Hi All,
Now that I'm using Zoom and the like to take classes, attend webinars,
participate in meetings, carry out work tasks, and gather with people
for formal and informal activities, I'm noticing lots of logistical
glitches I didn't expect. I've been able to resolve some and am still
working on others. I'll give some examples, but I'm posting to ask
whether others here have encoutnered this and how you've resolved it.
Here are some examples:
* How do you manage the screen reader with the virtual meeting app? I've
tried having them on different sound cards, having them on the same
sound card, and turning off the screen reader altogether, but each has
it's drawbacks. In general having both on the same sound card and
listening through the headset works best, but if it's the first time,
you need to put them on separate sound cards so you can dismiss a
notification from the Windows assistant, and the rest of the time, you
have to learn not to get distracted by chats, etc.
* How do you complete right-now tasks when the mic is unmuted? I like
meetings where people's mics are unmuted because that type of atmosphere
allows for discussion. That can be complicated, though, when you need to
do something quietly in the background right now. For instance, today I
was on a continuing education webinar. One of the things we had to do
over lunch was record a short voice sample and text it to the
facilitator at a specific point. Other people would fiddle with their
cell phones quietly to send the recording in. I couldn't do it without
muting my mic, which I wasn't supposed to do, or getting up to find the
right headset, which was headset upon headset. I finally just got up and
left for a few minutes to do it in another room.
* How do you act on important information that is put in the chat
window? Sometimes presenters post URLs, phone numbers, log-in info,
addresses, code numbers, etc., in the chat box for you to use during the
meeting. Screen readers don't always allow you to copy it to the
clipboard, so you have to actually use the screen reader's spelling
feature to listen and write down. For me, this is challenging because I
need to listen to long or complex information several times as I write
and check it and am totally tuning out the presentation during that time.
Any tips or other such glitches you've noticed?
Ciaowhile I'm
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