By Amber Haydar

Features Editor

Amidst all the chaos and uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought upon us and our daily routines, it comes as no surprise that the way classes are conducted has also been altered. Zoom, a free video conferencing software that launched in 2013, has taken off rapidly during the course of social distancing and the conducting of virtual classes.

Zoom-bombing has become a new term in our daily vocabulary. Random people trespassing in Zoom sessions that they were not directly invited to, and disrupting the lecture has become somewhat of a norm. Horror stories of students from other schools Zoom-bombing MAST teachers’ lectures were more common in the earlier days of virtual school. 

As teachers have since attended an online two-day Zoom training session, the interruptions have faded. After getting off to a rocky start, the Miami-Dade County Public School District has purchased a Zoom license that grants administrators an ID and password-protected network that filters inappropriate content. This has made teachers and their students more comfortable in an online classroom setting as we have gradually grown accustomed to this method of learning.

In order to ensure MAST Zooms stay safe and secure, the Student Government Association has come up with a list of reminders in regards to staying respectful:

1. Log online to the class meeting from a quiet, distraction-free environment.
2. Ensure that your screen name is yours and not anyone else’s or inappropriate by any means. 
3. Keep your audio on mute until you wish to speak. We must work together to limit background noise.
4. Enable video so that your teachers can see you.
5. When you wish to speak mid-lecture, use the “Raise Hand” feature.
6. Use the chat box to make a point or ask a question. Remember that the chat is public, and may be recorded and archived. All comments must be school-appropriate.
7. Have a plan for taking notes. Maybe use paper and pencil, a digital notepad, or a Word/Pages document.
8. Appropriate classroom behavior and dress is expected in all virtual classroom settings.