For teachers & volunteers

Digital Skills for Instructors

WhatsApp, Google Meet and Zoom, in that order: how to reach your students, meet with them, and run a live class. Each tutorial is a real recording, one step at a time.

Start here. How most of our students keep in touch: free, and it works on Wi-Fi.

Get WhatsApp on Your Phone and Message a Student Install it from the App Store or Play Store, allow your contacts, and text a student like any other text. Start the tutorial → Use WhatsApp on Your Computer Download WhatsApp for your Mac, link it to your phone, and text your students with a full keyboard. Start the tutorial →

Google Meet

For one-to-one sessions and small classes: free, and it runs in Chrome.

Start a Google Meet and Send the Link Make a meeting, send your students the link, and open it at class time. Start the tutorial → Share Your Screen in Google Meet Share one Chrome tab with your lesson, with sound, and stop when you are done. Start the tutorial →

Zoom: get set up

For classes on Zoom. Before class day: a free account, a scheduled meeting, and the app.

Make a Free Zoom Account Sign up on zoom.com with your email. Free meetings last up to 40 minutes. Start the tutorial → Schedule a Zoom Meeting and Send the Invitation Make a meeting for class time, then copy the invitation for WhatsApp or email. Start the tutorial → Get the Zoom App on Your Computer Install the Zoom Workplace app and keep it updated. Your drawing tools only live there. Start the tutorial → Join in the App, Not the Browser The browser version of Zoom has no annotation. One habit protects your whole class. Start the tutorial →

Zoom: teach your class

The tools for running class in the Zoom app. Some, like drawing on the screen, only work in the app, not in a web browser.

Your Camera and Microphone in Zoom Pick your microphone, turn on your camera, and blur or change your background. Start the tutorial → Share Your Screen Worksheets, slides, and videos, with sound, plus letting a co-teacher share. Start the tutorial → Draw on the Screen (Annotate) Your whiteboard marker in Zoom: circle words, underline, point, and manage student drawing. Start the tutorial → Use the Meeting Chat Collect answers, share links, control who can chat, and save the chat before you leave. Start the tutorial → Zoom Whiteboard and Ending Class Send a reaction, write on Zoom's whiteboard, and end the meeting for everyone. Start the tutorial →

Patina tools

Our own classroom tools. They open in a web browser, and you share them in Google Meet or Zoom.

The Translanguaging Whiteboard Write an English word on a full-screen board, show it in your class's languages beside it, and save the board as a picture. Start the tutorial →

WhatsApp, Google Meet and Zoom change their screens from time to time. These tutorials follow the October 2026 versions.