Zoom

 

Zoom is an online communication tool commonly used by schools and large businesses, especially during COVID-19.  Zoom allows you to host meetings with multiple people in order to share ideas and discuss plans.  Zoom has functions such as share screen and chat that allows members to share their screen in order to show a presentation while others can comment in the chat as to not interrupt someone when they are talking.  The chat function also allows for others to answer questions that one person might not know.  Breakout rooms are another function on zoom that allow for larger groups to break off into smaller groups and make things more intimate.

In terms of the classroom, zoom has been a very crucial form of teaching technology used in the recent months.  Since the beginning of COVID-19, teachers and administrators have been looking for a way to continue conversation with their students so they don't fall behind.  With the help of zoom, teachers can schedule meetings with their students, whether it be the entire class or individual students, making sure they stay on top of things.  Through zoom teachers are also able to still incorporate group work by administering breakout rooms.  By dividing the class into breakout rooms students are given the chance to communicate with their classmates on a more personal level.  Many students struggle with public speaking anxieties and that can be heightened when having to do it online, so with the help of these smaller groups, those with higher anxieties are able to feel more comfortable. 

Overall, I believe zoom is a great asset to teachers right now because it gives them a classroom setting through a screen.