Zoom, how secure is it??

[mudsticks]

Thanks for all the help people l,

if anyone with a technology head, is still here, is there any way I can make the picture of me, a wider view than that afforded by the laptop camera ??

It's annoying having to move the screen to show various bits of me.

I suppose the alternative is standing further away and using a microphone.

But then I need to be able to see what my students are doing, so can't get too far away from the screen.

Plugging in my digital camera to the laptop ??

Am I overthinking this ??

Being in a room with people is soo much easier

 

[DaveReading]

Plug in a bigger screen ?

 

[mudsticks]

How do I do that ??

I've got a digital camera that probs has a wider angle lens.

Sorry, remember you're talking to a low tech skills person here

 

[MartinQ]

Shouldn't laugh

But given the poor quality of the Archers storyline, and acting, there was no alternative

Nazis, porn, ... the archers. I might start listening.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Would Google Teams be better @mudsticks

My wife's software company use zoom for staff meetings and teams for everything else.

I think your ok using zoom for your needs but if you want more security maybe look at teams. Or maybe do a you tube video but that will spoil the personal interaction.

 

[newfhouse]

A bigger screen will let you see your students more easily when you are at a distance. Most laptops will have a HDMI socket for connecting to a monitor or TV. It will look something like this. The TV, if you have one and it’s not ancient, will have a similar socket and you need a double ended lead to connect them together. Such cables can cost anywhere between a pound and lots, but all do the same thing.

Your camera may have a webcam mode, allowing you to plug it into a USB port on your laptop and use it for live video rather than just downloading stills. The camera manual or a web search should confirm if that is an available feature. Failing that, USB webcams are available for just a few pounds from ebay and the like. I presume Zoom - but don’t know since I have never used it - has a settings dialogue which will allow you to choose to use either your built in camera or an external device if present.

 

[mudsticks]

Nazis, porn, ... the archers. I might start listening.

Essential 'soft apocalypse' entertainment, I'd say..

Would Google Teams be better @mudsticks

My wife's software company use zoom for staff meetings and teams for everything else.

I think your ok using zoom for your needs but if you want more security maybe look at teams. Or maybe do a you tube video but that will spoil the personal interaction.

Thanks for the advice.
I'll look into teams.

Yes the personal interaction is key, and under the terms of my teaching insurance, I'm only allowed to instruct people I've seen working in the real world.

Or at least have done some one on one, online stuff with.

A bigger screen will let you see your students more easily when you are at a distance. Most laptops will have a HDMI socket for connecting to a monitor or TV. It will look something like this. The TV, if you have one and it’s not ancient, will have a similar socket and you need a double ended lead to connect them together. Such cables can cost anywhere between a pound and lots, but all do the same thing.

Your camera may have a webcam mode, allowing you to plug it into a USB port on your laptop and use it for live video rather than just downloading stills. The camera manual or a web search should confirm if that is an available feature. Failing that, USB webcams are available for just a few pounds from ebay and the like. I presume Zoom - but don’t know since I have never used it - has a settings dialogue which will allow you to choose to use either your built in camera or an external device if present.

Brilliant!

I actually understood, all the computer wurds you used there.

Good skills that man.

I'll give it all a couple of days to sink in, and then tackle it again on Monday.

Bike ride, incorporating veg deliveries through the leafy Devon lanes, to the seaside calls.
Suddenly, I seem to have the best job on the planet

Oh, but I really can't pass up the chance to say "I haven't got a TV"

Thanks all again

 

[DaveReading]

Would Google Teams be better @mudsticks

I think you mean Microsoft Teams.

 

[kynikos]

What may be a problem with Teams is that you can have a max of only four people on screen at once.

 

[newfhouse]

Another thought, presuming you have a smartphone. Could you run the app on that as well as your laptop? It would give you a handheld camera which could become a meeting participant too.

 

[mudsticks]

What may be a problem with Teams is that you can have a max of only four people on screen at once.

Yes that would be a problem, I can often have close to twenty people in class at one time. And I need to see what individuals are up to.

Another thought, presuming you have a smartphone. Could you run the app on that as well as your laptop? It would give you a handheld camera which could become a meeting participant too.

Yes that's not a bad idea.. So I could position that as a side view for example?

Yikes - this is a steep learning curve.

Still, I expect my class participants to 'give things a go' within reason, so I'd better lead by example I spose..

 

[newfhouse]

Yes that's not a bad idea.. So I could position that as a side view for example?

Yes, just so. My advice comes with the health warning that I’ve never used Zoom. If it doesn’t work for you I am only liable for what you paid for the consultation

 

[mudsticks]

Yes, just so. My advice comes with the health warning that I’ve never used Zoom. If it doesn’t work for you I am only liable for what you paid for the consultation

I'm approaching this whole teaching online escapade from the pov that if any of it doesn't work, then at least my students get a diverting laugh at my expense..

It's all part of the normal service tbh

I would hasten to add that the teaching method itself, is very sound, and rigorously adhered to other peoples bodies, are not to be messed with...

 

[Levo-Lon]

I think you mean Microsoft Teams.

I meant "Google " teams.

But as pointed out it may not be suitable if only 4 can use it at once

 

[Rezillo]

A fairly good article here on issues and alternatives:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/08/zoom-privacy-video-chat-alternatives