This pandemic has caused abrupt end of school year. Some kids weren’t able to say goodbye to their classmates and friends. Now that the crisis is still not yet over, kids continue to stay at home and miss summer camps where they get to meet even more friends. It’s really been a long while since my son last checked on his friends, and lately he’s been missing them all. So I tried to find a way to make him feel better.
I’m used to virtual meetings using corporate tools like WebEx and MS Teams. This time I checked different free online video conferencing and chat apps. My considerations are only three things: Easy-to-use, Secure, and can accommodate 50 users+.
My pick is ZOOM. Aside from my 3 considerations, it’s free signup, quick installation, and simple to use. The app is pretty straight-forward so you won’t get lost using it. On my first login, I only did one thing – schedule an invite. I completed it in 5 steps:
- Click SCHEDULE button
- Input a TOPIC. For this one since it’s for kids, I put a little fun on the topic name
- Select DATE & TIME. Note: for the Basic Plan, there’s a 40-min limit
- Assign a PASSWORD. You don’t want some Zoombombers appearing before your kids
- Select your PREFERENCES. I chose Enable waiting room to filter those entering in the meeting. And Mute participants upon entry, as for kids I’m sure everyone will get too excited to talk
There, all set! The next thing to do is to have the link in your invite. You can easy find your scheduled meeting, and there’s a COPY INVITATION button, which will have all your meeting details, with the link and password ready for sending.
Honestly, I really thought I’ll have a tough time setting up one. Thanks to apps like this. Now the last thing to do is to prepare activities for that kids zoom meeting. I maybe able to post a topic on this soon.
For now, head over to ZOOM for more details. We find ways to connect.