Before joining your first Zoom meeting, it’s a good idea to test your video and sound. That way, you’ll know that everything’s working well before you meet with other people.
To make a test meeting in Zoom, open a new tab in your browser and type www.zoom.com/test in the address bar. Then press Enter.
Now, let’s test Zoom on your computer. Click on the Join button to start a test Zoom meeting with yourself.
Next, click on the Open Zoom Meetings button.
First, you’ll see a preview of what your webcam sees. A webcam is the camera that’s built into most laptops and computers.
When you join a Zoom video meeting, the preview shows you what other people will see. You’ll want to make sure your webcam is pointed at your face and not something else, like your shoulders or the ceiling.
Now, click on the Join with Video button. If you don’t have a webcam, or don’t want to appear on video, you can click Join without Video. You can always change your mind later.
Look at yourself in your Zoom video. What do you like about your video?
Is there anything you want to change about your video before you join a Zoom meeting?
Next, Zoom will test your speakers by playing a ringtone. If you can hear the sound, click on Yes.
Now, Zoom will test your microphone. Say a few words out loud. Zoom will record and play it back for you to hear. If you can hear the recording, click on Yes.
Once you’ve finished testing your speakers and microphone, click on Join with Computer Audio.
Now you’re in a Zoom meeting with yourself. You can stop or start your microphone by clicking on Mute at the bottom left corner of the Zoom app.
Can you mute your microphone? Can you start your microphone again?
You can stop or start your video by clicking on Stop Video at the bottom left corner of the Zoom app.
Can you stop your video? Can you start your video again?
Why would you want to mute yourself in a Zoom meeting? Click here to see some ideas
Why would you want to turn your video off in a Zoom meeting? Click here to see some ideas
If you don’t want to say something out loud in a Zoom meeting, you can use Chat to type it. You can type messages to anyone in a Zoom meeting by clicking on the Chat button.
If you’re in a Zoom meeting with more than one person, you can choose to send a written message to everyone or to one specific person. Click on the Chat button and then click on the button next to where it says To: and pick who you want to send your chat message to. Then click where it says Type message here... and type a message.
You can also use emojis in a Zoom meeting by clicking on the Reactions button. There are a few emojis you can choose from in Zoom, like a clap or a thumbs up emoji. Once you’ve clicked on an emoji, the reaction will show on everyone’s screen for 5 seconds.
Emojis are small pictures that show ideas or feelings when you’re online. For example, you can use a smiley-face emoji to show that you’re happy, or a heart emoji to show that you love something.
What do you think each emoji might mean in a Zoom meeting?
When you’re in a Zoom meeting with other people, you can share your screen. This is helpful if you want to show a PowerPoint presentation you’ve made, or if you want to show other people what’s on your computer.
Click on the Share Screen button at the bottom of the Zoom app. Then, choose which part of your screen you want people to see.
Think about the tools you just learned about. Which tool would you use in each situation below? There are no wrong answers here!
You’re in a Zoom meeting with your family. It’s a big group, with people joining from all over the world. Your cousin tells everyone that she’s pregnant with her first child. How would you react to the good news in Zoom?
I would:
You’re being interviewed for a new job over Zoom. The interviewer asked you to prepare a short presentation of your past work to share with them during the interview. How would you share your presentation?
You can find out how many people are in a Zoom meeting by clicking on the Participants button. Can you click on the Participants button? Here, you’ll see the names of all the participants in the Zoom meeting.
You can record a Zoom meeting to watch again later by clicking on the Record button. If you click this button, you and everyone in the meeting will hear Zoom say, “This meeting is being recorded.”
It’s a good idea to tell everyone in the meeting that you’re going to record before you click on the Record button.
When you’re ready to leave a meeting, click on the red Leave button at the bottom right of the Zoom app. Then click Leave Meeting.
If you’re hosting a meeting, once your meeting is over, click the End Meeting button. Then click End Meeting for All. We’ll learn more about hosting a meeting later.
Once you’ve left a meeting, you’ll see the main Zoom screen, which looks like this.
