Who’s Zoomin’ Who?

Tool How? Why? Advantages Disadvantages/logistical

issues

Powerpoint Used as a visual Provides a written Makes use of both Non-interactive for the
material. record of the given listening and reading student. If it is made
tasks as well as an oral skills. The students see interactive it is quite
one for the students to the task as well as hear difficult to use.
follow. the teacher say it Time consuming to
Use a resource for prepare in advance
lesson planning. Easy to access, and to The slides make the
share in Zoom/share flow of the lesson You have to control
Use as an alternative to screen. easier. yourself! It’s not a
a whiteboard. Prepare the answers in presentation
advance: fly in

SmartNotebook Used as a proxy Illustrate a point, note Functions in smart Complicated, unfamiliar
whiteboard online. Also down student’s ideas notebook that aren’t Needs to be
can be used like Clarify spelling of new available in Powerpoint downloaded (45-day
powerpoint might be. vocab and make a such as: highlighter, trial): ss won’t have it
visual record of cover function, amend.
grammar points.

Word docs Used as a whiteboard, More familiar, older Can be used as a Less sophisticated, not
lesson plan, and programme, familiar lesson plan, handout, available for free
handout. formatting for many and whiteboard all at Audio and video files
people. once. can’t be added.
Can be edited as you go Can be edited as you go
along (vs. PPT) along (vs. PPT)
Can then easily be
emailed to students
exactly as they saw in
the lesson.
Google docs Have a link to a Easy to coordinate work During the class teacher Can be distracting for
document, give of several people - for can see what students students during the
permissions to edit the teachers, but also for are doing. Automatic lesson. Not everyone is
document students. Always saving - work won’t be fully comfortable with
accessible. lost. the platform.(giving
permissions,
instructions for how to
use it)

Breakout rooms = most Planned productive part To give them more Chance for small group Time consuming. Only
essential thing; of lesson. Group speaking time. chat. Fewer monitor one group at a
discussion. Pair work. interruptions. Popping in time. Students very
More intimate and out of rooms is aware of teacher when
environment. easy, therefore allowing in the room. You can’t
monitoring. Can focus see the Share Screen
all your attention on one from the main session.
group.

Share Screen Sharescreen appears Visual representation of Everyone has sight of When in breakout
on the bottom menu the task and the the information at the rooms Ss are unable to
instructions same time see the screen that was
Click share screen shared by the teacher
Sharing relevant It can aide Ss who so they either have to
Select document we documents prefer to take have the material or do
want to share information by reading a screenshot prior and
Demonstrate something then share screen in the
Click share and the in written format breakout
screen will be shared
Substitution for the Unable to record the
whiteboard session without the
host’s permission.

Host needs to know

how to give permission

Chat function Instruct to enable the Additional instructions That Ss can ask Ss need to know how to
chat window and pay for tasks. For questions to everyone open the chat
attention to notifications notifications about OR privately to the
internet issues. teacher or other Ss It can possibly distract
Questions without Ss can raise hands to from the teaching /
interrupting the indicate a question classroom
speaker.Messages
accessible in the Ss can go slower or
breakout rooms faster Ss need to know that
they have to have the
You can share files and chat function and
other information participants open in
order to use the
different functions

The function could be

over-used without if
adding value