Today was a great day to reflect on how we are learning and how our world has adjusted to different forms and styles of education. We discussed the positives and negatives of online learning, and the realness of Zoom fatigue. Some of the main downsides, as identified by Stanford News, include the following:

• excessive amounts of close-up eye contact,
• seeing yourself during video chats constantly is exhausting,
• video chats dramatically reduce our usual daytime mobility,
• the cognitive load is much higher in video chats.

Four causes for ‘Zoom fatigue’ and their solutions

To overcome some of these challenges, one of the biggest and most helpful change I have made, is purchasing a pair of prescription glasses WITH a blue-light filter on the lens.  I am continuously amazed on how helpful this tool is when looking at a screen all day for school, and often during my “down time” in the evenings.  Last term, I found I was extremely prone to head aches which was uncommon for me.  Now, with these glasses, I find I do not mentally “burn out” as quickly and my head aches are greatly minimized.   

Personally, I quite enjoy distributed learning. Specifically, synchronous in comparison to asynchronous as I do like having time allotted for a course.  Similarly, it is nice that all us students connect at one time and have the time for social communications.  A few things in particular I prefer about online learning is that there is no commute (more sleep!), we have more homework/personal time, lectures and discussions are recorded and saved, guest speakers are more accessible, and best of all, I get to be home with my pup, Hazel.  I, also, greatly appreciate that you can be anywhere in the world to attend class.  Right now, I am not even in the same province as the University of Victoria. This opportunity has allowed me to go out on an adventure of my own and help support family needs too.  

With all that being said, I do look forward to the day that our cohort gets to meet in person.  And in the future, this experience of working online and being in the position of the student, I believe will help me as an educator – if I am faced with a similar teaching circumstance.

 

Thanks!

xoxo missrose