Castelo dos Moros, Sintra - Portugal

Picture taken by Jonathan Acuña (2020)

Exploring Features of a Videoconferencing

Platform
What to look for

When traditional classroom educators make the transition to the online

teaching setting or find themselves instructing in a virtualized environment, it
becomes essential for them to delve into the array of features offered by
videoconferencing platforms. In instances where the educational institution
dictates the platform choice, school authorities should prioritize the selection of a
proficient trainer who can adeptly guide teachers through the multifaceted
functionalities it encompasses.

In a course “Teaching English Online” led by Lindsay Warwick and Marie

Therese Swabey (n.d.) on FutureLearn’, educators who are venturing into the
realm of online teaching are provide with invaluable guidance on selecting an
appropriate platform for their lessons. The course adeptly convers a range of
fundamental features, including but not limited to chat box, share screen, tick icon,
interactive whiteboard, notes, and breakout rooms. Emphasizing the significance
of platform familiarity, both Warwick and Swabey stress that learners must feel at
ease navigating the online environment (n.d.). A sense of confidence in using the
platform is pivotal, as any unease could hinder full engagement in lessons
subsequently hampering the learning process (Warwick & Swabey, n.d.). Just as
new teachers require comprehensive onboarding into the English teaching
program, learners also stand to benefit greatly from an onboarding process
tailored to the online platform they’ll be utilizing for their virtual lessons.

Warwick & Swabey (Researching different platforms, n.d.) highlight “five

different platforms that teachers use.” This inclusion serves to empower course
participants in FutureLearn in evaluating and slecting the most suitable platform
for their needs. The course’s platform list emcompasses Skype, Zoom, Microsoft
Teams, Google Meet, and WhatsApp (Warwick & Swabey, M. T., Researching
different platforms, n.d.). As part of my contribution to novice instructors, I took
the initiative to conduct a comparative analysis of three of these platforms,
focusing on the features available to users. ahead and compared three of them
based on the features I get to use when using them.
 Microsoft Google
Conferencing Feature Zoom
Teams Meet
Video ✓ ✓ ✓
Background Choices ✓ ✓ ✓
Audio ✓ ✓ ✓
List of Participants ✓ ✓ ✓
Screen Sharing ✓ ✓ ✓
Interactive Whiteboard ✓ ✓ x
Breakout Rooms ✓ ✓ x
Annotate Tool ✓ ✓ x
Chatbox ✓ ✓ x
Reaction Icons ✓ ✓ x
Recording ✓ ✓ ✓
Online Storage ✓ ✓ ✓
Meeting Calendarization ✓ ✓ ✓
Mobile Compatibility ✓ ✓ ✓
Document Sharing ✓ ✓ ✓

It is crucial to note that the three videoconferencing platforms I chose do offer

paid subscription options or require the acquisition of a licence. While these
platforms do provide free usage options, it’s imperative to acknowledge that they
come with certain limitations, impacting both teachers and for their learners.

After grasping the core features of the videoconferencing platform,

educators must dedicate time to explore their integration within a synchronous
lesson. Among the essential steps for all teachers is to meticulously review the
feature list of the chosen platform, followed by an exploration of how these
features can be seamlessly incorporated to mirror their established methods from
traditional classrooms. This process involves devising strategies for facilitating
group work activities and effectively executing interactive speaking tasks such as
the “find-someone-who” exercise. These critical questions necessitate thorough
exploration. Here you have some valuable information about the three compared
platforms I carried out. Now it is time for you do explore them on your own:

• Zoom tutorial
• Microsoft Teams tutorial
• Google Meet tutorial

By delving into the intricacies of these three platforms, teachers can better
navigate the challenges of adapting traditional teaching practices to the online
environment.

To sum up, the journey from traditional to true online teaching is marked
by a dynamic process of discovery, trial and error, and adaptation. By immersing
ourselves in the features of videoconferencing platforms and aligning our practices
with the virtual context, language instructors (or any other type of educator) can
effectively bridge the gap between physical-traditional and virtual-digital
classrooms, ultimately enriching educational experiences for both ourselves and
our learners.

References

Warwick, L., & Swabey, M. (n.d.). Exploiting features of a platform.

Retrieved from FutureLearn.Com:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/online-
tutoring/9/steps/1381032
Warwick, L., & Swabey, M. T. (n.d.). Researching different platforms.
Retrieved from FutureLearn.Com:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/online-
tutoring/9/steps/1381033
 Suggested Reading Comprehension Exercise

Reading Task 1
Instructions: Based on the comparative chart provided, decide if the following
statements regarding Zoom, Microsoft Team, and Google Meet are true or false.
The answers are provided below.

[1] - Microsoft Teams offers Video, Background Choices, and Audio features.
True
False

[2] - Interactive Whiteboard is available in all three platforms: Microsoft Teams,

Zoom, and Google Meet.
True
False

[3] - Breakout Rooms and Annotate Tool are features present in Zoom.
True
False

[4] - Chatbox and Reaction Icons are available in Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
True
False

[5]- Recording, Online Storage, Meeting Calendarization, Mobile Compatibility,

and Document Sharing features are present in Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
True
False

[6] - Google Meet offers Background Choices and Audio features.

True
False

[7] - Microsoft Teams provides the Interactive Whiteboard feature.

True
False

[8] - Zoom offers the Breakout Rooms feature.

True
False
[9] - Annotate Tool is available in Google Meet.
True
False[10] - Recording, Online Storage, Meeting Calendarization, Mobile
Compatibility, and Document Sharing features are present in Google Meet.
True
False

Reading Task 2
Instructions: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer for each
blank. Select the option (a, b, c, or d) that you think is correct. The answers are
provided below.

[1] - When traditional classroom educators make the transition to the online
teaching setting or find themselves instructing in a virtualized environment, it
becomes essential for them to __________ into the array of features offered by
videoconferencing platforms.

a) dive

b) jump

c) skim

d) skip
[2] - In instances where the educational institution dictates the platform choice,
school authorities should prioritize the selection of a proficient trainer who can
adeptly guide teachers through the __________ functionalities it encompasses.

a) multifaceted

b) basic

c) limited

d) redundant

[3] - Educators who are venturing into the realm of online teaching are provided
with invaluable guidance on selecting an appropriate platform for their lessons in
the course titled “Teaching English Online” led by Lindsay Warwick and Marie
Therese Swabey (n.d.) on FutureLearn’. The course adeptly covers a range of
fundamental features, including but not limited to __________.
a) chalkboard

b) chat box

c) textbook

d) microphone

[4] - Emphasizing the significance of platform familiarity, both Warwick and

Swabey stress that learners must feel at __________ navigating the online
environment.

a) home

b) ease

c) unease

d) risk
[5] - A sense of confidence in using the platform is pivotal, as any unease could
hinder full __________ in lessons subsequently hampering the learning process.

a) engagement

b) disinterest

c) isolation

d) confusion
[6] - Warwick & Swabey (Researching different platforms, n.d.) highlight “five
different platforms that teachers use.” This inclusion serves to empower course
participants in FutureLearn in __________ the most suitable platform for their
needs.

a) purchasing

b) selecting

c) ignoring

d) disregarding

[7] - The course’s platform list encompasses Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams,
Google Meet, and __________.
a) Snapchat

b) Facebook

c) WhatsApp

d) Instagram

[8] - As part of my contribution to novice instructors, I took the initiative to

conduct a comparative analysis of three of these platforms, focusing on the
features available to __________.

a) learners

b) administrators

c) developers

d) users
[9] - Among the essential steps for all teachers is to meticulously review the
feature list of the chosen platform, followed by an exploration of how these
features can be seamlessly __________ to mirror their established methods from
traditional classrooms.

a) ignored

b) incorporated

c) avoided

d) dismantled
[10] - By delving into the intricacies of these three platforms, teachers can better
navigate the __________ of adapting traditional teaching practices to the online
environment.

a) ease

b) challenges

c) rewards

d) avoidance
 Answers to both reading comprehension exercises:

Reading Task 1
1. True 6. False
2. False 7. True
3. True 8. True
4. True 9. False
5. True 10. False

Reading Task 2
a) dive b) selecting
a) multifaceted c) WhatsApp
b) chat box d) users
b) ease b) incorporated
a) engagement b) challenges

Link to blog publication:

https://reflective-online-teaching.blogspot.com/2023/08/exploring-features-of-
videoconferencing.html

Link to paper stored at Academia.Edu:

https://www.academia.edu/106046198/Exploring_Features_of_a_Videoconferenc
ing_Platform