsoft Teams provides the Interactive Whiteboard feature.

True

False

[8] - Zoom offers the Breakout Rooms feature.

True

False

[9] - Annotate Tool is available in Google Meet.

True

False[10] - Recording, Online Storage, Meeting Calendarization, Mobile Compatibility, and Document Sharing features are present in Google Meet.

True

False

Reading Task 2

Instructions: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer for each blank. Select the option (a, b, c, or d) that you think is correct. The answers are provided below.

[1] - When traditional classroom educators make the transition to the online teaching setting or find themselves instructing in a virtualized environment, it becomes essential for them to __________ into the array of features offered by videoconferencing platforms.

a) dive

b) jump

c) skim

d) skip

[2] - In instances where the educational institution dictates the platform choice, school authorities should prioritize the selection of a proficient trainer who can adeptly guide teachers through the __________ functionalities it encompasses.

a) multifaceted

b) basic

c) limited

d) redundant

[3] - Educators who are venturing into the realm of online teaching are provided with invaluable guidance on selecting an appropriate platform for their lessons in the course titled “Teaching English Online” led by Lindsay Warwick and Marie Therese Swabey (n.d.) on FutureLearn’. The course adeptly covers a range of fundamental features, including but not limited to __________.

a) chalkboard

b) chat box

c) textbook

d) microphone

[4] - Emphasizing the significance of platform familiarity, both Warwick and Swabey stress that learners must feel at __________ navigating the online environment.

a) home

b) ease

c) unease

d) risk

[5] - A sense of confidence in using the platform is pivotal, as any unease could hinder full __________ in lessons subsequently hampering the learning process.

a) engagement

b) disinterest

c) isolation

d) confusion

[6] - Warwick & Swabey (Researching different platforms, n.d.) highlight “five different platforms that teachers use.” This inclusion serves to empower course participants in FutureLearn in __________ the most suitable platform for their needs.

a) purchasing

b) selecting

c) ignoring

d) disregarding

[7] - The course’s platform list encompasses Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and __________.

a) Snapchat

b) Facebook

c) WhatsApp

d) Instagram

[8] - As part of my contribution to novice instructors, I took the initiative to conduct a comparative analysis of three of these platforms, focusing on the features available to __________.

a) learners

b) administrators

c) developers

d) users

[9] - Among the essential steps for all teachers is to meticulously review the feature list of the chosen platform, followed by an exploration of how these features can be seamlessly __________ to mirror their established methods from traditional classrooms.

a) ignored

b) incorporated

c) avoided

d) dismantled

[10] - By delving into the intricacies of these three platforms, teachers can better navigate the __________ of adapting traditional teaching practices to the online environment.

a) ease

b) challenges

c) rewards

d) avoidance

Answers to both reading comprehension exercises:

Reading Task 1

1. True

2. False

3. True

4. True

5. True

6. False