This approach can be implemented easily in Zoom or another web conferencing software. The approach you take will depend on the strength and stability of your internet connection as the meeting host. If you have a good connection then recordings can be played on your local computer and shared using “share screen”, ensuring that two settings are ticked when sharing (optimise for full screen video clip and share computer audio). Students can adjust the volume as needed on their device.
Rather than playing recordings directly from Panopto, consider downloading a local copy from Panopto (navigate to your recording, go to “settings”, select the “outputs” and download the video podcast - default settings work well). Remember to close any applications on your computer that you don’t want popping up and obscuring the shared screen during the session (email, etc.). Finally, make sure you practice this a few times before your first live session to make sure everything works as you intended!
There are options you can try out to make the watch party even more interactive. For example, if you are streaming the video from your own device, you can choose a suitable place to pause to pose questions to the students, conduct a poll or another activity of your choice. To make sure that all students can benefit from your watch party, even if they cannot attend the live session, you can provide a recording of the session, as well as alternative ways for students to engage with the material, including Canvas discussion boards.
If this approach inspires you in any way or you would like to know more about how to adapt it for your own teaching, then I would love to hear from you! Contact: Lindsey Compton (l.j.compton@bham.ac.uk).