Stories from Zoom
Through these difficult times, technology has made it possible for us to continue our studies. Teleconferencing equipment such as Teams and Zoom have been our new classrooms for the past weeks and we’re doing the best with what we have. But this change has brought with it some technical difficulties. We’ve gathered a few memorable incidents from the world of online learning:
We had just arrived in our first class on Zoom. Many people showed up 10 minutes early and sat there muted with their cameras turned off. The teacher asked those who hadn’t yet muted themselves to do so, as there was some background noise. Right before the class began, there was an audible sigh, more noise, and the sound of a door closing. Right before the teacher could finish saying “Please turn off the sou…” we heard a trickling sound and then a flush. I haven’t seen her in class since.
It was our first time in distance learning. The teacher was using Teams for the first time and didn’t know how to use it properly. He sent us an invite, but when we tried to open it, we weren’t let into the class. The teacher didn’t understand why it wasn’t working, so he sent us a new invite. The same thing happened again. Fifteen minutes later, he gave up and canceled the class.
To try to make distance classes friendlier and more like classrooms, you can change the background to look like a classroom where everyone sits at a desk. It didn’t help.
The class had just started. Someone joined with their camera on and everyone present saw him step into a car. Not exactly a good start to the semester to use your phone while driving in front of the teacher
I talked to the camera for a good minute before a fellow student kindly pointed out that I was on mute.
It was the first class in this course. I was going to turn off the camera so I could grab some baked goods. I was so pleased with myself. I was hacking the system by being in an online class, at work, and on my coffee break, all at the same time. I announced it to everyone at work. Lo and behold, I hadn’t actually turned off my camera, I’d un-muted myself, so everyone in the class heard me, including the teacher.
Photo from Magnet.me