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2020-03-19

LockDown

So this was the beginning of lockdown for covid-19 when it first started to get out of hand, I was trying to start my first year at my new college DePaul University. Yet it was going to be online for the first year and that is when it started to get rough from all the work I had to get done with little to no help at all from professors. They weren't opposed to helping it was just the fact that we could only find them in office hours and after class online and most of the times it was software problems that would take so long to be fixed to where it would take almost a couple of weeks to fix. When if it wasn't for covid I would be able to go in and fix it asap. It's just that the reason for this is because Covid can really affect ones learning progress and if it's something tech related it really can cause a delay for many not just students but office workers and professors etc.

2021-09-07

Rolling with the pandemic

This year, I completed an intensive subject called Wines of the World at university. It was postponed many times due to restrictions, and the subject coordinators eventually decided that they would have to host the course entirely online. A key component of the subject was wine tasting, and this photo shows how this was made possible at home. Wine tastings in sous vide bags were posted to each student's house, a quite exciting and novel experience. This photo thus reflects how educators have had to be flexible around restrictions, and come up with new ways to facilitate learning.

2020-09-01

Every story matters - Student's perspective

Classes in Fall 2020 were either fully virtual or hybrid. In hybrid classes, the professors would have to put the projector with some students being on zoom. This was a good idea because it helped students be safe and at the same time learn. It was also challenging because sometimes professors would pay more attention to the students that were in the classroom and not the ones on zoom. I took this picture a year ago to show my parents how classes were working. This was something my parents appreciated because they saw that St. Mary’s University was using all their resources to help students continue their studies. They liked seeing me continue my college experience in a different way but not fully virtual. I saved this picture for over a year to see the changes the world was going to have during the pandemic. I am glad we are finding new solutions and making changes with still being careful with COVID-19 guidelines.

2020-03-15

The Pandemic Student

Being a student during the COVID-19 pandemic seemed easy at first since we were all going to be at home for the rest of the Spring semester of 2020. I thought of it as a time to finally relax and slow down on classes now that we were going to be home. But I didn't expect the amount of change the pandemic actually brought to my life. I didn't realize how much I relied on my everyday school schedule to organize my daily routines. When in-person classes stopped, the first week of classes at home seemed easy. I thought I could do it. But as time passed, I realized how difficult it was to keep up with class demands as well as home demands now that both were in the same environment. Some of my classes became asynchronous, while others became live. Waking up on time became difficult when I was able to stay in the comfort of my bed the whole day. And being on my laptop for all of my classes made it easy to be distracted by other things on the internet. Being at home meant I could fall asleep in class without anyone directly seeing me. With no school schedule, such as common hours, walking to and from classes, meeting up with friends during gaps, the routine in my life seemed non-existent. I was at home all day, and my sense of order seemed to fade as the semester went on. The type of student I used to be was usually a lot more punctual, submitting assignments on time, taking notes during class, finishing homework early. But the type of student the pandemic changed me into was lazy, sleepy, tired, late in submitting assignments, more careless about classwork and homework, skipping a lot of note-taking in class, and delaying work. My orderly life, my daily routine, was now out of order and out of routine. It became very hard to be a good student during the pandemic because my lack of motivation swooped low. By Fall semester of 2020, I was already falling off track within the first two to three weeks. By the end of the semester, I even failed to submit an important final on time. Although I was becoming such a terrible student, many of my professors remained understanding, kind, and caring, giving me extended time on late assignments, and providing support when I needed it. I don't think I would have passed all of my classes if it weren't for the kindness of many of my professors. My worst semester was Spring of 2021. I had to take a writing intensive course. Although I was only taking 4 classes, that one class felt so heavy that it was the main course I was focusing on. The course also had a lab section, which would've been better done in-person. Doing in-person classes online was not the best experience. While in an in-person lab students would be working together and classwork would be done together, online we were just given directions and told to submit the classwork after working on it ourselves. It became so difficult that I ended up dropping the class and taking it again in the summer. Though it was my worst semester ever, my professors were still so kind and understanding, supporting my decision and wishing me well. Although it seemed being a student during the pandemic would be easy at the beginning, I quickly realized how far that was from the truth. The pandemic teared apart my routine, which I didn't realize how heavily I relied on. The order in my life felt close to chaotic at some point and affected so many aspects of my life: as a student, a daughter, a sister, my religion, and my social life. Right now, during the Fall 2021 semester, I'm still working on building up my routine and trying to stick to it, despite being at home. I've regained some of my motivation and try to submit assignments on time, but I don't always succeed. Balance is hard when two different parts of one's life—in my case, my school and home life—become one and the same. I had a hard time allocating appropriate time for school and appropriate time for family, chores, and self-care. Perhaps by now I've gotten a bit used to the pandemic, but still prefer in-person as it would bring back that order in my life: waking up, getting ready, going to class, finishing class, doing work during schedule gaps, going to another class, etc. Now my schedule is more like: wake up, class, eat breakfast during class, be unproductive during class gaps, go to another class, etc. And through all this, I'm also on my phone or watching something else, or talking to a family member, or doing something else distracting. However, since I've been trying to build up my routine and increase my motivation, it's been easier to pay attention and work harder in class. As a senior, I obviously want to graduate on time so that is definitely a motivational factor for me to do well this semester. Because in-person class options are now available, I look forward to bringing back order to my life next Spring semester.

2021-09-20

Lauren Leonard Oral History, 2021/09/20

A classmate and I interviewed each other about our first-hand experiences with COVID-19 in the past year and a half.

2020-10-08

Covid and the Impact

the pandemic although is horrific and affecting many people can have a positive impact on some

2020-04-19

New Vocabulary Related to the Covid-19 Pandemic in ASL

A lot of us were exposed to new vocabulary at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This video was helpful to me when everything first started. From ASL Meredith: Full COVID-19 PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... This video teaches the American Sign Language (ASL) signs for related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Signs and timestamps below... 0:39 CORONAVIRUS 1:28 VIRUS intro (short), again slower at 3:47 after the parts that make it up: 1:43 SICK 2:25 DISEASE 2:49 SPREAD 3:47 VIRUS 4:31 PANDEMIC 5:15 WORLD 5:35 SLOW 6:01 "Flatten the curve" 6:27 STAY 6:49 HOME Learn how to sign SOCIAL DISTANCING or PHYSICAL DISTANCING: https://youtu.be/z974LyRWeEQ LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE REMOTELY: Here's the page with my tips and resources for learning ASL from home: https://aslmeredith.com/learn-from-home Here's my free email newsletter with learning tips and practice exercises: https://aslmeredith.com/newsletter Here's my online, self-paced ASL vocab + grammar beginner course: https://courses.aslmeredith.com/

2020-07-20

Pop shares his heartfelt thoughts on issues concerning social justice, NBA athletes' use of their platforms and the coronavirus pandemic.

2021-03-04

Remote Learning

learning online was very distracting for me and i'm glad we get to go back on campus so I can focus more and get my work done. I think work is easier online but like I said i get distracted more.

2021-02-19

Looking back at 2020 - A COVID 19 infested year

As a student in my last semester in Brooklyn college, I was looking forward to an easy semester with electives since I was done with all of my major classes. However, a downfall for me was that there was a very interesting internship which I wanted to proceed with but couldn’t because the program was no longer available because of budget issues that were caused by the coronavirus. This internship was going to provide me with an insight of what my career will look like but that never happened. As an employee of the city of New York, I was still required to work in some form. For example, instead of coming to work physically we transformed our workplace to “zoom” meeting where our work would be done in 2-4 hours and we would still get paid for 8 hours. I saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of since I heard other employees who requested to still show up physically and were dropping like flies with the corona virus, one after another. However, mid-year, around June or July, employees were required to help out in other agencies such as the 311 center because of the increase of food shortages and other aid citizens needed. Eventually, in September we were allowed to go back to work physically – something I was looking forward to since I was more comfortable being where I knew the place and the people. Mentally and physically, COVID 19 prevented me and many others from staying physically active which led to me gaining unhealthy weight. It was a nonstop binge of eating and just sitting down. Granted, there were opportunities to go out for a walk or work out in the park – but those were chances that I wasn’t going to take because I knew I have a mother with underlying conditions which I had to do everything to prevent her from getting the virus. One thing that I did learn to do during these times is to cut and trim my own hair. Also, this was a perfect time for me to enhance my skills in freehand sketching since thats something I'm good at. Nevertheless, COVID 19 was an experience like no other that everyone had to grow through, and we continue to just learn and grow from it.

2020-12-15

Scraps To Sale

Sydney Sousa is a trained artist who has been been directly effected by Covid-19 frustrations as a small business who trying to stay afloat. As an attempt to help conserve money during this difficult time Syd has resorted to cutting open and scrapping the last bit of paint within her tubes. As a small business its hard to buy in bulk as you may not need that much product at ones however it is often cheeper this way, especially with a decrease in sales during COVID-19, its been difficult to manage money. Similarly, as a business she experienced frustrations with new regulations such as store hours or limited products because of limited manufactory. Syd expressed that not only is this a tool she uses to save money but also time as sometimes she most be creative to create solutions to problems COVID-19 presented her.

2020-12-14

COVID Calm

Brie Breyer is an example of a person inspired by the stillness of Covid who has been able to compete with her creative side for the skills and opportunities to become an entrepreneur. Brie has begun briecrafts on instagram which is a store dedicated to homemade jewelry and furniture handcrafted. Brie has explained that the break in that COVID provided her allowed her to explore her creative being by learning tools that she already possessed. Brie’s motto is discover by doing, not only has she developed new techniques and enquired skills but also discover a new passion. Although Brie is unsure of her future possibilities she expressed greatly that she feels a sense of accomplishment discovering this new ability.

2020

Jewish Melbourne: Jewish Care blog post - Remote Learning

Blog post for Jewish Care by Cassandra Barrett – Program Manager, Healthy Communities, writing about how to support students during online learning

2020-10-18

Jewish Melbourne: WIZO webinar

With the lockdown, programming needed to move online. WIZO Matan presented 'How to be an Upstander', a webinar.

2020-10-19

Jewish Melbourne: UJEB High zoom trivia

As part of their online programming, UJEB hosted a zoom trivia quiz for their high school students

2020-10-15

Jewish Melbourne: Kadimah event with Michael Gawenda and Mark Leibler

Given lockdown restrictions, online programming was necessary for Jewish organisations. "Join Michael Gawenda – journalist, Yiddishist and author of The Powerbroker – and Mark Leibler AC – Jewish lawyer and community leader – in conversation with Kadimah board member and Sir Zelman Cowen Centre director Professor Kathy Laster. Why are so many Jews attracted to the legal profession? What shaped Mark Leibler’s – and so many other prominent Jewish lawyers’ – commitment to Indigenous people and causes? Was Mark able to shed his natural caution as a lawyer to open up for the biography? Is there a connection between pro bono contributions and Jewish values? For biographer and subject, how is it possible to reconcile the professional, public and personal responsibilities of a distinguished and multilayered life in the law? The renowned lawyer, his biographer and the academic unpack the deep, multi-layered influences on a formidable career and life."

2020

Jewish Melbourne: ZFA Lockdown Learning with Zeddy Lawrence

the Zionist Federation of Australia hosted 'Lockdown Learning', featuring a series of guests and topics, over the course of Melbourne's lockdown period

2020

Meme - Transition to Online Learning

HIST30060 This is a meme saved several months ago (approximately some time during late Semester One) about the transition to online University. What social media platform it came from, and who the original author is remains a mystery. I have chosen to upload this meme because I believe it serves as an example (albeit a satirical one) of how the transition to online Uni has effected students. As a person who struggles with learning difficulties even during the best of times, this meme was a relatable representation of how I felt about University this year, and how challenging the transition to online classes was.

2020-07-15

Travel in the Age of Covid-19

If you would like to know why I was travelling, please see this journal: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/30217 Travelling at the best of times can induce stress and anxiety. In the times of Covid-19, it is a whole different experience. I am dropped off at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. The departure screen, usually filled with flight information, now only has a handful of flights on display. Incoming flights into Melbourne have been suspended entirely. My destination is Bahrain via Dubai International Airport. Emirates Airlines EK409 is flying at about a third of its capacity (the Melbourne-Dubai route is, at normal times, a very popular one and flights are usually almost full). The extra room is welcome, allowing many travellers to lay down and enjoy a little comfort in these uncomfortable times. Masks as well as gloves are required throughout the flight. A hygiene kit is provided. I sleep for most of the flight. When I arrive in Dubai, sitting in the terminal building waiting for my connection (which is in 10 hours because of reduced flights frequency), and as a way of passing the time, I join one of my online University classes. Three months later, in October 2020, when this journal was written, travel is still a very complicated affair. This is the worst crisis to hit the industry since the attacks of September the 11th 2001. I will not take travel for granted ever again. This reflection was submitted as part of the HIST30060 Making History project at the University of Melbourne.

2020-09-30

Equity: Grad School in Quarantine

This article details 8 things that universities can do to help students have access to the necessary materials so that they could succeed in their educational goals. Many of the professors interviewed stated that there were a myriad of problems students had to deal with in order to learn online. These problems included: relocation due to the pandemic, a lack of internet at home, a lack of access to things such as printers and other items, a lack of childcare, systemic racism within academia and many others. Flexibility and empathy are the keys to navigating a COVID19 world, and recognizing your own privilege is an important step in being able to help others get access to what they need. Graduate school is hard enough already, it's important to work together to get through this.

2020

Zoom: Grad School in Quarantine

This meme is a visual representation of the feelings of many online students this school year. Professors have been doing their best in a situation that was handled so improperly by those in charge. However, many students feel resentment for their universities due to a lack of accommodation in such a tumultuous time. Zoom learning was offered as an alternative to in person learning but no one could say that the two are equal in comparison. The fact that many universities are charging the same amount for both types of learning is not lost on students and adds to the frustration that online learners face during COVID19. Many wonder where their money is going and if the universities actually care about their students and staff. It's important to remember that all of us in grad school are struggling with the same things, being flexible and empathetic is so important, now more than ever.

2020-10-27

Finding Ways to Fill your Boredom

As I sit on my bed, debating whether or not to attempt one of the many online math assignments or to find another way to fill the empty time that is left in the day. My mom is downstairs trying to teach a first grade lesson on “Beginning, Middle, and End” of writer’s workshop. I can hear how overwhelmed she is to try and get her students to both pay attention and understand the lesson she is trying so hard to explain. My Dad is in his office slamming his keys on his keyboard as he is very loudly expressing the values of communication to one of his clients. “It is important for you to tell me or Peter when you and your wife decide to…” The many conversations that are happening between so many people in one household checks off the idea of watching TV or reading a magazine article. I can even see the annoyed look in my cat’s eyes as he sits next to me. I can tell that he definitely knows that this is not normal for both Mom and Dad to be on the phone and working at home in the middle of the day. So all I do, is just sit on my bed, finding not the most entertaining but productive ways I can fill this boredom.

2020-10-20

Sight words

Virtual learning has been a pain in the butt for a lot of moms. I don’t think I’ve ever related to someone when it comes to parenting like I did with this Florida mom. Although my daughter is no longer doing virtual learning here in Arizona, I do homework with her and am very familiar with sight words. It’s funny and comforting to know that I am not alone in my feelings.

2020

Unsurmountable feeling of Digital Dread: A 3 Line Poem for those done with it All

Oh, woe be the mind riddled with sickening screens! So easy it is now to skip class and be free! It seems so simple without a toll or a fee! Lest be our nauseated souls, Cure us of this sickness, and relieve our woe!

2020-07-27

First day of school during Covid

My daughter began 1st grade at home through online learning. Her first day was July 27th, and she returned in person on September 8th. Trying to balance everyone working and learning from home was an incredible struggle, and didn't benefit anyone. Mom was working on her dissertation and taking classes, her dad was teaching high school from 8-3 each day, and she had classes with homework throughout the day. For a 6 year old who had no idea how to type, it was very hard to get everything completed. While we are glad that she is back in school, I worry about her safety everyday.

2020-09-09

Not Enough Time in the Day

I am currently under the impression that there is not enough time in the day...or the week for that matter. School is in full swing both for me as a teacher and a student. After working a 9 hour day in my classroom teaching students online I come home and set up the wild setup pictured above. My large desktop computer is used primarily for grad school; to watch lectures, write papers, and send personal emails. The laptop on the left is my school computer and used to do tasks for my job such as lesson planning, distributing assignments, or as is the case tonight field the emails from the district and parents as the decision was just made to move into a hybrid in 10 days. The iPad on the right is my catch all notepad. I've started using Microsoft OneNote as a digital planner, note catcher, and meal planner. I thought that after this spring I would be so sick of technology that I would feel compelled to move to paper. However, as time has gone on I realized that this isn't coming to an end. This could very well be our new normal and it's time to embrace the change rather than dwelling in the sadness of what used to be. As I write this I am also running through an email I am going to send to my team of teachers tomorrow. A less appropriate thing to include in a school email is the line that continues to flow through my brain, "it's time to do the damn thing." We. Can. Do. This. This is not the time to feel sorry for teachers everywhere or to wallow in our never ending to do lists. Instead it's the time to prepare to SHOW UP for our students who haven't been in a classroom for 6 months. The kids don't care about content. They care about contact. We'll show up. We'll be there. We'll do the damn thing.

2020-04-22

The 3Rs COVID-19 taught me

COVID-19 pandemic shakes the entire human race and how the disease triggered the press button to let us all “slow-down” or “pause” to almost our entire usual goings remains an enigma to one and all

2020-07-09

Northeastern University Update on Housing, Hybrid NUflex, and Fall Reopening

Email from Northeastern University, detailing reopening plans for the Fall 2020 semester

2020-04-17

Life In Isolation: The Coronavirus... Deborah Berkowitz

A virtual exhibition by the Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science

2020-05-28

Be good at cooking

Before coronaVirus, I never cooked by myself. The virus teaches me to cook by myself.

2020-03-26

Picking up a Sketchbook after 7 Years

This is important to me because I haven't even touched a sketchbook in so long despite wanting to learn how to draw.

2020-05-29

Book Club for 6 year olds

The loss of social interaction has been one of the hardest parts of the pandemic. It's really hard for my 6yo who wants more than anything to see her friends again. Recently, her friend started a book club where 3-4 kids can get together on Zoom and discuss and share their favorite books. They explain what book they like and why. Today, Maya shared the book Potato Pants which is one that we always laugh at. She still misses her friends, and I have to keep promising that we'll see them soon. Fortunately she hasn't pushed for a concrete date, but she's constantly asking and frustrated that she spends everyday at home.

2020-03-27

Music: A Light During the Pandemic

This entry focuses on the transition to online learning in order to practice social distancing. Prior to the pandemic, I would have to wake up early to go to school. Then, I'd quickly run home after school, so that I would be punctual to my guitar lesson. As the tide has turned, this is no longer my reality. Now, I do online schooling and guitar lessons within the comfort of my own room, at any hour of the day. An hour of light-hearted life chats, bluesy riffs, and all sorts of musical banter relieves my good friend, guitar teacher, and myself of our quarantine blues. This is us, this is our quarantine lyfe.

2020-04-08

Distance Learning Packets Organized for Distribution

Boxes containing distance learning packets await distribution at Princeton Joint Unified School District. K-12 campus closures and limited internet access among students required the use of physical work packets to continue learning. #ASU

2020-05-13

Learning a New Language in Quarantine

2020-04-16

New University Classroom

This image shows one of the ways I used to attend my online classes. Due to COVID-19, students were forced to return home and stay safe. In my case, my home was 3653 miles away from my classroom at Fordham University. Even though it was a hard transition, students all over the world managed to complete the semester.

2020-04-29

Submitting Work

This image is apart of a series of screenshots taken during lessons via Microsoft Teams.Teaching my third graders from afar has become a challenge and a blessing at the same time. None of us knew of Mr. Microsoft Teams until we were forced to meet him. The way he impacts our lives is sometimes frustrating and other times satisfying. (I've redacted the name to protect the student's privacy.)

2020-04-07

My office

How my learning and working environment changed due to the pandemic.

2020-04-07

Daily Schedule during Quarantine March

My daughter is a HS freshman and has been at home since March 16. This was her very early on schedule for her day. School was just transitioning to remote learning and the days were more free-form. We have 8 pets of various sizes and varieties so the 'pet hour' is a very important way to stay relaxed. Photo taken April 7, 2020. Document created late March 2020 just when schools closed.

2020-04-02

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