Why Draw on the Screen and Zoom In (Enlarging)?
Downloading the ZoomIT software
To be able to follow along you will first have to download the ZoomIT software below. ZoomIT was created by Mark Russonivich and I'm forever grateful to him for this tool I use in the classroom and online.
This annotation software is also available from the Microsoft Site along with some information about the creator with other useful applications.
Learn these ZoomIT Shortcuts
To get the most out of ZoomIT you really need to get familiar with just a few basic shortcuts. Some you'll find at the bottom of the page.
Getting attention
When you draw on the screen you are able to get and hold your audiences attention. Especially if you are training a software program. In today's world, where online training is used more and more, drawing on the screen allows your students to easily see which button to press. Using annotations also allows you to focus your students on a particular feature of the software you are training. When coupled with zooming into a certain section on the screen it's like magic.
Zoom in to a certain section of the Screen
When presenting on Teams sometimes your students are using a less than adequate screen. Nowadays people are using laptops more than ever and that being the case enlarging or magnifying certain areas of the screen make it so much easier for them to see what you are showing them.
You need bear in mind that when you are zoomed in to a portion of the screen, the rest of the screen can't be seen. So I recommend that you Zoom in, show them what you need to, and then zoom out. This will give your students some context as to what they are seeing.
Just a small thing and that is if a student is not using dual screens, maybe just a single laptop. Zooming in and out too much may lead to confusion. This is because for the student to follow along then they must first have a look at your screen, then swap to their screen to try and work out what you have just done.
Using Colour
In the above video tutorial about drawing on the screen in MS Teams you will see that you can change the colour of the pen. Colour is important in our everyday live. When we see red, we think of danger. Green then we think of saving the planet and so on.
Knowing that, you can now in Teams draw on the screen using different colours to highlight different main points or sections. When you are in annotation mode press the letter b to see blue, g to see green or my favourite p to see pink. Use the list of short-cuts available to see what colours are available.
List of ZoomIT Short-cuts
| Function | Short-cut |
|---|---|
| Begin Zoom Mode | Ctrl & 1 |
| Zoom In | Up Key |
| Zoom Out | Down Key |
| Begin Drawing | Ctrl + 2 |
| Red Pen | R |
| Blue Pen | B |
| Yellow Pen | Y |
| Green Pen | G |
Where to go from here?
Why not check out our Microsoft Teams training courses to make sure you and your team are getting the best out of this amazing bit of software.