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  • SPQR
  • Expert Waygook

    • 598

    • March 08, 2018, 07:04:54 pm
    • Canada
Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« on: December 14, 2020, 08:27:18 am »
Korea might go into a level 3 lockdown.  Because of this some mothers
have asked us to institute Zoom classes. I have absolutely no experience
with Zoom.

Has anybody downloaded, setup and successfully used this for PC? I have
some questions:

1/ What version of Zoom do I need?
2/ What hardware do I need to buy?
3/ How do I setup my class?
4/ How do students know where to find my class?

I downloaded some version of Zoom this morning and the first thing it
asked me is if I wanted to join a meeting. No! I don't want to join a
meeting. So, you see I'm rather lost.




  • Adel
  • Expert Waygook

    • 824

    • January 30, 2015, 12:50:26 am
    • The Abyss
    more
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2020, 08:37:29 am »
1) Your school should provide you with a subscription because the free version of zoom cuts out after about 45 minutes into your meeting.
It's a fairly simple program to use. Just google "Zoom tutorials". You can learn a lot by messing around with the free version though.

2) you'll need a webcam with a microphone. Most pcs have one built in theses days.

3) You just schedule a class and send an invite with a meeting ID or link to your students via email.

4) see above.

I've been teaching online since our borders closed back at Easter.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2020, 08:42:04 am by Adel »


  • SPQR
  • Expert Waygook

    • 598

    • March 08, 2018, 07:04:54 pm
    • Canada
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2020, 08:48:37 am »
1) Your school should provide you with a subscription because the free version of zoom cuts out after about 45 minutes into your meeting.
It's a fairly simple program to use. Just google "Zoom tutorials". You can learn a lot by messing around with the free version though.

2) you'll need a webcam with a microphone. Most pcs have one built in theses days.

3) You just schedule a class and send an invite with a meeting ID or link to your students via email.

4) see above.

I've been teaching online since our borders closed back at Easter.

Hello Adel,

1/ So I don't have to pay for the program if classes are less than 45 minutes?

3/ All participating students need PCs and email addresses?

4/ I send an email, presumably with some sort of link, to my students and
they all click the link at the scheduled time and we have a class?

OK. Thanks for the info.  This will be problematic.


  • Adel
  • Expert Waygook

    • 824

    • January 30, 2015, 12:50:26 am
    • The Abyss
    more
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2020, 08:58:31 am »
Hello Adel,

1/ So I don't have to pay for the program if classes are less than 45 minutes?

3/ All participating students need PCs and email addresses?

4/ I send an email, presumably with some sort of link, to my students and
they all click the link at the scheduled time and we have a class?

OK. Thanks for the info.  This will be problematic.

1  I guess it could be possible but I'd find it rather inconvenient. I teach English for academic purposes to international students and the classes go for 4 hours a day.
3  They could just use a cell phone but it creates a lot of limitations as to what you can do with your class.  It might be theoretically possible without an email address but I've never looked in to that.
4  Yep, that's pretty much how it works.


  • annataleen
  • Moderator LVL 1

    • 616

    • May 02, 2014, 01:27:07 pm
    • Incheon
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2020, 10:48:22 am »
I use Zoom at work. For reference, I am an EPIK teacher in the public school systems. At the beginning of the school year, I was at an elementary school. I didn't use Zoom there, but  while I was there I taught and after school high school program that is offered for vocational high school students in my city, and I used then. At that time, I just had a free account and the lessons were two classes that were 30 minutes each, so I would simply do the lesson, have a break, and then start a new lesson or meeting. I didn't know much about Zoom at that time, so I would schedule meetings for each lesson, so each meeting had a unique ID and password. I would send that information to the Group Kakao chat that the supervisor of this program made for my class.

In the summer, I transferred to the teacher's training center in my city. The center is in charge of the after school program that I was doing, but because we do so many other programs here, I had to quit that after school program. It was around that time they bought a license for the after school teachers and the GETs (guest English teachers ... which I think is what we are called on EPIK?) that are at the center. Since transferring here, I have done Zoom lessons with middle school, high school, and Korean English teacher lessons. We are doing a program with principals and admin staff on Zoom this week! The GETs here don't schedule separate meets for their lessons like I was doing for the after school program. They just give their room ID and password and then the lesson starts they open their room. I do that now too. It is easier because then you don't have to schedule multiple meetings with different passwords each time. Also, it's easier for our supervisors that are in charge of the programs we do to keep that information because they are the ones who usually give it to the students.

If you want to do it that way, go to your profile and you will see your personal meeting ID. That is the ID for your room. Then you can see your password. All of as GETs changed ours to something easy (mine is 1234 ... haha!). When it's time for class I go to meetings, then select the personal room tab and there is a start button and that is how to open the meeting room.

As far as your questions, I think to use Zoom the students do need an email address to sign up for it. PCs are optional. For the teacher's class I did the past two weeks, on Friday one of the teachers was driving to Busan, and on the Monday she was driving  back during the lesson! (I know that isn't safe, but she just listed to the class ... ). Last week I had a teacher give a presentation from her phone while she was on the way to the hospital! The ideal situation is they use a PC though. It is easier. Usually if a student doesn't have a camera or a mic on their PC, they will join the Zoom on both their phone, for the camera and mic, and their PC and it works out fine. You have to be mindful if they are doing that if you use the breakout room feature because as the teacher you want to make sure you are sending both their phone and PC to the same breakout room!

As far as your other questions. If you go the route of just sending your personal room information in lieu of scheduling separate meetings for each class (and I recommend using your personal room because it is so much easier for you, HOWEVER, by doing it this way, you run the risk of students from other classes joining your class because they have your ID and pass code. I have never had a students from the wrong class join personal room when I was teaching another class though), next to the start button there is a button to copy the invitation to join your room. You can email that to your students, but since it is not a schedule meeting, make sure you include in your email what time your class begins. If they sign on before you open your room, they will just be put in what Zoom calls a waiting room. Zoom usually will send you an email if someone is in your waiting room.

Zoom has different license and payment plans, so it is up to your school which one they would want to choose. You could get away with the free version if your classes are short, but it is easier having a paid version.

As others have said, you can Google how to do things are Zoom. There are plenty of tutorials out there. Zoom isn't too hard to learn. I haven't used all of the features yet, but if I need to learn something new I just Google it.


  • Kyndo
  • Moderator LVL 1

    • 1682

    • March 03, 2011, 09:45:24 am
    • Gyeongsangbuk-do
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2020, 11:30:23 am »
Semi related, but if you use the android DroidCamApp, you can use a cellphone as a webcam/mic for a pc. I do that when I'm at school making online lessons without access to a cam.
Works fairly well.


  • JNM
  • The Legend

    • 4669

    • January 19, 2015, 10:16:48 am
    • Seoul, South Korea
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2020, 02:21:02 pm »
3. My early 2015 Macbook air did not have enough processor/video card for my son to use Zoom as a student. Zoom is a resource pig!  My wife’s 2017 MacBook Pro works well.


  • hippo
  • Super Waygook

    • 310

    • July 16, 2011, 11:28:36 pm
    • Seoul
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2020, 02:53:16 pm »
You can get full version of Zoom if you have an educational account.  Some alumni accounts will work as well as those for educational institutions.


  • Liechtenstein
  • Hero of Waygookistan

    • 1297

    • February 15, 2019, 04:39:00 pm
    • NE Hemisphere
Re: Has anybody downloaded and setup Zoom?
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2020, 03:12:42 pm »
I've used the free version for teaching online during the virus. We just made the classes 45 minutes long. Easy.

It wasn't hard to work with and I am no techie by a very long stretch.

The best feature of it is "Mute". Makes it easy to question and answer 1 student at a time.