54 Posts from February 2021

Kean University 2021, The Network

Zoom Gazing & beyond

mzamora on February 27, 2021February 27, 2021

Thanks again to Autumm Caines for a fun and interactive Studio Visit wherein we considered the design implications of Zoom. In our “play” session, we explored some basic features (some that I had never really used before). I discovered that I feel vulnerable when I turn-off “view self” mode, and I also discovered that the majority of students do seem to want the instructor to have “camera-on”. (I suspected that, but it was good confirmation to receive, …no matter how […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

Digital Archives

hgatica on February 26, 2021

(I’m hoping I got this right) This week’s reading is Seeing Ourselves Through Technology: How We Use Selfies, Blogs, and Wearable Devices to See and Shape Ourselves, specifically chapter 4. In this chapter, author Jill Walker Rettberg discusses the concept of digital archives, how our phones and technology have gotten so advanced enough to the point where the act of preserving something can be automated. In a way, as I’ve stated before, the identities of a person is now blurring […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

How Do I Look? Tired. How Do I Feel? Tired.

vickbwrites on February 25, 2021

While beginning virtual learning, I always thought to myself, “Why does this feel much harder than if classes were in person?” To this day, I am still wondering why. When reading “The Zoom Gaze” and “Why We’re Exhausted by Zoom,” it was clear that others hold the same sentiments as me. The first half of Autumn Caines tied closely with my experiences on Zoom. I can recall the first week of online instruction being terrible. For every class, I was […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

Look Around, But Not At Me, Please!

thesunthatruns on February 25, 2021

I remember the first Zoom meeting I ever went on, nearly a year ago to today. I was 20, for once in my life my skin was clear, I had finally gotten my parents out of my room, and I was so excited. This felt like something that only grown-ups were going to be doing for the (at the time) foreseeable future. For once, I was in the cool kids club! But then, life happened. Over time, that excitement turned […]

filter, gaze, Kean University 2021, meeting, The Network, zoom

We all kind of do it, don’t we?

krock5228 on February 25, 2021

The reading for this week about the “zoom gaze” was the most relatable thing I have read in the past 12 months. For those that were going through the transition from in-person classes to the since adopted online format know I have been hyper critical and resistant to it from it’s genesis. I could have chosen to do this program online, but I chose to do it as an in-person program deliberately. Granted, there are certainly stark differences between how […]

Kean University 2021, The Network, Zoom gaze

Yas Cat and Empty Containers in the Post Pandemic University

agently on February 24, 2021

Remember that vine with the cat ‘saying’ “yas” to wanting a treat? If you don’t, the description says it all. I remember watching this video with someone and them having a hard time fully believing that it wasn’t actually the cat saying ‘yas’ instead of someone voicing over the cat’s meow. This simple exchange shocked me at the time in an oddly deep way. How could you question something that was so obviously contrived and fake? Even now when […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

I’m Tired

teacheng on February 23, 2021

As I began to read this article, the deeper I got into the more William Shakespeare popped into my head. To me no line better reflects the opening ideas of this article more than when Shakespeare had Casius say to Brutus in the play, Julius Caesar, “And since you know you cannot see yourself, so well as by reflection, I, your glass, will modestly discover to yourself, that of yourself which you yet know not of.” Zoom has given us […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

An Alternative Explanation for Our Exhaustion

M.E. O'Neill on February 21, 2021

Maybe I’m in the minority, but Zoom meetings don’t leave me feeling drained in the way that this week’s readings—“Why We’re Exhausted by Zoom” by Susan D. Blum and “The Zoom Gaze” by Autumm Caines—describe. Of course, I understand why “Zoom fatigue” is a real phenomenon; both Blum and Caines point out how during video conferencing, it’s impossible to make eye contact, frustrating to listen to laggy speakers, and tempting to constantly make real-time adjustments to your appearance—all of which […]

Open Participants 2021, The Network

Permission to have fun

NomadWarMachine on February 20, 2021February 20, 2021

I was told this week that we’re only meant to be dong work that is essential. Now, if this is true, then I know that it’s being said for good reasons – that our senior management are saying this out of a concern for staff – out of a wish to give people permission only to do what is needed and not to worry that they are not doing enough. But the person who told me about this had understood […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

Seriously Tired

hgatica on February 20, 2021

For this week, we’re asked to think more critically on the effect Zoom has on the immediate level and the kinds of ramifications it can have long-term for everyday life. To facilitate thoughts and discussion, I’ve read The Zoom Gaze by Autumm Caines and Why We’re Exhausted by Zoom by Susan D. Blum. To put it bluntly, I’m tired. Not out of boredom, but of direct points made by both authors. We cannot deny the effect Zoom has had in […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

Snow Day Update

mzamora on February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

I am hope you all enjoyed a day off, and that the snow hasn’t created too much difficulty for you. It seems this winter has been the real thing, and I am glad we had a chance to slow down a bit. Next week I have been looking at our schedule, and for next week, we will proceed with the original plan. For next Thursday Feb. 25, Jessie will present on Autumm Caines’ The Zoom Gaze. Real Life Magazine. https://reallifemag.com/the-zoom-gaze/. Our friend and colleague Autumm […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

Three Sides to a Story (the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)

vickbwrites on February 18, 2021

I know numerous individuals who have gotten story ideas from their surroundings. During the holiday season, before COVID-19 hit, my family and I would go to the mall to complete last-minute Christmas shopping but also to watch individuals scatter around. Often, we begin to create life stories for the individuals we see and add to it action by action. This reminded me of the Exquisite Corpse Game. I must admit that I had to take a peek at the story, […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

Into the Void

thesunthatruns on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021

The highest point of this week for me was watching the New Jersey Devils, the best hockey team in the Metro bubble, finally pull their roster off of COVID-protocol and beat the Rangers spectacularly on their first night back! (I love one man, Mackenzie Blackwood.) The lowest point comes from all of the inner turmoil and emotion that goes hand-in-hand with the turbulence of trying to rebuild a relationship with someone and feeling like you’re pulling all the weight. All […]

Kean University 2021, The Network

Mirror, Mirror On My Zoom

jessielb928 on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021

People don’t only have mirrors in their bedrooms, bathrooms or hallways. Honestly, people will make anything a mirror, to ensure that they (before anything else), look good and presentable to the other people. One would think that with the pandemic and a tiny amount of in-person interaction compared to before occurring, appearance wouldn’t be the thing everyone is still concerned about. But actually….wrong. Our faces can only be seen fully on the platform of video communication, and if masks are […]

Open Participants 2021, Pandemic2020, The Network

Comic About Teaching: Zoom Mutterings

dogtrax on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021

I find it fascinating how pretty much universal this is: a presenter/teacher talking out about the technological things they are doing as the Zoom crowd waits for whatever comes next. I’ve even found myself apologizing to my students to narrating what I am doing to get things ready for class when we are on Zoom. I always imagine my students having a chuckle about it at my expense. Which I don’t mind at all. The mute button is … right […]