Zoom FAQs

Advance. Elevate. Innovate.

• How do I download Zoom?

• Do I need to create an account?

• How do I join a meeting?

• What will I see on my screen?

• How do I participate in the workshop?

• Helpful Video Tutorials on using Zoom

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How do I download Zoom?

You can download Zoom here. Just click the download button and the setup package will begin downloading to your computer. Once it’s finished, you can find this package in Finder under Downloads.

Double click Zoom.pkg and follow the install instructions. Zoom may later ask you to allow access to your webcam and microphone. Make sure you allow this so you can participate in your meeting(s) properly.

When you do decide to use Zoom, you can find it under your computer’s Launchpad section titled Zoom.us.

Note: you do not need to download Zoom in order to use it.

However, I still recommend downloading Zoom to avoid potential issues. It does not always work in a browser and may prompt you to download it anyway.

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Do I need to create an account?

Nope! You only need an account if you want to create a meeting, but most of us will just be accepting invitations from LPCA Convention Emails. Be aware, though, that if you would like to host a meeting with more than one other person, Zoom restricts your meeting time to 40 minutes with a basic account.

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How do I join a meeting?

You can join Zoom meetings in a few different ways.

You can go to join.zoom.us and enter the meeting I.D. provided to you by the meeting organizer (aka LPCA). Once the I.D. is accepted, your computer will prompt you to open the Zoom application.

You can use this same process by going directly to the application first.

Or (and this is the way I’ve done it) LPCA will send you a link (through email) that will prompt you to open the Zoom application and join the meeting.

All in all, it’s super simple.

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What will I see on my screen?

When you first join a meeting, you’ll see the live videos of either the presenter or their PowerPoint presentation in the center of your screen. You probably won’t need to worry about any of the buttons/options on the sides of the screen. If you do, however, it’ll likely be for the reasons below.

How do I participate in the workshop?

There are a couple of helpful aspects to Zoom that are particularly related to class participation.

For one, Zoom gives you the option to raise your hand to let your presenter know you have a question. In order to do this, just click on “participants” at the bottom of the screen. You will see your name on the right side of the screen. Click it and you will have the option to mute yourself or raise your hand. Raising your hand adds a little blue hand to your screen that everyone can see.

Additionally, your presenter may have chat enabled. Depending on their settings, you may be able to send private messages to anyone in your workshop. However, if they allow private messages to themselves, you can ask the presenter questions discretely if this makes you feel more comfortable.