• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
ClassThink

ClassThink

School Technology Guides

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • HOME
  • LATEST
  • Featured
  • School App Search
    • Search
    • Dashboard
    • Directory Login
  • TEACHER GUIDES
    • Microsoft Teams
      • Microsoft Teams Teacher’s Hub
    • Microsoft OneDrive
    • Microsoft Stream
    • Microsoft Office
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Microsoft OneNote
    • Microsoft Office
    • Microsoft Outlook
    • Microsoft Windows
    • Microsoft SDS
    • Google Classroom
    • Google Meet
    • Zoom
  • REVIEWS
  • NEWSLETTER
  • ABOUT
    • Contact Us
    • About ClassThink
    • Support ClassThink
    • Write for ClassThink
    • Advertising and Sponsorship
You are here: Home / News / Microsoft Teams adds custom backgrounds, raised hand, and end meeting features to support teachers

Microsoft Teams adds custom backgrounds, raised hand, and end meeting features to support teachers

10 April 2020 by Karl Rivers Leave a Comment

An update to Microsoft Teams is currently rolling out and it contains four key features which appear specifically designed to address problems raised by teachers.

Raised Hand Feature

When video conferencing, particularly if you have a large number of staff or students connected, it’s very difficult to moderate the conversation. How many online meetings have you been in where it’s difficult to follow who is talking, which results in people talking over each other?

The raised hand feature adds an hand icon to the usual video conferencing options bar. When selected it highlights your video with a little yellow hand, indicating to the teacher or meeting chair that you want to speak.

While it’s designed to ease the flow of meetings, this is feature is going to be great for teachers to allow students to indicate when they wish to speak.

End Meeting Feature

Until now, when the teacher left a video conference with their class, the conference would continue in the background. This is a big problem when teaching, akin to the teacher leaving the classroom during a lesson but leaving the door unlocked and the students inside.

The new End Meeting feature allows the teacher to click the options button in the video conference bar, and forcefully end the video conference. This ends the session for the students and forces them back to their previous task.

Custom Backgrounds

No more using SnapCamera to spice up your Microsoft Teams video feed, now you can use the built in custom backgrounds.

Building on top of the blur background feature, custom backgrounds allow you to add one of a selection of images to add a realistic backdrop to your video feed. So, if you’re running an online class from home, but your kitchen isn’t the tidiest, you can now replace those stacks of dirty dishes with a lovely neat office space.

It’s great to see that Microsoft is listening to the huge community of educators now using Microsoft Teams and reacting so quickly to their needs. If you’d like to keep up to date with all of the Microsoft Teams for Education updates, of course you can follow ClassThink on any of our social media, but it’s also worth following Dominic Williamson, the Microsoft Teams for Education Project Manager, on Twitter.

Want to learn more about Microsoft Teams?

If you’re new to Microsoft Teams, start here. This book will give you must-have insight on chatting, file sharing, organizing teams, using video communication, and more. You’ll also see just how you should be doing things, with best-practice recommendations and ideas for integrating Microsoft Teams into your existing lesson plans.

Pick up Microsoft Teams for Dummies from Amazon

You might also like...

Filed Under: Microsoft, Microsoft Teams, News

This page contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on the links to these products. For an explanation of our Affiliate Policy, please visit this page.

About Karl Rivers

Karl Rivers is a Director of IT who has worked in education for more than twenty years. He won the Naace Impact Award for Supporting School Services.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

You might also like...

Popular School Apps

  • Bromcom Computers Plc

    Bromcom Computers Plc

    MIS/SIS System

  • CleverTouch

    CleverTouch

    Classroom Screens & Projectors

  • Capita SIMS

    Capita SIMS

    MIS/SIS System +3 Parent Communications, Parent Portal, Parents Evenings,

  • Wakelet

    Wakelet

    Learning Platform +1 Social Bookmarking,

  • BKSK

    BKSK

    Assessments +1 Educational Games & Quizzes,

Latest Edtech News

Virtual breakout rooms for Microsoft Teams – everything you need to know

Download the free OneNote for Team Collaboration eBook

New Surface Laptop Go Announced

Featured

Best Chromebooks for students in 2021

Create beautiful infographics for your classroom

Record online lessons with Camtasia

Naace Impact Awards Winner

Footer

Recent

  • Best Chromebooks for students in 2021
  • Create beautiful infographics for your classroom
  • Virtual breakout rooms for Microsoft Teams – everything you need to know
  • Record online lessons with Camtasia
  • Download the free OneNote for Team Collaboration eBook
  • New Surface Laptop Go Announced
  • Managing Windows 10 in schools with Intune and Autopilot
  • How to stop students unmuting themselves in Microsoft Teams
  • How to spotlight students & demonstrations in Microsoft Teams meetings
  • How to record a PowerPoint presentation as a video
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Recent Forum Topics

  • What is Call Center Employee Engagement?
  • Significance of Explainer Videos for Marketing
  • IproVPN is the Best US VPN Provider
  • Using VPN App in Apple or not? Not a big deal!
  • JvFHf5vfJ HyVSv2mpZ
  • Use VPN Security
  • How less is more with application development
  • How Much Does it Cost to Make an App like Uber
  • Microsoft Team class not appearing for teacher but is correct in Teams admin
  • FCM Test Notification!!! message in Microsoft Teams

Most Popular Posts

  • How to record a PowerPoint presentation as a video
  • How to repair a smashed Chromebook screen in 3 minutes
  • How to turn off chat for students in Microsoft Teams
  • How to delete a video from Microsoft Teams
  • Best webcams for schools, classrooms, and assemblies in 2020
  • Access denied to private channel files in Microsoft Teams
  • Managing Windows 10 in schools with Intune and Autopilot
  • How to restore a deleted team in Microsoft Teams
  • How to search student chat conversations in Microsoft Teams
  • How to record and share a lesson in Microsoft Teams
  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 · ClassThink.com · Affiliate Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Here's the secret · Log in