The Center Cannot Hold: Zoom as a Potemkin Village

The time has come to click the “join” button once more. It is end of semester, and our colleague Abe, chair ad-hoc task force for online teaching, convened an teaching excellence panel. purveyors said are four faculty members whose evaluations showed that they were, as his email said, “online rockstars.” Unfathomably, I am one four, last scheduled present. One by one, little rectangles pop against black backdrop screen, like bubbles my three-year-old son blow in backyard out a viscous mix dishwashing liquid, water, glycerin. Our academic dean summarizes aggregate outcomes evaluations: students it when we plan small group discussions, but not too much; bring lightheartedness into classroom, discourage misuse chat function; express empathy human, display mastery technology; reasonable flexible, have flawless Internet connectivity. take copious notes. My three rockstar colleagues speak their use breakout rooms, applying insights from learning studies. They talk about camera policies, polls. It’s turn, I’ve asked Abe make me host, which times health sanity used mean preparing tasty morsels warm beverages on attractive tray saying, “come in!” these plague merely means can subject others dubious esthetics screen. Which proceed do, because enables show electronic casebook its exciting multimedia features boast quality interface with classroom management software. flipped models prerecorded lectures. flip PowerPoint revamped set slides how designed them grab attention illustrate complex concepts, car container warrantless search doctrine. back website discussion forums. fast, animatedly, face popping off screen fascinate enlighten, illustrating recently acquired Zoom wizardry.