Google announced that Google Meet has introduced a number of new features to improve communication between students and teachers and to make distance learning easier.
Google Meet adds new enhancements that make remote communication easier
Some of them will be implemented in Google’s video conferencing tool in the coming weeks, while others will have to wait several months. The messages announced by Google are as follows:
-New emoticons. Starting in August, Google will make emoticons available to users that will make it easier for them to share emotions in order to react without interruption during the class and to improve the connection.
At the bottom of the screen, next to the hand icon indicating that the student wants to raise their hand to ask to speak, a control panel with the new icons will be added, controlled by the teacher and which can determine which emoticons will be used. Anyone referring to faces or hands will have the skin tone picker available.
-More control for the teacher. Google Meet in the educational setting will include new features that give the teacher more control over what happens during the class. On the one hand, the teacher has control over the activation of the microphone by the students. You can also mute all participants at the same time.
On the other hand, all teachers included in the same classroom environment are hosts by default to allow the platform to be managed for multiple users. In addition, the teacher can end the meeting for everyone at any time to avoid later conversations that are not monitored by him.
-Messages upon entering the classroom. Another novelty that Google introduced is preventing students from attending a Classroom-generated meeting in front of teachers. In addition, access to the meeting can only be restricted to the invited students.
-Access to external external. New features from Google include the ability for students to connect with students from other centers through Google Meet. External speakers who can offer a virtual lecture in front of a class are also permitted.
Finally, Google announced that it would make improvements to make Google Meet easy to use in places with little internet connection. The company has not indicated what these improvements will look like or if, like many other social platforms, it will be a lite app that has limited functionality for poor internet connectivity environments.
