Who would have thought 2 years ago that Zoom, Google Meets, and MS Teams would become so familiar to educators and students alike? I think that I vaguely had some knowledge that there were programs that you could use to collaborate with others online, but I had never used one before the pandemic hit. I remember feeling quite intimated by the thought of having to schedule meetings and teach lessons entirely online. Learning how to mute and unmute, turn the camera off and on, respond to messages in the chat, create breakout rooms, admit students from the lobby, and respond to raised hands seemed like an impossible task. Then administrators added on the whole hybrid experience where you had to teach online and in-person at the same time. It was enough to almost push a teacher over the edge. And in some cases, it did just that! But in most cases, teachers rallied to the challenge and were able to create great learning experiences for both students online and in-person daily.

Meeting with teachers, parents, students, and family online through these online meeting programs has become so commonplace that when I was looking over the assignments to complete for this week, I jumped on this one right away. This was a familiar task that was easy to manage. I have gotten so familiar with meeting with people online that it doesn’t seem strange to see and talk with people you have never met. JA and I had a brief but casual conversation about the use of Zoom and Google Meets in the school. We concluded that there are many potential uses for Zoom and Google Meets in the classroom, and even though teaching through Zoom isn’t our favorite thing it has helped to keep teachers and students connected.

So, how have we used programs like Zoom and Google Meets in the classroom? Below is a list of possible ways to use these programs with students, colleagues, and parents.

1. Conduct live lectures/lessons
2. Incorporate Jamboard if using Google Meets
3. Team building activities both for adults and students
4. Virtual book clubs
5. Inviting parents or community members to see student presentations
6. Create breakout rooms so students can collaborate with others
7. Create virtual stations
8. Invite guest speakers from any where in the world to speak to your class
9. Hold parent/teacher conferences
10. Attend faculty or department meetings
11. Meet with other educators to plan lessons/activities
12. Hold virtual office hours
13. Hold homework help sessions for students
14. Host review sessions to help students prepare for assessments
15. Perform Readers’ Theatres
16. Host career spotlights with individual all over the world

There are so many ways that Zoom, Google Meets, and programs like them can help us stay connected with others during good and bad times. Whether you see these programs as your friend or your nemesis they have allowed educators to stay connected with each other, with parents, and especially with our students through a very challenging period in education!