Category: Collaboration

Whether you are looking to use Zoom for the first time, need a refresher on a specific topic or just want to see what’s new, we are running another batch of our popular Zoom tutorials through to the end of February 2021.

Our new sessions are topic-driven, so it’s worth attending even if you have been to one last year. 

We run 3 x 30-45 minute sessions, covering the basics like signing in and screen sharing scheduling through to breakout rooms, annotations, whiteboards and polls.

If you use Zoom regularly or will be supporting Zoom users across the next academic year then we would highly recommend coming along – https://videoconferencing.ncl.ac.uk/advicenew/training/#zoom

We hope to see some of you there!

We also have an active Zoom community running (with over 600 members) if you are interested in joining?

As learning continues to move online, Microsoft introduces a collection of new (and upcoming) features in Teams. Highlights include an expanded 7×7 gallery view, breakout rooms for small group collaboration and more analytics arriving in time for the next academic year.

Several new features will be of importance to educators and students:

• Use a custom background for your video
• 7×7 gallery view for group meetings
• New Breakout Rooms to allow for smaller group discussion
• Meeting attendees increased from 250 to 300
• Meeting Lobby to prevent unwanted guests

The full list of features, with expected release dates, are detailed in the blog: 20 updates for Microsoft Teams for Education, including 7×7 video and Breakout Rooms

You may have seen the creative backgrounds people are using on Zoom. They are great if you don’t want colleagues to see your choice of home decor (or the pile of ironing on the bed!). But how do you add a background to your Zoom chat? And what if you’re after something a little more professional?

Zoom’s virtual background feature allows you to display an image or video as your background during a meeting.  It’s simple to set up:

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client (or install the Zoom Client to your PC)
2. Click your profile picture then click Settings.
3. Select Virtual Background.
4. select ‘+’ to choose a virtual background and browse to an image

A selection of corporate backgrounds can be downloaded from the University Photo Library.

A detailed how-to guide can be found on the Zoom website. Please note, your computer or device must meet the minimum system requirements. How well it works can also depend on your physical environment (e.g. background and lighting).

If you have specific questions about Zoom or would like to learn more about its features, join our Zoom Community.

Over the next few months we will be running weekly webinars covering communication, collaboration and customisation in Microsoft Teams. Below are the session running next week and you can sign-up for sessions here.

Tuesday 21st April 2-3pm
Collaboration in Microsoft Teams

In the session we’ll cover:  

• Sharing files with your Team/stakeholders
• Sharing files in meetings
• Managing files and channels
• Co-authoring best practice
• Restricting permissions on files

Thursday 23rd April 2-3pm
Communication in Microsoft Teams

In the session we’ll cover:  

• Chatting: 1:1 and Group Chats- Do you really need all of those Teams?
• Posting to a Team: best practice and tips
• Voice and Video Calls: How to schedule and manage meetings
• Notifications: Controlling the noise

Sign-up for your chosen sessions here