The start of the Polymer Art Summit (PAS) is just 3 weeks away, and while a lot of people have used Zoom, there are some for whom the PAS event will be their first exposure to online polymer education. We wanted to give you a few tips and tricks to get you started with confidence.
About Zoom
Zoom is an online video conferencing service that allows for voice/video interaction, as well as the ability to broadcast to an audience, enjoy text chat, and more. The PAS event will be using the Zoom platform for all events.
Although you can join a Zoom meeting without having a Zoom account, there are advantages to having an account like:
- Upload a static profile image
- More options for meeting settings
- Ability to host a 40 minute Zoom call with up to 100 participants, for free.
The PAS Zoom Experience
- All attendees will be placed into a waiting room prior to admission to the event. You will be admitted to the event by one of our moderators.
- All attendees must use their full name when they sign in to Zoom and the name must be displayed throughout the event.
- Turning on your camera is optional. If your internet connection is slow, your experience may be improved by turning off your outgoing video.
- You can use Zoom on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. You will find the best experience using the official Zoom app on your chosen device.
- The event moderators will mute participants during sessions.
- Questions for presenters should be put in chat, and will be passed to the presenter for an answer.
- The use of custom backgrounds will be moderated. Our preference is for you to blur your background.
- You can select which breakout room to join at the end of each day.
Tips and Tricks
- To talk you will need a microphone or headset with microphone. Please test your camera and audio setup before the event.
- Do not connect to audio from multiple devices – it will echo for everyone in the session. Muting your microphone is not the same as opting out of connecting to audio.
- Although we have scheduled breaks, please remember to get up and stretch at least once or twice an hour. No-one will know you’re dancing around the room unless your camera is on! 😀
- Have note-taking supplies on hand – paper & pencil, tablet, whatever works for you.
- There are number of teaching articles as well as training videos on this page: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697
- Try this one first: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360034967471-Quick-start-guide-for-new-users
- This video is very helpful: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting-
Breakout Room Tips
At the end of each day, attendees will have the opportunity to meet in smaller groups in the breakout rooms. The rooms will be hosted by that day’s speakers and gives attendees the chance to ask additional questions, see more of the speakers’ work, and more.
When the time comes, the Tech Team will announce that the breakout rooms are open and attendees may need to click the Breakout Rooms icon or will see a box, similar to this one:
Once the rooms have been opened, you hover the link to the right of the room name, and click Join.
You will be asked to verify you want to enter that room:
Once you are in a breakout room, you can opt to move to another room if you wish. Click the Leave button. You’ll be sent back to the Main Room, where you can select another Breakout room to join (remember you may need to click the Breakout Room icon to select another room).
Five minutes before the breakout rooms close, you’ll get a warning message and the countdown begins. The rooms will close automatically, and all attendees will return to the Main Room for closing remarks.
Learn more about breakout rooms: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115005769646-Participating-in-breakout-rooms