Parent and Student Guide To Google Meet

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This guide shows you the basics of Google Meet and how students can connect to a Meet that their teacher is hosting. If the teacher is using Google Classroom, watch our video on Google Meet for a Student in a Google Classroom 

Table of Contents

Joining a Google Meet

A Note About Joining A Google Meet

How to Switch Audio and Video Off/On

How to use Live Closed Captioning

How to Present your Screen to the Group

Access More Options in Google Meet

Changing the Layout of the Google Meet:

How to See Different Participants

How to Use the Chat

How to Leave the Google Meet

Considerations for Students K to Grade3:

Addendum:

Joining a Google Meet

1. You will first need to sign into your OCDSB Google account. 

Parents may need to help their child log in. (Please note that parents should not be joining a Google Meet while signed in with their own account.)

2. Click on the App Waffle Button (#1) then click Meet (#2).
   

3. Enter the Google Meet code or nickname, provided by the teacher.

4. Then press Join.

5. This will open the ‘Ready to Join?’ window where you can:

(#1) Make sure you are signed in with your student account by checking the info in the top right corner

(#2) mute or unmute your microphone by clicking the first button

(#3) enable/disable your camera

(#4) click Join now to join the meeting

(#5) if you are unable to join (due to unreliable internet connection etc.) you can click Join and use a phone for audio to see instructions.

6. The Google Meet will open and you will have similar options as shown below:

A Note About Joining A Google Meet

Sometimes it may be necessary for a student to join Google Meet with their phone (for example, if they don’t have wifi or it is not reliable wifi).

Parents and students should not join a meet by dialing into Google Meet because they will get charged calling costs from Google. 

Instead, ask the teacher to call the parent/student’s phone number from inside the Google Meet so no charges are incurred.

How to Switch Audio and Video Off/On

If the microphone or camera icons are red with a slash through it as shown below, you are not audible or visible to the rest of the chat group.

How to use Live Closed Captioning

Google Meet has the ability to produce live Closed Captioning. Turn it on by clicking on the 3 dots (#1) then on the Captions (#2) button as shown below:

How to Present your Screen to the Group

Click on the Present now button in the bottom area of the Google Meet screen. This button allows you to present what is on your screen to everyone in the meeting.

There are 3 options available. You can present:

1. Your entire screen: This will capture everything on your screen, even if you switch windows.
2. A Window: This will share just one window. Google Meet will ask you to choose between the windows you have open.
3. A Chrome tab: This will share one Google Chrome tab and is the best option if you are sharing anything that has audio.  Google Meet will ask you to choose from the Tabs you have open in Google Chrome.

Access More Options in Google Meet

1. Click on the three dots in the bottom right corner of the Google Meet as shown:
   

Changing the Layout of the Google Meet:

You can change the layout of what you see in the Google Meet:

Sidebar: See the presenters screen and some of your classmates

Spotlight: Automatically see the active speaker

Tile: See a tiled view of the people in the Google Meet

How to See Different Participants

1. Click the people icon (#1) in the lower right corner of the Google Meet to see the full list of participants. (The number indicates how many people are in the Google Meet.)
2. You can then click the Three Dots (#2) beside the a person's name, and then on Pin to screen (#3) so that the Google Meet screen doesn’t keep switching as different people speak.

How to Use the Chat

1. The chat feature allows you to type messages to everyone participating in the Google Meet.

Click on the chat bubble icon in the upper right corner of the Google Meet screen.

2. If you have a question for the teacher, type your message (#1 below) and click Send (#2).

How to Leave the Google Meet

To end your Meet session, click the phone button between the audio and video buttons:

Considerations for Students K to Grade3:

Students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 have an OCDSB email and password, but do not have access to send or receive emails. Students can use their OCDSB credentials to access Google Meet.

Teachers may choose to notify students of an upcoming Google Meet by sending an email to the parent or guardian’s email address. The parent can then help the student log in to their Google account and then join the Goole Meet while signed in with the child’s account. This way the teacher will know when the student is present in the meeting.

When the parent is assisting the child to log in, both the child and guardians are involved in the learning.

Addendum:

Please be aware of the Acceptable Use Policy expectations for technology in the OCDSB.