Virtual meetings have been front and center for a while now. In fact, it’s very likely you’re suffering from virtual fatigue. Still, I’d like to share how our homeschool group uses Zoom. Not to replace or replicate in-person events. Sure, we’re still doing some of that. But the exciting part is how we’ve diversified with our use of Zoom.
The Beginning of It All
Two years ago, our homeschool group was doing what we’ve always done – going on field trips, meeting for our various small group activities and planning for a spring and summer full of the same and more.
That March, we visited the zoo on an unseasonably warm and gorgeous day. It was one of those standout field trips. One we’d remember fondly in normal times, but even more so when everything started to shut down two days later.
For several weeks, our group didn’t do much of anything. And then we began hearing about Zoom. We tried it. In those early days of Covid, it quickly became our sole way of connecting as a group.
At the start, we used the very basic free version of Zoom. Mid-summer, we switched to the least expensive paid plan – Zoom Pro. Among other things, this upgrade allowed us to hold longer meetings, use breakout rooms, record our meetings, and enable the live transcription feature for some of our deaf group members.
Like everyone, we were plagued by technical problems. People stuck in the waiting room because someone (me) forgot to let them in. Frozen screens. Poor internet connections. People talking and not un-muting themselves. People not muted and talking when they thought they were muted… like when one kid randomly yelled, “That’s my lunch meat!” in the middle of a meeting. (He was talking to his dad who was making a sandwich in the background.) While sometimes it was frustrating, we had our funny moments too.
Of course, our technical problems haven’t disappeared. They’re just much less frequent. Plus, we know how to fix them a lot more quickly. Familiarity has made us more relaxed about it all. And we’ve always been able to laugh at our missteps.
Our First Zoom Project
In February of 2020, we began planning our annual service-learning project. We hadn’t gotten very far when Covid hit. Zoom helped us meet together as we explored new avenues for the project. What floundered in March gained new footing by late April. Not only did we use Zoom, we created a web page and began to post on social media.
Over the course of the year, our Roots and Shoots project grew to encompass:
- Regular online meetings.
- The creation of a project web page.
- Blog posts from our students.
- An online student art contest.
- Guest speakers from as far away as Florida.
- Student-led online workshops and art tutorials.
Don’t get me wrong. We missed getting together in person. But we stayed connected. Our students earned a City of Lakewood Youth Sustainability Award for the project. And we were on course to complete a similar project in 2021.
Diversification in How Our Homeschool Group Uses Zoom
You can grumble all you want about how Zoom isn’t the same as in-person. Of course, it’s not. There are some group activities that we simply can’t do virtually. And there are some that we can do, but not very well. Still, Zoom has become a good and vital tool for our group. Even if Covid were to magically disappear tomorrow, I’d still use Zoom.
Here are a few of the best ways we’ve used Zoom:
- To host some of our guest speakers. In-person is great but Zoom eliminates the need for travel time, whether the speaker is local or farther away.
- For student-led workshops. We might not regularly make the effort to bring materials and meet up for a 30-minute craft. But we will hop on Zoom and do it. So easy. And such a good experience for our students to work on leadership.
- To record speakers and workshops so students who can’t attend can still benefit.
- To prepare for our public speaking group. Zoom allows me to easily meet with students to go over their speech or help them prepare to lead a meeting. Yes, I could do this over the phone. Zoom is better.
- Recently, we’ve been incorporating Zoom into our National History Day performance rehearsals.
- With a laptop facing the stage, kids sick at home are able to read through their lines with everyone at the rehearsal. During one rehearsal, a vacationing family even joined us on their mid-day break from skiing.
- I also used Zoom over the last few days to meet with each of the students and go through their lines and stage positions. So helpful. And much easier than trying to work it in during regular rehearsals.
Continued Growth in How Our Homeschool Group Uses Zoom
Recently, we tried using Zoom in conjunction with our in-person Green Mountain Youth Speakers meeting. It worked… mostly. Here’s what we did:
- We had a laptop at the meeting for each of the two students joining from home.
- For our small group activities, I put each online student in a breakout room by themselves. Then, each of the laptops was carried over to join a different small group.
- When we worked together as a whole group, the laptops ‘sat’ in the audience so the students at home could see the speakers.
- When a student at home presented, their laptop was held up by a student on stage.
I know. There’s better (and much more expensive) tech out there that would make this all easier. We just like to see how far we can get with the resources we have.
While our first hybrid effort with the public speaking group was not particularly smooth, it worked well enough for us to try it again. We plan to make a few adjustments at this week’s meeting and see if it’s truly feasible.
I’m kind of excited to see how else we can use Zoom. And to try other technology that surfaces. I don’t expect any of it to replace a lot of what we do. I do anticipate that it will give us many more options to connect, learn, have fun, and grow.
Related Posts:
Embracing Change: Thoughts for Homeschoolers
Roots and Shoots: A Perfect Fit for Homeschoolers
Two Ways to Learn History (National History Day for Homeschoolers)