As the global Covid-19 Pandemic has taught us, educators and students must remain flexible and prepared to learn digitally, if necessary. This teaching guide will walk through the suggested sequencing of activities for training your middle school students in safely and effectively participating in Zoom meetings. Below are the goals and objectives set forth in the instructional lesson.

Zoom Training for Middle School Students

Instructional Goals:

Goal 1: After completing training, students will apply appropriate safety measures during a Zoom meeting.
Goal 2: After completing training, students will demonstrate the correct use of at least four tools during a Zoom meeting.

Course Objectives:

Instructional Objective 1: Given a multiple choice quiz, the student will identify safety measures for using Zoom meetings with 100% accuracy.
Instructional Objective 2: During a live Zoom meeting, the student will practice all safety measures with 100% accuracy.
Instructional Objective 3: During a live Zoom meeting, the student will demonstrate use of at least four out of five Zoom meeting tools.

Supplies

You will need access to the following free programs:

Zoom
Kahoot
YouTube
Google Suite
District Provided Learning Management System (i.e., Canvas, Blackboard)

Step 1: Review Instructional Program

Before implementing this training program, the instructor should review all learning goals, course objectives, and instructional materials. It is important to become familiar with the platforms used in this course so that student training is optimal.

Step 2: Account Setups

If you do not have existing accounts with the required platforms, you should create those at this time. Most platforms allow for Single Sign-On for user convenience.

Step 3: Pre-Instruction Video

The pre-instruction video is meant to grab the attention of your students. It contains a short introduction to the topics covered in the training program, along with an overview of the course objectives. This step is important in communicating to students the "why" behind the course. If you are utilizing a classroom for this portion of the training, you may play the video on your Smartboard or projector. If you are providing virtual instruction, you may post the video or link to the existing learning management system, or send it through school email.

Step 4: Discussion Post

This step of instruction provides students an opportunity to discuss collaboratively with their peers and their teacher. The discussion should be posted via the learning management system or another platform if desired. Students should discuss any previous experience, past frustrations, or questions they may have. Students may even post helpful tips for others! The teacher should actively engage in providing feedback and answering questions accordingly.

Step 5: Zoom Safety Training Video

The Zoom Safety Training video is provided via YouTube hyperlink. This may be provided to students via learning management system, email, or shown in the classroom. This video reviews all guidelines that should be implemented during a live Zoom meeting. The concepts included will be assessed later in the course as stated in the learning objectives.

Step 6: Quiz Review

This step utilizes the Kahoot platform (link provided in course materials), and should be used as a fun review before taking the safety quiz. Students may play in the classroom setting, or remotely. Most students are familiar with the game and they may play as many times as needed.

Step 7: Safety Quiz

After students have reviewed the safety training video and practiced with Kahoot, they should then complete the safety quiz. Mastery is required with 100% accuracy as safety is paramount when utilizing a live Zoom meeting. Students should be allowed to remediate if necessary. The quiz is ready in Google Forms (link provided in instructional materials) for ease of grading and data tracking. If you wish to edit the quiz, you may make a copy and customize it to your needs.

Step 8: Zoom Practice Meeting

For this step, you will need to create a Meeting ID and password to hold a practice session with your students. This should be done in small groups for the most effective outcomes. During the practice meeting, you will use multiple strategies to walk students through available meeting tools. You may accomplish this by sharing your screen, verbal instruction, and a step-by-step walkthrough. Suggested tools include audio mute/unmute, video enabling/disabling, "wave," "raise hand," "clap," and selecting a virtual background. You may repeat this step as many times as necessary for student understanding. Be sure to send your meeting information via school email or through your learning management system to keep the meeting secure.

Step 9: Performance Assessment

Once students have completed their practice session(s), you should move on to performance assessment. Use the provided grading rubric to assess student performance with meeting tools, safety measures, and appropriate behavior. This rubric should be made available to students at the beginning of the course for their review.

Step 10: Remediation

Students falling below expectations should be given the opportunity to remediate. They may need to review the safety training video or participate in more practice sessions. Conferencing with the student is suggested to tailor remediation instruction.