Thanks, Nicholas,

 

The Russian language program at Cornell is using online meetings via Zoom (https://zoom.us), scheduled at the same times and on the same days as the in-person classes were.

 

There are various ways to set up a Zoom meeting, some of them simpler than others. I got a Zoom account, noted the individual user ID (10 digits) that was assigned to me, and when the class time comes around, I start the Zoom application on my desktop at home, accept various permission questions (always use Computer/Internet/Device audio, and always use video) click Start Meeting, and when I see 4 large colored buttons, I click the down arrow next to the NEW MEETING button and select “individual ID” and Video.

 

No invitations need to be sent to any students: the URL and Meeting ID for my “Zoom room” is always the same. I emailed it to all students once, posted it on my program’s website (https://russian.cornell.edu, Rooms and Times), and expect the students to click that link, or type/paste that ID into their Zoom request that is displayed when they click JOIN in their Zoom apps.

 

No passwords are required for the students to join, I maintain no lists of the participants, nothing else, literally, needs to be done to start teaching in Zoom rooms. At the end of the class, the teacher says “Goodbye, please click Leave Meeting on your screens, and I will be teaching the next class.” The teacher never needs to END MEETING, but if you keep it running 24/7, Zoom eventually will close it due to lack of activity, and you will repeat the cycle again to start a new one. Other than that inactivity limit, Zoom does not require you to start or end your meetings at any particular times. You might see a SCHEDULE MEETINGS button. Ignore it. It’s just unnecessary hassle. And ignore the option to send out invitations—it is only more hassle and confusion. Just be sure to always select “my individual ID” when you have to restart you meeting.

 

Slava

 

From: llti@lists.iallt.org <llti@lists.iallt.org> On Behalf Of Nicholas Swinehart
Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2020 1:43 PM
To: llti@lists.iallt.org
Subject: [LLTI] Ways for instructors within one institution to collaborate, communicate

 

Hello all. Like all of you, we're working hard to support our instructors during this difficult period. But I'd also like to open channels of communication for our instructors to discuss and ask questions amongst themselves. (This, like many other things, could/should have been in place before now! But here we are.)

 

Of course I can imagine many ways this could be done, but am curious of what you all have done/are doing. I also want to minimize barriers to participation (e.g., not everyone uses Facebook/Twitter, not everyone wants to install a new app).

 

Thank you all!

 

--

 

Nicholas Swinehart

Multimedia Pedagogy Specialist

University of Chicago Language Center, Cobb 211

773-702-8006

LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning Technology (http://iallt.org)

Join IALLT at http://iallt.org.

Search the archives at http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A0=LLTI

To manage your LLTI subscription, please use the form at http://iallt.org/resources/llti-listserv/