5 Google Meet Reminders For Virtual Instruction

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 By Samantha Wilkinson, Instructional Technology Teacher Specialist


Happy New Year! I hope your winter break was indulgent, fun, and most of all, relaxing. Now that we are back to school, I bet you are thinking about the potential of snow days. I sure am! As you know, we could be going virtual on those days. In the event it is a synchronous learning day, and you are online with students, I wanted to remind you about some of the great features and shortcuts for Google Meet. 


Top 5 Google Meet Reminders For Virtual Instruction:


1. Layout of Meet: In order to see all of your students, you may need to change the layout of your window. Under the 3 dot icon “More options” there is a “change layout” option. The tiled selection shows up to 16 participants when there is no presentation, and when there is a presentation it will be shown on a larger tile while participants are to the side. This can be changed to 49 participants using the sliding tile bar at the bottom. Spotlight allows the presentation, or active speaker, to fill the window. Sidebar allows the user to see the active speaker or presentation along with the other participants along the side. For more information click here.
2. Presenting Options: At the bottom of your Meet, you will see an icon that looks like a screen with an arrow. When you click on this, you will be able to present digital material. One option is the entire screen, which is often used by teachers to show students the path to get to an application or assignment, as it allows the entire screen including multiple windows and tabs to be shown, without any additional clicks. Presenting a window will allow you to show multiple tabs in one window. Finally, presenting a tab allows the user to present one single tab, which is the option to use when you want to utilize audio, video, and animation elements such as a Discovery Education video or YouTube content.

3. Host Controls: In the bottom right corner of the meet is a lock icon. This is the host control center. Here you can add a co-host, allow participants to share screens, type in the Q&A, or let them send chats. This also means you can turn these functions off for participants! Another function you have as a host is to MUTE everyone. You can do this by clicking on the “Show everyone” people icon and you will see a button to mute all.



4. Engagement Features: Remember that virtual instruction can be engaging! Just like in class, consider using the chat to pose a warm-up question. Another idea is using the chat for a “waterfall”. This is a response strategy where students type an answer to a teacher posed question in the chat box and all at once press send to display a trickling waterfall of answers. Use the “Present now” feature to share visuals and video clips. Consider presenting a video brain break or song  for movement opportunities. Additionally you may want to think about using Google Meet Activities! These can be found in the lower right hand corner of the Meet, the shapes icon.
In activities, breakout rooms allow small group collaboration. Hosts can choose the number of rooms and then drag participants into different rooms, or shuffle to mix up groups. Polls are a great way to get a baseline from students or to take a vote. Q&A allows students to ask questions without interrupting instruction, and they can be anonymous. Finally, “whiteboarding” opens a Jamboard for collaborative brainstorming. Consider adding frames for different groups of students to work on simultaneously.

5. Accessibility Features: Google meet offers live captions of the person speaking using the closed captions icon.


Under the 3 dots “More options” icon, there is a settings gear. In this section, students can translate captions,  use noise cancellation, and adjust video lighting and framing. Additionally, keyboard shortcuts allow users to control the camera and microphone and open additional accessibility features. See the many shortcuts below:

As you can see, Google Meet is more than just a video conferencing application. It is a way to captivate students, deliver instruction, and have students collaborate in real time online. For all things Google Meet, check out our Teacher Intro to Digital Tools page here, or glance at our Google Meet Presenter Tips for Success.


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