Re: <nettime> discussing zoom fatigue

[Molly Hankwitz <mollyhankwitz@gmail.com>]

responding to geert -

On Wed, Jul 8, 2020 at 1:51 PM Molly Hankwitz <mollyhankwitz@gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> <intense>
>
> yes, when coupled with self-isolation and uncertainty, and student's
> issues of moving home, disruption to campus life
>
> <and exhausting period of giving online classes>
>
> not more exhausting than the commute and in person classes (physically
> tiring) - i would say, exhausting in a different way...
>
>>
>> <I am trying to gather experiences of what’s now called ‘Zoom fatigue’.
>> Of course this is by no means limited to Zoom and extends to Microsofts
>> Teams and Skype, Google Classrooms etc. The experience also shows up in the
>> cultural sector, in businesses and in the busy everyday or freelancers that
>> have to speak to clients. We all made long hours.>
>>
>
> I would add to "long hours" -
> -steep learning curve to jump into a relatively new technology even if
> "tech savvy" on skype or whatever - Zoom tool
> - new mode of address as Lecturer on screen
> - fear factor - about getting sick and how to manage that against
> professional life - strange formal/informal reltationship to students
> - pleasure to still have a job at all in new economic shut downs
> - physical issues as michael mentioned - sitting down for long periods
> - feeling of loss to the screen - due to disembodiment with students whom
> one had gained rapport with in person just barely by month of march
>
> <My question is a strategic one. Should we, in the near future, refuse to
> give online classes and have management meetings like this?>
>
> --California Faculty Association (Faculty union) already hard at work on
> some of these issues where i am...as there may be layoffs already.
> tension
>
> The IT management class is already promoting the ‘blended’ model,
> expecting a backlash of the excessive video conferencing hours of the past
> months.
>
> --i find these ideas "hybrid" "blended" even synchronous/asynchronous kind
> of humorous when they started coming from admin because faculty had to hack
> together classes that were not intended for online delivery as best we
> could under extreme circumstances for us as well...without knowing what to
> call them...(barely) its not asynchronous like email...we are only being
> paid for so much, not to design a course  for online delivery - while
> receiving predatory capitalist emails from Pearson/Sage etc..."can your
> course go online? we can help you?" the already well-known sense that "more
> and more" of university is going online anyway is only exacerbated by sense
> that with covid 19, numbers can be run, and if its more cost-effective for
> university then they may do it just becasue - polling of students shows
> wide variety of responses - many of my public university students enjoyed
> saving money from commute, enjoyed having more time to study because
> walking to and from classes eliminated...
>
>>
>> <Do you want to send me (or post here) some sentences or paragraph how,
>> exactly, you experienced the move to video conferencing and the fatigue?>
>>
>
> I was fortunate. i had an office to myself where no one was. I could thus
> lecture into my laptop without interruption. i also had a job. i also had
> pretty reasonable tech skills and an adaptive personality. i was pleased
> that my students were as "game" as they were...i was surprised actually at
> how dedicated they were since their lives were highly disrupted, too.
> Because a long and expense commute disappeared, i mostly had to adjust to
> how to use the tech...and wasn't too fatigued except by the presence of
> covid news and global pandemic and how to deal...that was sort of more
> fatiguing.
> --add to this the lack of job place putting me out of touch with
> colleagues and their experience...
>
>>
>> Is there something wrong with the user interface?
>>
>
> it is a little boxy and formal compared to google hangouts or other...the
> controls are pretty easy to use. it helps to put oneself in an audience, or
> to take another online course to see how it feels to be a student and what
> works (I have found)
>
> Is the ‘live’ aspect important or should we rather return to pre-produced
>> videos?
>>
>
> i lectured live and i think students appreciated it. i also recorded and
> let them have those. i am taking an online asynchronous  course with pre
> recorded and from a time-management standpoint, i think students would be
> less likely to do the work if everything is prerecorded...they liked the
> structure i put into my class in terms of helping them adjust - and stay up
> with the course
>
>
>> As you all know, the relation (or tension) between ‘streaming’ and
>> ‘online video’ is an old one.
>>
>
> :-) i love streaming media and i love to go to zoom things which are not
> mine. i posted some of the Black movements sessions - I like looking at
> this rather than white page with text...email networks- (not nettime of
> course wink wink)
> -- I have enjoyed art culture that i would not have been able to attend -
> distance, timing, transport - this is huge ++ which i think will stay in
> the arts...cheaper and more audience for lectures/events
>
>>
>> Some of us also made remarkably positive experiences.
>>
>
> I got to know many students more than i would have.
>
> When the people, the content and context is right, an online conference
>> that matters turned out really interesting.
>>
>
> Yes...and modes of address, styles are different
>
> There are so many things to discuss, new connections to be made, hearing
>> from those who have been excluded from the dialogues and discourses so far.
>>
>
> Yes.
>
> The ‘stack of crises’ may be distressing but the resistance, worldwide,
>> also grows.
>>
>
> yes, and is totally reliant on this alt broadcasting to be heard...poor
> person's broadcast...i say...
>
> Under what circumstances it is desirable to come together like this?
>>
>
> ? not sure most of us have a choice?
>
>>
>> This much is clear. We need to gather and organize, mobilize. How should
>> ‘our’ Zoom look like?
>>
>
>  can't answer - many creative...ways are starting up...observable
>
> One that is inspiring, very likely limited in time, more focussed
>> dialogues, perhaps even voting, facilitating both consensus AND debate?
>>
>> Is there a top limit to the use of video as community tool?
>>
>
> ? not sure on this one
>
>>
>> Best, Geert
>>
>> ps. Here at the Institute of Network Cultures we made some experiences
>> ourselves with the MoneyLab #8 event, organized by Aksioma in Ljubljana,
>> originally scheduled for late March 2020, that was quickly turned into an 8
>> part lecture series: https://vimeo.com/networkcultures.
>>
>>






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