I was down to the second last class of the semester before the first MCO (Movement Control Order) was announced in March 2020. With only one class left to go, I set out to record the final lecture.
In all my years of teaching, never have I thought that I would one day be caught 'working' in front of a camera. Before this, the camera used to be exclusively reserved for actors, models, and those in the entertainment industry. These days, however, we do not need to have a pretty face, a sexy figure, or a 42-inch pair of legs to get onto the screen. In fact, everyone gets more than their share of 5-seconds fame ... to the horror of many.
And if you happen to be a lecturer, you get way more screen-time than anyone else.
Oh, of course, whether anyone is actually listening on the other side is an entirely different topic altogether. But I digress...
If you know me well enough, (or even if you don't) you would have probably guessed that I am a mimosa pudica, a touch-me-not, when I am in front of a camera. I am capable of performing the most acrobatic matrix moves when I sense myself getting within the frame of any camera. Suffice to say, I have the chubbiest face, the flabbiest body, and the lowest self esteem - the worst combo if you wish to appear on screen. I hate the camera and the camera hates me. The feeling is definitely mutual. I am just more of ... er, what you would call .... a wordy person rather than a visual one!
Little did we know, however, that Lil Ms Corona would come and transform everyone into an overnight avatar. I, for one, had to finally tear off the sticker on my webcam and use the camera during live sessions via Zoom with the students. In addition, we were also expected to record some of our lectures using PowerPoint slides presentation. This proved to be equally challenging, too, considering that I am not blessed with a cheerful, chirpy voice. On another note, though, my students should be grateful that I am providing the most effective balm to cure insomnia --- albeit in the form of my recorded PowerPoint lectures. =)
See the sticker covering the webcam? That had to be eventually removed...
When the MCO was first implemented in March, I was curious enough to conduct a quick poll via Zoom to find out if students preferred online or physical classes. After all, the local newspapers then had raved about how both educators and students adored and welcomed online classes. The result? 75 percent of all three groups of students preferred physical classes. Hmm ... I wonder where did the local newspapers get their initial source from?
Nonetheless, now that we have had months of online classes, those same students may have a different point of view. I mean, there are certainly a couple of things which even I, the mimosa pudica of the virtual world, will miss when this whole online learning bites the dust, if it ever does.
#1 Sleeping In
I think both lecturers and students alike appreciate the extra snooze we now get before class. Under normal circumstances, I would have to leave the house by around 6:30 AM (and even that is sometimes considered late) if I plan to reach my workplace in time for morning classes. Half the time, it's so early that I am not even human yet as I drive on the highway.
With online classes, I do not need to get up as early, and as a bonus, there is no need to join the heavy traffic and to 'silently cuss' at other drivers at the beginning of the day. I know this is also true for the students because many have confessed that they have woken up just 5 minutes prior to logging on to Zoom. Surprisingly, some of them can still look sleepy and dazed for their 11:00 AM classes! Sleeping in is a perk we will lose when physical classes resume.
#2 Stretching Out
In addition to sleeping in, I also appreciate the opportunities to stretch on the bed, sofa, or floor in between classes (and during short-breaks, too). Many a time (actually, almost all the time that I am in campus), I would tell my colleagues how I wish to rent a bed just for half an hour or a few short hours to stretch my back. Coincidentally, there were some shoplot hotels renting out their rooms at an hourly rate right opposite one of the colleges where I used to teach. One fine day, I mentioned my desire to rent one of those rooms to take a quick nap. My colleagues then laughed at me and informed me that those 'rooms' were only meant for hanky-panky lunch-hour 'businesses'. (If you get it, then you get it. If you don't, then congratulations, for you have yet to be corrupted by this world.)
To me, being able to stretch my back really makes a lot of difference. You see, I am not good at sitting still on chairs and I do have the worst posture. Being confined in that position for a long time is utmost torture for me. Stretching on the sofa, bed, and floor is certainly yet another thing I will miss when physical classes resume.
#3 Multitasking
One massive advantage of attending online classes is that we get to multitask on a really large scale. I have been guilty of this, both as a host and as a participant. I have soaked my dirty laundry, vacuumed the room, and even washed the toilet during those 10-minute breaks given to students. That, is one of the benefits of having the bathroom right next to my room (where I conduct the live classes). Well, I just need to check that the video and the mic are not switched on.
As a participant, I have done much worse things. One can find me marking exam papers, preparing for other classes, and folding laundry while listening to the speaker(s). Once, I actually ran around, cooking nasi goreng kampung for my family while attending a webinar with other lecturers. How? I placed the laptop in the kitchen, switched off the camera and mic, and ran back and forth from the laptop to the chopping board, to the kitchen basin, and to the stove. (Of course, our kitchen is super small!) I had even unmuted the microphone to ask and answer questions throughout the session in case they thought that I was not present. The result? The facilitator complimented me for my contributions during the session. Haha! If there is one thing which online classes propagate, it would be sheer hypocrisy!
This was the actual nasi goreng kampung made during the webinar. Not bad, uh?
#4 Dressing Sloppily
I suspect many lecturers would probably agree that we have become much sloppier in our dressing these days, thanks to online classes. A colleague mentioned that she only plans to look presentable from her neck upwards because that is all that the webcam can capture. While I may not have her courage (in case I have to move about in the middle of class and thus expose myself), I notice that I have been stealing opportunities to wear some of my oldest, most faded, or uncomfortable blouses paired with that pair of slacks that has a faulty zipper. Under normal circumstances, I would have felt really insecure to risk such wardrobe, but knowing that I am in the comfort of my own room, and without watchful eyes, I can easily get away with these sloppy attires.
To be fair, another reason why some of us choose not to dress up is also because we are no longer in the freezing air-conditioned classrooms in campus, but trapped in the afternoon heat of our non-air conditioned bedrooms! Now that I come to think of it, all of my blazers, jackets, and scarves have not been aired since physical classes had been banned. It is quite impossible to wrap ourselves in such thick, rigid attires in the heat of our home.
#5 Snacking
I guess the thing I am going to miss the most when physical classes resume is the uninterrupted accessibility to snacks. When I was a full-timer, I used to have a darurat stash (emergency stash) right under the office desk. I would stock up all sorts of canned food, biscuits, packet drinks, instant drinks ... and basically everything that would prevent me from starving in the event a state of emergency is declared. As a part-timer who does not have a designated desk, though, I have had to sacrifice this darurat stash since 2016. I will have to walk over to the canteen or the convenience store to buy snacks if I wish to have any.
Snacks at home, on the other hand, is endless. Ask anyone who has ever been to our house. From carrots to candies, biscuits to broccolis, you name it, we have it! But the most exciting sight is when I walk into the kitchen and see Mom preparing all sorts of hot, random snacks. Being confined at home (and often glued to YouTube) has prompted her to try various recipes from cekodok pisang, cucur udang, bread, apam balik, and yau char koey! Oh yes, she has definitely made online classes more fun ... for me, at least!
With all these perks, I am not quite sure if I am ready to get back to physical classes. Oh, of course, there are MANY, MANY disadvantages of online classes, but I think I may need an entire entry to highlight them. In the meantime, I am just going to enjoy whatever life dishes me. I hope you do, too.
Cheers and Happy 2021!
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