Annotations & Interactive Drawing
Zoom Annotations allow participants in a meeting to draw, write, and type over a shared screen, including the Zoom Whiteboard.
Annotation Settings
Before you get started, make sure that Annotations are enabled. You can change your default settings for who can use and save Annotations via the Emory Zoom web portal Links to an external site..
You can also change your settings at any time during a meeting that you host by clicking the Security button. (If you have Annotations enabled for participants of a meeting, anyone can draw on shared content at any point, so you may want to leave Annotation disabled except during the specific times you plan to use it.)
Using and Saving Annotations
When you are sharing your screen, you can click on the Annotate tool in the toolbar. For participants, the Annotate button can be found by clicking View Options at the top of the Zoom window. This will open the Annotate menu.
At the top of the screen:
The Annotate menu shows the annotation tools available. You can add text, draw, use stamps, and use the Spotlight to bring attention to a particular area of the screen. You can remove your annotations with the Clear button, and the host can remove all annotations with this button.
Important tip: If you find that your mouse isn’t working, make sure the Mouse button is selected or the Annotate menu is closed!
To access annotations later, you need to manually click Save. This will take a screenshot that can be saved as a .png or .pdf file.
Suggestions
When & How to Use Annotations
- Check-in at the beginning of class to build community
- Draw your favorite fruit!
- Indicate your feelings about the following prompts: Pineapple on pizza, Burgers are sandwiches
- Brainstorming, crowd sourcing throughout class
- Draw on shared content collaboratively (e.g. Solve this chemical question. Draw the hypothalamic pituitary axis. Underline your favorite line in this passage.)
- Reviewing diagrams/images/charts throughout class
- Bring attention to a specific part of shared content (e.g. a student could ask "What does it mean that this value in this graph is higher than that graph?" and draw over the graphs to indicate what they mean)
- Informal polling throughout class
- Quick polls (e.g. a PowerPoint slide with a multiple choice question: ask students to put a stamp next to A, B, C, or D)
Managing Annotations
- Turn off the Annotation feature except during dedicated portions of your class using the Security button.