The Most Useful Virtual Classroom Tools

5 years ago

Rita Costa, Director of Studies and Senior English Trainer of inlingua Luxembourg, has many years of teaching experience, including teaching virtually. Today, she shares her favourite Virtual Classroom tools as well as keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac users.

1. Which Virtual Classroom tools do you use?

Sharing/Playing videos without uploading the content. I prefer to use the presenter’s view when showing a PowerPoint slide. The trainer can point with a laser. To make the screen black or to un-black the screen, you press “b” on the keyboard. To turn subtitles or captions on or off, just select the Toggle Subtitles button.

Zoom chat / Whiteboard (especially when teaching homophones/homographs/heteronyms)

Breakout rooms: for group courses (trials)

Annotation tools: allows everyone to write, draw and highlight on what’s on screen. To annotate, select the “View” option from the top of the Zoom window, and then choose “Annotate”. A toolbar appears with all your options for annotating, including text, draw, arrow, and so forth.

2. Which keyboard shortcuts are available for Windows users?

Control your audio and video:

Alt + V: Start/Stop video

Alt + A: Mute/unmute audio

Alt + S: Launch share screen window and stop screen share

Alt + Shift + S: Start/stop new screen share

Alt + T: Pause or resume screen share

Recording the meeting:

Alt + R: Start/stop local recording

Alt + C: Start/stop cloud recording

Alt + P: Pause or resume recording

Alt + N: Switch camera

Alt + Shift + T: Screenshot

Control your view:

F6: Navigate among Zoom popup windows

Alt + F4: Close the current window

Alt + F: Enter or exit full-screen

Alt + H: Display/hide in-meeting chat panel

Alt + I: Open invite window

Alt +L: Switch to portrait/landscape view

Ctrl + F: Search

Ctrl + Tab: Move to the next tab

Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Move to the previous tab

Ctrl + Alt + Shift+H: Show/hide floating meeting controls

Communicate with others:

Alt + Y: Raise/lower hand

Alt + Shift + R: Gain remote control

Alt + Shift + G: Stop remote control

Ctrl + W: Close current chat session

Ctrl + Up: Go to previous chat

Ctrl + Down: Go to next chat

Ctrl + T: Jump to chat with someone

2. Which keyboard shortcuts are available for Mac users?

Getting started with your meeting:

Command + J: Join meeting

Command + Control + V: Start meeting

Command + J: Schedule meeting

Command + Control + S: Screen share via direct share

Command + W: Prompt to end or leave meeting

Recording the meeting:

Command + Shift + R: Start local recording

Command + Shift + C: Start cloud recording

Command + Shift + P: Pause or resume recording

Command + T: Screenshot

Control your view:

Command + Shift + H: Show/hide in-meeting chat panel

Command + W: Close the current window

Command + L: Switch to portrait or landscape view

Ctrl + T: Switch from one tab to the next

Command + Shift + F: Enter or exit full-screen

Ctrl + Option + Command + H: Show/hide meeting controls

Communicate with others:

Option + Y: Raise hand/lower hand

Ctrl + Shift + R: Gain remote control

Ctrl + Shift + G: Stop remote control

Command + K: Jump to chat with someone

…

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inlingua Teaching, Online teaching, Teaching Foreign Languages, Virtual Classroom, Zoom

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2 Comments. Leave new

Andrzej
19. February 2025 10:24

Good day.
Cornelia Büttler
14. March 2025 16:27

Dear Andrzej, have a good day too!

The Most Useful Virtual Classroom Tools

Rita Costa, Director of Studies and Senior English Trainer of inlingua Luxembourg, has many years of teaching experience, including teaching virtually. Today, she shares her favourite Virtual Classroom tools as well as keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac users.

2 Comments. Leave new

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