Microsoft Teams

Wynona · Mar 8, 2026

I teach Windows 11 at our local Senior Activity Center, and have been asked if it's possible to have attendees in both the classroom and on Microsoft Teams online. What has been suggested is that we try to link the Arkansas Senior Centers together so that folks can participate in person in a classroom and/or stay at home and participate online with Teams.

When Covid hit in 2020, Microsoft still supported Skype; however, it wasn't possible for us to have both types of attendees. Too much feedback from online participants.

Down to the nitty gritty, I know almost nothing about Teams, and will have to start from the beginning. Anyone got a suggestion for a good MS Teams book?

All help appreciated even if you tell me it can't be done. . .

Current versions of Windows 11 and Microsoft 365.

XxXxX · Mar 8, 2026

not an exact answer to your Q.
i dont beleive Teams is free any more, i could be wrong
but have you considered Google Classroom which is free if Teams is unavailable.

Google Classroom features - Google for Education

Choose which edition of Google Classroom works for you. Use Classroom tools at no cost with Education Fundamentals. Need additional capabilities? Sign up for Education Standard, the Teaching and Learning or Education Plus.

edu.google.co.uk

best of luck Steve ..

Wynona · Mar 8, 2026

XxXxX said:
not an exact answer to your Q.
i dont beleive Teams is free any more, i could be wrong
but have you considered Google Classroom which is free if Teams is unavailable.

Google Classroom features - Google for Education

Choose which edition of Google Classroom works for you. Use Classroom tools at no cost with Education Fundamentals. Need additional capabilities? Sign up for Education Standard, the Teaching and Learning or Education Plus.

edu.google.co.uk

best of luck Steve ..

Thanks.

dacrone · Mar 8, 2026

This YouTube has plenty of good informationals/tutorials

Simon Sez IT

🌟 Welcome to our channel! 🚀 Get ready for a software training extravaganza brought to you by Simon Sez IT! 🤓 At Simon Sez IT, we're not just "IT"ching to help you succeed in Information Technology; we're thrilled about it! 😄💻 We've got an impressive collection of 200 training courses with over...

m.youtube.com

Here’s another overview

How to Use Microsoft Teams | dummies

Companies are staying connected virtually through Microsoft Teams. Explore the interface as well as ways to chat and set up meetings.

www.dummies.com

glasskuter · Mar 9, 2026

Microsoft Teams has a free vesion with limitations.
60-minute group meetings (up to 100 participants), unlimited chat, It requires a Microsoft account to sign up and is designed for personal, family, or small group collaboration. It gives 5GB of cloud storage per user (what one gets by creating a MS account if one doesn't already have one.)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

glasskuter said:
Microsoft Teams has a free vesion with limitations.
60-minute group meetings (up to 100 participants), unlimited chat, It requires a Microsoft account to sign up and is designed for personal, family, or small group collaboration. It gives 5GB of cloud storage per user (what one gets by creating a MS account if one doesn't already have one.)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free

Thank you very much! This will help.

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

dacrone said:
This YouTube has plenty of good informationals/tutorials

Simon Sez IT

🌟 Welcome to our channel! 🚀 Get ready for a software training extravaganza brought to you by Simon Sez IT! 🤓 At Simon Sez IT, we're not just "IT"ching to help you succeed in Information Technology; we're thrilled about it! 😄💻 We've got an impressive collection of 200 training courses with over...

m.youtube.com

Here’s another overview

How to Use Microsoft Teams | dummies

Companies are staying connected virtually through Microsoft Teams. Explore the interface as well as ways to chat and set up meetings.

www.dummies.com

Thank you very much!

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

glasskuter said:
Microsoft Teams has a free vesion with limitations.
60-minute group meetings (up to 100 participants), unlimited chat, It requires a Microsoft account to sign up and is designed for personal, family, or small group collaboration. It gives 5GB of cloud storage per user (what one gets by creating a MS account if one doesn't already have one.)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free

Although there's a free version, I have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Yay for that, since my students are all (100%) seniors and most cannot afford the subscription, do you know if I "hosted" the meeting if I could extend the meeting more than an hour?

I forgot to add that our classes run for at least an hour and a half . . .

pseymour · Mar 9, 2026

Even the most basic Teams paid plans have meeting limits of 30 hours. If you're talking beyond that, I can assure you no one's listening. :winkt:

glasskuter · Mar 9, 2026

No Wynona, I don't as I don't use it. But I asked co-pilot.

Question - I have Office 365. If I start a Microsoft teams meeting with users who use the free version of Teams will they be dropped after 60 minutes?

Short answer: No — if you (with Office 365 / Microsoft 365) host the meeting, free‑tier participants are not dropped after 60 minutes. The 60‑minute limit applies only when the organizer is using Teams Free. When the organizer has a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, the meeting inherits the paid plan limits, and free users can stay for the full duration.

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

pseymour said:
Even the most basic Teams paid plans have meeting limits of 30 hours. If you're talking beyond that, I can assure you no one's listening.

Nah, two hours max as a teaching tool for senior citizens.

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

glasskuter said:
No Wynona, I don't as I don't use it. But I asked co-pilot.

Question - I have Office 365. If I start a Microsoft teams meeting with users who use the free version of Teams will they be dropped after 60 minutes?

Short answer: No — if you (with Office 365 / Microsoft 365) host the meeting, free‑tier participants are not dropped after 60 minutes. The 60‑minute limit applies only when the organizer is using Teams Free. When the organizer has a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, the meeting inherits the paid plan limits, and free users can stay for the full duration.

Now why didn't I think of that!? I've been asking copilot lots of questions about Teams!

That's exactly what I was hoping for!

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

Now, next thing to do is hop over to Amazon books and order what I think will be the best one to help me learn Teams. Although there are lots of helpful videos, I absolutely need the printed version!

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my question(s)! You are the bestest!

Helmut · Mar 9, 2026

Jitsi Meet is probably what you need:

About Jitsi Meet | Free Video Conferencing Solutions

What is Jitsi Meet? Jitsi Meet offers free, secure and open-source video conferencing. Start using Jitsi Meet today, and deploy videoconferencing solutions.

jitsi.org

MS Teams, Google Meet, Zoom all have limitations in the free versions.
I could use any back in 2020 the Covid times, not used recently.

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

Helmut said:
Jitsi Meet is probably what you need:

About Jitsi Meet | Free Video Conferencing Solutions

What is Jitsi Meet? Jitsi Meet offers free, secure and open-source video conferencing. Start using Jitsi Meet today, and deploy videoconferencing solutions.

jitsi.org

MS Teams, Google Meet, Zoom all have limitations in the free versions.
I could use any back in 2020 the Covid times, not used recently.

Thanks for the information, but I think I'm going to stick with Teams, since I have a Microsoft 365 subscription. I believe Jitsi will be a bit too lightweight for what we need.

I have found that since I have the subscription to Microsoft 365, I can host (which I'd be required to do) our lessons. These lessons could be as long as we need, probably between 1.5 and 2 hours. The students can attend the entire lesson without being kicked out! Further, Teams will allow me to record the lesson with minimum effort.

It looks like I would have to use Dropbox or set up a Jitsi server, neither of which I'm willing to do at this point.

Thanks again.

Bree · Mar 9, 2026

Wynona said:
Although there's a free version, I have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Yay for that, since my students are all (100%) seniors and most cannot afford the subscription, do you know if I "hosted" the meeting if I could extend the meeting more than an hour?

The time limit depends on who hosts the meeting. If you organise the meeting then there won't be a time limit as you have a paid for subscription. Anyone can join, whether they use the free version or not. You can even join without installing Teams, you can use a web version and join with the Edge browser.

antspants · Mar 9, 2026

Wynona said:
Now, next thing to do is hop over to Amazon books and order what I think will be the best one to help me learn Teams.

Hi, Wynona. Microsoft Offers a PDF Quick Start Guide:

https://download.microsoft.com/download/D/9/F/D9FE8B9E-22F5-47BF-A1AB-09539C41FCD0/CC1595_MSTeams_QuickStartGuide_EN_Final_4.18.22.pdf

antspants · Mar 9, 2026

Just to mention. I think it’s wonderful that you are helping people.

I had a job for a brief period, teaching an introduction to computing (Paid course) at a higher education system in Australia called T.A.F.E (Technical and Further Education) — It’s like a college but not a college. Nation wide education system.

I found that hands on was needed. Many of the students were mature age and tended to click on stuff accidentally that caused issues. My main activity was going from desk to desk undoing their last action, all while trying to advance the course for the rest.

In the end, I had to go very slowly. Remotely, if they dig a hole, it can get complicated.

You might also want to look at Microsoft Quick Assist in case you need to connect to them and help?

Get and Give Remote Assistance with Quick Assist app in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to use the Quick Assist app to get help or help someone over a remote connection in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Quick Assist app lets you get help with a computer problem from family or friends or help them out. Quick Assist uses a remote connection, so...

www.elevenforum.com

S0C9 · Mar 9, 2026

@Wynona - Teams is a lot like Skype, but with a different look. Shouldn't take long to get the hang of it!
Most of the features are identical, tho again, the menu look differs.

Wynona · Mar 9, 2026

Helmut said:
Jitsi Meet is probably what you need:

About Jitsi Meet | Free Video Conferencing Solutions

What is Jitsi Meet? Jitsi Meet offers free, secure and open-source video conferencing. Start using Jitsi Meet today, and deploy videoconferencing solutions.

jitsi.org

MS Teams, Google Meet, Zoom all have limitations in the free versions.
I could use any back in 2020 the Covid times, not used recently.

Thanks, but I think I'm going to stick with Teams, since I have a Microsoft 365 subscription. I believe Jitsi will be a bit too lightweight for what we need.

I have found that since I have the subscription to Microsoft 365, I can host (which I'd be required to do) our lessons. These lessons could be as long as we need, probably between 1.5 and 2 hours. The students can attend the entire lesson without being kicked out! Further, Teams will allow me to record the lesson.

Microsoft Teams

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