Autumn 2020 artifacts
Remote Learning
Sound on!
Although remote learning is challenging, it has some great upsides too—I could now attend lectures from the beach. Since my entire family works from home now, we rented a place on the Olympic Peninsula for a change of scenery. Most days were foggy, but we could see Mt. Rainier and the Seattle city skyline on clear ones. We kayaked among porpoises and woke up to the red gold of the sunrise each morning, and occasionally went crabbing or grabbed some oysters at low tide for lunch. It was a welcome break in this time of social isolation.
Autumn 2020 Schedule
MyPlan
I took 4 main classes and was a TA for the first time this quarter. I enjoyed having 2 STEM classes (other than the one I TA'd) and 2 creative ones. Modern dance was interesting over Zoom—although I initially felt awkward, I gained confidence over time and enjoyed the creative outlet. I missed quite a few 8:30 classes, so I will adjust my sleep schedule and avoid morning classes next quarter.
Actual Schedule
Google Calendar
While the schedule above has all my classes, my Google calendar had my actual schedule, including RSOs and TA commitments. I never used a digital calendar before this quarter, but it made organizing everything much easier (complete with reminders and mobile access.) I will definitely continue using a Google calendar to track future commitments. The calendar's also a great way to share events and collaborate with friends (RSVP's are visible, as simple yes / no / maybe).
Snowmen in a Box
TA Props
Being a TA was both one of my greatest challenges and favorite parts of this quarter. It was rewarding to connect with students over Zoom, and hard to collaborate over remote learning. I tried to bring in some more in-person aspects, such as physical examples of concepts covered (such as these plushie snowballs, to the left, in a re-purposed tea box to explain Scanners.) It was a fun opportunity to get creative!