With so many different virtual meeting platforms to choose from, Google makes it easy for teachers with Google Meet!
Using this collaborative meeting app, you are able to make real-time video calls with up to 100 participants at one time. Google Meet makes conferencing work environments and virtual classrooms productive and practical with easy-to-use extension features and functions.
Now I will share 8 tips/hacks with you for how to get the most out of your next Google Meeting!
1. Notifications
If you are considering using Google Meet for your next meeting via phone call, you are probably using Google Chrome as your web browser. The great part about using tools/features from the same company is that they can function together to make the user experience run more smoothly and everything you need can be organized and kept track of in one place.
With Google Chrome, you can adjust your notifications preferences so you receive alerts regarding scheduled meetings and other tasks.
- To turn on notifications, find the 3 dots at the top right corner of your Google Chrome web browser and then click on "settings".
- Go to "Privacy and security" and then click on Notification and enable them. So easy!
2. Link Sharing
Another great feature of Google Meet is link sharing for meetings. Make sure all the participants you wish to join your meeting (your students) have the conferencing application on their smartphone or computer. It is compatible with any companion service as well as on iPhone and Android.
To get your meeting code:
- Open the Google Meet app and click on the options button that says "New Meeting"
- Next, click on the Option menu and find the tab that says "Get a Meeting Link to Share"
- You will then get a meeting URL you can copy and paste now, share with your students, or set an alarm with actual notifications for a meeting at a later time.
3. Adding/Removing a Participant
As we know now there are a few ways to add people to a Google Meeting. One way is to share a link and another is to call their number directly.
Now, removing someone from a video meeting is simple and quick. Great when teaching a big virtual class and one student is disturbing or distracting.
- Put your cursor over the image of the student you wish to remove.
- You will have a meeting option that says "Remove from Meeting"
- Click "Confirm" and this person will be removed from the meeting window.
4. Record Your Meeting
This in-built feature is super useful in the virtual classroom for students who are absent and miss the live Google meeting. Recording an ongoing meeting is easy, just follow these simple steps.
- Start or join the meeting
- Look for the Google Meet add-on named "More"
- Under this dropdown menu, there will be an option that says "Record"
- The recording will stop when everyone leaves the meeting or you can click "Stop" to finish the recording
- If you are the meeting organizer, the recording will automatically save to your Google Drive
- You can share this recording with your students for them to watch and listen to in their own time
5. Muting Participants
This feature is great for active users creating too much noise or distraction in a meeting. When teaching a class of 20-30 students in a Google meeting, the best option to keep students focused is the ability to control the content and input/output. In Google Meet, you are able to mute any and all current users so your lessons run smoothly.
Students can unmute themselves at any time to ask a question or respond.
- To mute, first click on the "People" tab in the top-right corner of the screen.
- A list of participants' names will appear and you can scroll through the names and click on those you wish to mute
- Look for the microphone icon and click it to mute that person
Anyone can mute another user, but only that user can unmute themselves.
6. Reactions for Google Meet
Another great hack to make your virtual classroom meetings interactive and effective is the feature Google Reactions. You can add this Google Chrome Extension onto your computer and ask your students to do the same. This extension gives you access to a variety of emoji reactions that you and your students can use for a less disruptive way to engage in the meeting.
- Follow the link to add the extension and once it's installed, you will see the icon emoji in the web browser
- In the upper-left corner of your screen, you will see the emoji keyboard shortcut list.
- Click on it and all the available emoji reactions will pop-up
- There are some very useful reactions such as:
- Hand-raise Icon
- Well-done
- Hmmm?
- There are some very useful reactions such as:
Your students can use these to let you know when they have questions or want to respond to an idea or share an opinion. Great for student engagement!
7. Tactiq for Google Meet
This note-taking and transcription feature is very useful in any classroom situation where students may miss something you said and need to go back and review information. It is also very easy to install and use.
- Download the extension onto your and your students' computers.
- Once the meeting is started, click on the pin icon at the bottom of the screen labeled "Turn on Captions".
- Google will begin transcribing all the audio and if you are recording the meeting, the captions will be saved as well.
- You can then save the transcription notes to Google Docs and share the file with your students for them to review as needed.
8. Grid View
This extension can change the entire meeting environment for you and your students. Without this feature, the focus shifts depending on what the user is speaking. As a teacher, it is important to be able to observe all students during class time to make sure they are paying attention and not doing anything inappropriate. Here's how to download and use this extension.
- Once you follow the link and download this extension, it will appear on the top-right of your chat bar.
- By clicking the icon, you automatically make your screen into a grid view with every participant visible on the screen.
Final Thoughts
There are more extensions and tools you can find and use for your Google meeting, but these are 8 we think can make a big difference for you and your students. Follow the links provided for Google Chrome extensions and other useful tips. Good luck and happy chatting!
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