Getting Started with Zoom

 

What you need to get Zooming

  1. Some kind of computing device: laptop, MacBook, or Chromebook; desktop PC or Mac; tablet or smartphone.
    • If your computing device cannot record sound, you will need some kind of headset (or earbuds) with a microphone.
    • If your computing device cannot record video, you can still participate in Zoom sessions, but the other people in the meeting won’t be able to see you.
  2. An Internet connection.
  3. A web browser — basically, anything but Internet Explorer.

How to join a Zoom meeting

The rest of this document gives you basic instructions on how to join a Zoom meeting using a Windows PC or laptop, a Mac computer or MacBook, or a tablet or smartphone. For more details, go to the SMCCCD Class Lectures Through Zoom Links to an external site. page.

Joining a Zoom meeting from Canvas (any type of computer, including a Chromebook)

Screen shot of the Zoom interface in Canvas

In your Canvas course, click Zoom (on the left), then click the Join button (on the right, next to the meeting information) to enter a class meeting. Your browser will open to a new window, where you may be prompted to download the Zoom application—if you can do that, go ahead. This is the only time you’ll need to download anything; from then on, just click the “Open Zoom” button in the window that pops up.

What if you have a Chromebook or you don’t want to install another application on your computer? No worries! Just click “start from your browser” to join the meeting.

Joining a Zoom meeting from a link in email (any type of computer, including a Chromebook)

If you received a link via email from someone, it’s really easy to join the meeting. Just click the link, and it will open in your web browser. The screenshot below shows you what you’ll see in any browser, on any type of desktop or laptop computer. In this case, I have already used Zoom—so the application is installed on my computer. I would just click “Open Zoom.”

Screen shot of Zoom windows in a web browser

Joining a Zoom meeting without the app on your computer

  1. Click the meeting link in the class Canvas Zoom page, or go to the meeting link directly in your browser.
  2. Look for the small text at the bottom of the page that begins with "If you cannot download or run the application..."
  3. Click the blue “start from your browser” link at the bottom of the screen.
  4. On the left, select your computer's audio, then select your video source (webcam) if desired.
  5. On the right, click "Join the meeting" button.

Joining a Zoom meeting from a smartphone

From a link in email: I can’t give you directions here, since iPhones and Android phones are pretty different. Basically, though, you click the link in your email. It will open in your web browser, but you’ll be prompted to download an app to run Zoom on your phone.

From the Canvas app on your smartphone: Open your Canvas Student app, then go to a class as usual. Click Zoom (just like you’d click Modules or anything else), then click Join next to your meeting session. If you don’t already have the app downloaded, you’ll be prompted to run it.

To learn more about using Zoom on a smartphone, go to the Zoom page that our district set up Links to an external site. for students. Important: The directions for mobile apps are the last item on that page. Scroll down almost to the end and you’ll see screen shots and other instructions.