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  2020-03-22

  First voice-over power point for first day of now online US history of medicine class.

  First PowerPoint of 55 min recorded lecture. First time I’ve ever added voice over to PowerPoint images I usually show in class. Usually I see my students, I ask them questions and interact with them. I use the blackboard to underline points as well. They break into groups to discuss primary sources. It took 10 hours today, Sunday, to learn this new skill and translate my lecture into a new format: new images, voice recorded for each one. Most poignant is the first one in which I am saying hello, talking about the weird situation we are all in, telling them that i miss them, and that they should not worry. The goal is for them to learn as best they can under weird conditions but this class should not add to their stress. They need to take care of their own health and their families. The image represents what every professor in the country was asked to do over spring break—in the flurry of stress, shopping for possible 2-week quarantine, thinking about Home-schooling and absorbing conflicting information. And an election in Illinois and other states. We do as best we can because we care about our students. But the dozens of messages from the administration are unhelpful. This icommand from above for instantaneous online education represents hard work. We will all do the best we can.