Teaching in a Time of Pandemic

(shared in case it’s of interest to teachers) Mutual Aid Final Project This option would take the place of the final paper. The first step is for the entire class; steps 2 and 3 are if you want to do this instead of writing a final paper for the course. ***** Week 1 (April 13 […]

Can I hold a Zoom class when my computer suddenly starts freaking out and sending me Zoom error messages every five minutes and I can’t hear my students’ questions? It turns out that yes, I can, they can type in the chat window and it works, but it is tiring and less fun. On the

Did a Zoom class, talked through Lisa Bradley, “Una Canción de Keys,” (http://strangehorizons.com/poetry/una-cancin-de-keys/) and Sabrina Vourvoulias, La Gorda and the City of Silver, (http://mithilareview.com/vourvoulias_01_17/ ), and it went pretty well, I think. Managed to explicate some interesting elements of both pieces, connect to other readings and literary context, etc. Only two of the six students who

Well, I recorded a teaching video today, for my 100-level class. These are a mix of students, but a lot of freshman, in a class that’s geared towards non-majors, so many of them aren’t used to doing a lot of literary analysis. I’m not going to do videos for every assignment, and I’m not going

Not so small blessings: it’s warm enough out today that I could open the windows and back porch door, and grade papers with a breeze blowing. It’s helping with the cabin fever.

Taught first Zoom class, 8 students. Oof, even a 50 minute class is draining, very different from the in-person teaching experience, which I usually find energizing. Maybe it’s my unfamiliarity with videoconferencing still, and the stress of adapting to a new system? I hope so. I’d like to get back to the energetic give and

I’ve started using Blackboard’s OneNote Collaboration Space with my students, and I think it’ll help us stay in touch. They’re already posting responses to each others’ coronavirus narratives (last week’s assignment), and are so sweet and encouraging. I’ve just added a section that isn’t at all course-related, but these days I’m really thinking about what

Just finished reviewing the bulk of my students’ responses to the coronavirus assignment (personal history reflection about how Covid-19 has affected their lives so far). About a quarter of them said it would be fine to share them publicly (some with names, some anonymously), so I’m hoping to take some time to excerpt those in

Oh, there is a lot of learning all around with taking classes online. I *think* I like Blackboard’s class notebook okay, and that it’ll be a better option for the students than having them work in a shared Google doc on my own Drive. Maybe? They’re used to Blackboard already. It seems like it’ll organize

Offered as template in case it’s helpful: “Hey, students. So I think by Wednesday, I’ll be ready to try holding a Zoom class with you. The invite is below — you can call in from a landline (no video, obviously), or a smartphone or computer. If you want to download and install the Zoom app,