There is a brand-new feature out on Zoom that really helps teachers out there! Normally when you go to Views, you get the host/ speaker and the participants in Gallery View, but now Zoom has introduced Immersive View. What is ‘Immersive View’? Immersive View allows the host to place the participants wherever they want them, selecting from a variety of backgrounds.
How does Immersive View work?
In the video, I used as participants my Dad and Bully the Bulldog (a soft toy), who was ‘using’ my phone in the other room. I’m an English lecturer and when teaching online using Zoom, I can now place my students in different view positions.
For example, as the teacher, I’m in front of the class and now in Immersive View, I can place the students next to each other. That way they also know if they’re in a group and who they have to work with.
Something interesting to notice is that my Dad has a different webcam, so he doesn’t have the replacement view. I’ve got a newer webcam so you don’t see my background, so if the students/ participants have newer phones/ webcams, their backgrounds won’t show, as in the case of Bully on the video.
There are some really interesting Immersive Views that you can use for just two people or in different groups. Some of the Immersive Views are great for meetings and fantastic for online teaching. It draws the attention of students and they can see who are in the various groups.
Participants can also be placed manually where the Host wants them to sit. To exit Immersive View, just click on Speaker View and return to the normal Zoom view.
To Conclude:
Zoom is doing incredible things to help improve the platform. As a teacher, I think Immersive View is a great step forward to make online teaching even better.
