INSTRUCTIONS FOR VIRTUAL LINE DANCE CLASSES USING ZOOM
Introduction:
We don’t know when we will be able to hold in-person classes, so we have come up with this method to conduct virtual classes. We know it is not the same, but hope it will be adequate temporarily. If you have never used Zoom, these instructions may seem complicated, but it is not that hard. I have explained in great detail, so if you are familiar with Zoom already, you can skim a bit. Otherwise please read all of this, and be aware that once you have actually participated in a few classes, it will not seem difficult at all.
What you need:
You will need internet access on a computer or other device. The best option, if available, is a laptop computer. If you use a phone or I pad there may be different ways of making this work. If you are using an Ipad, come into the meeting early to ask questions about how it will be different.
You will need some room to dance in front of the computer or other device.
You do not have to have a Zoom account to participate, but it is easier and quicker to access the classes if you do. You can sign up at zoom.us for a free version. You only have to set up a profile and choose a password. Again, this is only suggested, but not necessary.
Getting started:
It starts with and “invitation” that you will receive from the Parks & Recreation Dept (Wednesday classes) or from me (Tuesday & Thursday classes) when you register. In that invitation you will be given a link to the “meeting”, which is the actual class on Zoom. You will also be given a password which you will need when entering the class. The link and the password will also be included on your registration receipt. The link and the password will be the same for all classes in the session. Keep this info available throughout the session.
Joining the meeting:
The time given for the meeting in the invitation is when the instruction will actually start. I recommend you join in earlier. I will have the meeting open at least 15 or 20 minutes before that time. If you come in early, especially the first time or two, we can make sure everything is working for you and that you know what to do before we take up any meeting time for the others. So here are the steps:
Turn on your computer and access your internet.
Go into your email and access the message from the Parks Dept. or from me.
Click on the link for the meeting. If prompted to “open Zoom” do so.
Click on “Join Meeting with audio”
I will see that you are in the “waiting room” and will admit you into the meeting.
Be sure to join with audio and video turned on.
Make sure the camera on your computer is not covered or blocked.
If you don’t want to be seen by me or others, you can leave video off or block or cover your camera. We will just see your name and hear your voice (those of you still in your pajamas!)
Conducting the class:
At this point we should all be able to see each other on the screen, and talk among ourselves. In “Gallery” view, you see everyone each in their individual little screens. Once the instruction begins, if you want to see me on full screen, hover your cursor over my little screen. In the upper right corner you will see 3 dots. Click on this and a menu drops down. Click on “Pin Video” This will make my screen large and all the others small. You can also switch to “Speaker view” in the upper right corner of your Zoom screen. This will make the one speaking (only me during the teaching) on the large screen.
As I go through the instruction, and while dancing I will have my “co-host” mute all of you so that the only one who can be heard is me while I teach, and the music coming from me while we dance. This is to avoid the distraction of cross talk, chatter and background noises. If you have questions, want to go over a part again , etc., you can briefly unmute to ask your question. You can do this by clicking on the "unmute" button on your individual screen, or, if you are on a computer, you can just hold down the space bar. You will be unmuted while it is held down, and muted again when you let go of it.t. I will sometimes ask “is it okay” or “have you all got it” etc, This is the best you to unmute to ask a question or for something to be repeated or explained further.
When it is time to dance to the music, we may ask everyone to “stop video”. The reason for this is to free up more bandwidth for better synchronization between video and audio. This Sync will never be perfect, there will always be a bit of a lag, but we do everything we can to make it better. (Because this lack of sync can make it difficult to “follow” you will need to really pay attention during the teach and try to be less “visual” than you may have been in the past). We can, through our co-host, Mute all of you at once, but only you can unmute or start or stop your video. You do this by hovering your cursor over the upper right corner of YOUR video screen until you see a blue square with 3 dots. If you click on it a menu will drop down and there will be an option to stop video if it is on, or to start video if it is off. We will let you know when to stop your video and when to start it again. If you don’t want to be seen (no make-up, in your pajamas, etc) you can keep your video off and it will just show your name.
Another option on that drop-down menu is “Rename’. You can use this if you want to change the name shown on your video screen. Zoom will automatically show the name of the account holder, which may be another member of your family or a more formal name than a nick-name you usually go by. (Mine always says “Catherine”) If yours shows another family member's name, or an email address, etc, please change it to your name so we can take attendance.
If you join the meeting late, we will “let you in”, but cannot take time to help you figure anything out, taking time away from those who came in earlier. So if you are not sure how it all works, please do come in early. Also, feel free to call me or email me BEFORE the day of the class with any questions. Our phone number and email address are on the front page of the web site.