Use these instructions to synchronously share a video clip during a Zoom meeting. This can include segments of DVDs, or other formats of video (.mp4, .avi, etc.).
Note that sharing video clips during a synchronous class session is a technologically intensive activity and is taxing on the internet connection and the computer processor (for you and your students). If there is an asynchronous way of sharing the same content that will fit in with your pedagogical goals, then please consider doing that.
Built-in media players on Macs and PCs sometimes have problems screen sharing videos. When showing video clips, we recommend using the free and open source VLC media player. VLC media player is available to download from https://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
If you do not already have VLC on your computer, download the appropriate version for your computer (PC, Mac, etc) and install it.
To facilitate screen sharing audio or video content, it's best to have that content open on your desktop before you start your meeting. If you have several files you want to share, open them in separate windows - this will allow you to easily select separate windows that correspond to the content you want to share in Zoom.
Steps for Screen Sharing video clips:
Before starting your Zoom meeting, you'll want to prepare the video clip.
Open the video file or DVD (preferably with VLC player) and have it ready to play in a separate window. Cue the video to the section you want to share, and leave this window open on your desktop.
Launch your Zoom meeting, when ready to share the video, proceed with the next steps
To ensure the best possible quality of the video share
Turn off their cameras
- Mute their Microphones
- Disable Chat (click on the Security icon
to show the security pop up menu and make sure there is not a tick next to the word Chat. If there is a tick there, simply click on it with your mouse to remove the tick)
ave everyone in the meeting (including yourself):
- Click on the green Share Screen icon
in the meeting control toolbar. This will display a window showing all the different windows and screens that you can share. It will look something like this:
- Select the window that you want to share. The window you select will be surrounded by a blue frame. In this example, the window selected also has the orange and white cone icon of the VLC media player.
- It is essential that you tick both boxes on the bottom of this screen
- Share computer sound - this ensures that the audio that accompanies your video clip is also shared. If there is no audio that accompanies the video clip, then it is ok to leave this unticked.
- Optimize Screen Sharing for Video Clip - this ensures that the shared video is of the best possible quality. Do not leave this unticked when sharing video clips.
- Click on the blue Share button, and your screen share will begin. The screen being shared should be surrounded by a green frame. Do not worry if you do not see this frame.
- Click on the play button in the video clip window if you paused the video.
- The Share screen control bar should display during your screen share, it looks like this:
- Note that you can Stop Share or Pause Share with this tool bar. If you have a different video or file that you want to share, and it is already open on your desktop, you can click on New Share and select a different window to share, without stopping or pausing! This allows you to switch from one share to the next, withoug having to pause or lose time during your session to find the file location.
- When finished sharing, simply click on Stop Share and you will be back in the Zoom meeting. Remember to ask people to umute and turn their cameras back on if you want to continue the meeting. You can also reenable chat, through the Security tool
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