Zoom: Using your smartphone as a document camera in Zoom

How to use a smartphone camera as a substitute for a classroom document camera in a Zoom conference.

Issue/Question

• Is it possible to substitute a classroom document camera with a smartphone camera for a Zoom classroom presentation?

Resolution

Yes it is. These instructions will illustrate the steps for using your smartphone as a document camera for a Zoom based presentation along with using a PC as a teaching station.

The procedure is - start a meeting from the Zoom Conferencing App in MyMassasoit, send an invitation link though your Gmail account to your Outlook account, open it on your smart phone app to join the meeting and share your screen with the other meeting participants. You can then position your smartphone camera as a document camera for your session.

It is assumed the user has:

1) an understanding of how to conduct a Zoom meeting,

2) has an active Massasoit GMail account (flastname@massasoit.edu) and Outlook account (flastname@massasoit.mass.edu),

2) has the Outlook app installed on their smartphone connected to their Massasoit Email account (flastname@massasoit.mass.edu),

3) has the Zoom app installed on their smartphone.

From MyMassasoit 

Start a Zoom Meeting from the MyMassasoit Portal

• Go to the MyMassasoit Portal and click on Zoom under the Launchpad.
  • 

You will see the Zoom start page.

Take note of your personal meeting ID in case you need it to rejoin your meeting.

• Click on Profile (if not already there).

You will see the entry for your Personal Meeting ID. Some of the numbers will be masked (***)

• Click Show to reveal all the digits on your Personal Meeting ID.
• Make note of the number.

• Click  and choose With Video On.

You will see the Open Zoom dialog box.

• Click Open Zoom.

You will see the Zoom Meeting Video screen and the Audio Conference Options dialog box.

 

• Click Join with Computer Audio.

You will see the Zoom Cloud Meeting dialog box.

Ignore this screen.

You will also see the meeting video screen for your session (usually with your face looking back at you).

• Click on the Enter Full Screen option on the meeting video screen.
• Click the Manage Participant button at the bottom of your screen.
• Click Invite.

You will see the Choose Your Email Service dialog box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Click Gmail.
• Log into your Massasoit GMail account (flastname@massasoit.edu).
  You will see the MyMassasoit Portal login screen.
• Log into the MyMassasoit Portal.

You will see the Zoom meeting invitation page.

• Address the invitation to your Massasoit Outlook Email account (fname@massasoit.mass.edu).
• Click Send.

An invitation with the meeting information will be sent to your Outlook Inbox.

From your smartphone

Be sure you have the Zoom App installed on your smartphone. These instructions are based on the Android version of Zoom. The iPhone app is similar.

Retrieve your invitation

• Go to your Outlook inbox and open the invitation from Zoom.
• Click on the Join Meeting link.

You will join the meeting.

• Click Start Video.

You will see you name listed under participants as both host and cohost. Zoom will consider you two different people.

You will see the host screen and the cohost screen.

 

The cohost screen can act as the document camera.

If you mount your smartphone above the document you wish to present you can use it just like a real document camera.
You may be able to use a tripod or some other means to position your smartphone above the document.

You should be able to change the panel views to emphasize the different content on the screens.

Note: Remember, you should exercise caution since the image on a shared screen is somewhat exposed travelling on a computer network.

Be sure not to display any confidential or sensitive materials!