What is the difference between Microsoft Teams and Zoom ?

Microsoft Teams Overview:

Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool that allows you to stay connected and collaborate with your colleagues and students. It brings together simultaneous document editing, chat, video conferencing, project management tools and third-party apps into one shared workspace.

Zoom Overview:

Zoom provides a seamless way to connect face-to-face with your students. It specializes in video and audio conferencing with a simple user interface. You can schedule live classroom discussions (or even host virtual office hours), share your screen, poll students, and have break-out sessions for students to work together in your virtual session. Videos can be recorded, closed-captioned, and added into your DC Connect.

What is the Difference Between MS Teams and Zoom?

Microsoft Teams and Zoom are both effective tools that serve similar purposes, but they have their individual strengths.

When it comes to features, both Zoom and Teams enable online meetings, chats, breakout rooms, screen sharing, and file sharing. The difference between the two is really Microsoft’s integration between Teams and its other Office 365 products such as OneDrive. Zoom is the simpler user experience when it comes to video conferencing. Setting up a class meeting is as simple and scheduling a meeting to generate a link and then copying that link into DC Connect. The Microsoft Teams set up is more involved. With Microsoft Teams, you will need to set-up your own team and invite your students (it isn’t difficult, but it is another step). Does your class have a lot of group work? If so, Microsoft Teams may be a better fit for your course as students can get used to the platform and use it to collaborate with their groups. Consider your industry as well, if your industry is using Microsoft Teams, it may provide students an edge in the workforce if they can say they’ve used Microsoft Teams.

It is up to you to choose whichever tool works best for you, your level of comfort, your content, and your students! And, both of these applications are supported by Durham College.