Elmer's Distance Diary
Intro
Intro Video
March 20th, 2020
Testing a Communicating Tool: “Houseparty”
Why Houseparty Slaps!: Houseparty allows you to quickly jump in and out of conversations with friends. It’s like running into someone in the dining hall or your way to class, checking-in, and then departing.
What’s the Glitch?: It is not as effective for longer conversations, or trying to do a communal activity that is not just video calling, like watching a show or movie together.
March 25th, 2020
Visualizing my First Day Back to classes (3/23) utilizing the Timeline.js tool
March 31st, 2020
Recreating a snippet from a Vox video I like
Original Vox Video
My Recreation
More detailed Spark page on my process
April 1st, 2020
First Week Back Write Up
Last week was...interesting. It felt strange having to think about classes once again and actually attend them. I was able to easily do my readings and watch/listen to lectures, but engaging in the Zoom classes themselves was much more difficult. It is enticing to start browsing on your laptop. Also, the awkward silences are so much worse over Zoom and I often felt pressured to break it by either saying something completely unrelated in a breakout room or a half-baked thought during section.
Talking to my friends and trying to socialize has been helpful. But once classes began, I realized that we all now have assignment to work on that would prevent us from watching as much TV or as many movies as we had the previous week. Furthermore, being in different time zones is now proving to be tricky as we have to wake up at different times and our daily schedules (that now include school), no longer match.
In all honesty, Bok has been one of the most helpful anchors. Although apart, our Zoom meetings allow us to check-in and being able to produce work has been meaningful and reminds me that I can maintain a level of productivity.
April 3rd, 2020
Creating a video waljtrhough on importing media into FCPX and arranging clips on the timeline.
Creating a video walkthrough on the basics of understanding how Vox has edited this video and what it may look like on a FCPX timeline
April 10th, 2020
Creating a video walkthrough on L- and J-cuts in FCPX
April 13th, 2020
One Month In: How has Learning Changed?
The primary way in which education has changed for me has to do with how much of the learning now has to do with my self-drive. To make sure I complete my readings and listen to my class audio lectures, I have been scheduling that time into my calendar and doing my best to follow said schedule. However, given that my home is so dynamic, it may be difficult to be disciplined with schoolwork. Unlike when we were on campus, it longer feels like school is the priority, so I have been trying to remind myself that we only have a handful of weeks left and that I want to finish my 4 years strong. I have also been trying to set an example for my 11-year-old brother, who is also doing online school. I want to sure he does all his schoolwork before playing any video games or doing some other activity, but I would hypocritical if I am also not dedicating sufficient time to school.
One really useful strategy that I have been using to cope with the challenges of being home is maintaining a full schedule in my calendar. I intentionally block out my day for classes/schoolwork, job-related work, exercise, personal time, etc. This has been really helpful as I feel that my days have a purpose, it reminds me of the structure I had at school and gives me goals for what I must complete before the end of the day. Although it is easier to veer off schedule at home, just having that sense of structure has been great for my mental wellbeing.
In terms of academics, only one of my classes has live Zoom lectures. It’s enjoyable to attend because the professor is engaging and takes up the entire class time. This means that the class does not feel a waste of time. Rather, I am learning new material and enjoy the professor’s willingness to make class pleasant, with steps as simple as using fun Zoom backgrounds. As I think about what excellence looks like now, I think about the importance of both professors and students to have the space to be open with one another. Sympathy goes a long way right now. It is important to understand that everyone’s learning environment is now different and that the mental energy that students can offer to school may fluctuate week-to-week depending on personal life. As such, I think now it is important to show that teaching is a relationship: course teaching staff can demonstrate how they care about their students (ex. more flexible deadlines) and students must advocate for themselves to take advantage of said opportunities if needed.
April 15th, 2020
Creating a new Spark page on editing photos in Lightroom
April 24th, 2020
Completed the Vector Graphic Tutorial
Final Product
April 27th, 2020
Completed my avatar
Version 1:
Version 2:
May 1st, 2020
Reflection Package: Final Writing Mission Pt. 1
These last few weeks have truly been an experience like no other. The primary way in which I have been able to manage this transition is by creating a routine for myself that allows me to be goal-oriented. While I have more limited access to extracurriculars and external activities, I still keep my calendar blocked off and I try to follow it as closely as possible.
I used Spring break mostly as an opportunity to cope with the shock of having to move back home. However, during this time I also began testing different routines for myself and talked extensively with my friends as to how we could stay in touch moving forward.
Academics certainly suffered during this period. As a student, Zoom proved to be a frustrating barrier that never allowed me to fully feel present in my classes because having to stare at my computer for extended periods of time leads to fatigue really quickly. Sections were also initially awkward because I did not know my classmates well and could not make small talk. However, over the last few weeks, I have found it a bit easier to converse, even if it’s only for a few seconds. In terms of complete schoolwork, I have done my best to complete all my assignments, but the desire to make them the best they can possibly be has decreased – this may also be a product of the change in grading policy.
Socially, I have mostly relied on video communication to stay connected with my friends. Early on, my friends and I decided to host bi-weekly (Mon/Fri) Zoom workouts for our friends and peers. We have consistently had around 10 other people join us and the workouts have proven to be a highlight of my week. Similarly, the Bok Center has also been a highlight given that I am able to consistently do productive and meaningful work. The task of having to compile and create resources for others is a fun, motivating challenge. (More on Bok in the next slide).
How has your work at the virtual LL fit into your new world undergrad experience?
My work at the LL has been critical in keeping me connected to both school and my peers. By being able to work on creating resources I have been able to supplement my existing knowledge on tools with new material, all while teaching other people how to use those resources. During this time, when it can be difficult to find the same level of motivation you had as when you were at school, working on these projects has kept me focused and driven on being a student and a teacher. A lot of this is due to the help requests that have come in which have been an opportunity for me to think creatively how I can best create a web page that explains the material clearly and efficiently.
Aside from a concrete development of skills, virtually working at the LL has kept me connected to the community. Within the LL I have found continuous mentorship and space where I can openly talk about what my experience has been like - both the positives and negatives. Again, in a time when so many are far apart and may not have people immediately around that offer that comfort, having distanceLab drop-ins and access to all of the LL staff is incredibly beneficial. The prompts that we have done throughout the last few weeks, including the timeline.js and reflections, have also allowed me to reflect and process my experiences, describe strategies to improve my productivity and offer tangible feedback on how virtual learning can be improved. Therefore, my virtual work at the LL has fit perfectly with my new experience as an online student.
My working setup:
I only use half of my desk because the other half is stacked with books, folders, papers, etc. It’s a good thing that I do not tend to spread when I work, otherwise this setup would not work for me. The lamp has done wonders for improving my lighting during video calls.
May 4th, 2020
Reflection Package: Final Writing Mission Pt. 2
You Tested: Since starting last fall, I have had numerous opportunities to test class material and attend workshops. For an anthropology class assignment, several of my peers and I randomly selected “characters” to play at a museum and then had to act out our respective roles within the LL space. It was a fun, creative exercise, but I also remember our thorough debrief afterward in which we reflected and discussed how the assignment could be modified and taken to a new level for the classroom iteration. The workshops were also incredibly rewarding. I remember that for one of them we had the opportunity to create our own “action” short films using FCPX. All the clips had been loaded onto each computer and we got to decide which ones we wanted to incorporate and how we wanted to arrange them. In the process, we learned about various editing techniques and the types of narrative arcs you may want your videos to take.
You Learned: I do not think I can remember everything that the LL has taught me. However, some of the biggest things include: the basics of using InDesign to create layouts (LL Glossary), using terminal to convert YouTube videos to MP4s and how to pull stills from videos, editing in FCPX and thinking about the narrative that even a short clip has, editing images in Lightroom to achieve the “Bok Center” look, learning some of the basic animations you can do in After Effects, learning what markdown is and how Github can be used for collaborative purposes, and finally, how you can do picture tracing in Illustrator.
You Made: Title: Vox Unbox: How to Make An Earth Zoom Effect Using Adobe Apps
Description: This page is a walkthrough that shows the viewer how to create an Earth zoom out/in effect using Adobe After Effects and Premiere.
Rationale: This walkthrough is part of a larger effort to create asynchronous resources that can teach someone how to develop new skills using the tools available to them. In this case, while the source material is a journalistic bod of work, the effect itself allows a viewer to orient themselves geographically. Therefore, this effect can have a wide range of application and the style of the video does not have to be journalistic, but can be more academic or creative if desired.
May 6th, 2020
Reflection Package: Final Paper Mission
May 7th, 2020
Reflection Package: Final Video Mission