The last two weeks have been pretty much identical (apart from last Wednesday when I had THREE back-to-back meetings from 4:30 till 7:30). Things are generally going OK, I think, apart from my English Conversation type classes and seminar, because I've been trying to have my students leave our Webex meetings to go to Zoom meetings so I can use Breakout Rooms, but it doesn't work smoothly, with always one or two students unable to migrate over to the Zoom meeting, or too many students being silent or speaking Japanese in their breakout room groups, so the whole thing makes me question whether it's worth it: maybe I should just keep the classes in one big Webex group! Although it would mean that students would barely have one chance to talk per class, at least I could enforce that they'd use English only when they did talk. If they're going to just sit there silently or talk in Japanese in their breakout rooms, there's no point to using them.
Er, I should confess that I made a stupid blunder for my seminar last Friday when i tried to get them into Zoom to do breakout rooms, because I'd made a new Zoom account using my university address so I could get unlimited minutes for our meeting and we wouldn't get cut off after 40 mins, but I had forgotten (or didn't know) that you have to activate the breakout rooms via the Zoom website preferences page on your account, and so when I succeeded finally in getting my students from Webex to Zoom and went to start their breakout room discussions, I discovered to my shock that there was no breakout room icon where it should be! I panicked and just kept the class in one big group, again defeating the purpose of going to Zoom... Only after the class did I find the little switch to activate in my account--sigh. ANYWAY. Really the seminar is going OK, I think, because of our Facebook group, which enables the students (most of them anyway) to communicate more than they can in our Webex (or Zoom!) meetings. Several students are participating enough that way, though a few are not.... Right, my real fun day is Wednesday, because I have my graduate school seminar for five first-year MA students and one fourth-year university student (who will be my MA student next year), and I've been really enjoying laughing and talking with them about Stuart Little for the last month. They ask neat questions, express sharp and interesting opinions, and generate a positive cheerful fun atmosphere (it helps I think that we are keeping our videos on for our Webex meetings, which I can do in my office cause I can use Webex' desktop app on my computer there, unlike at home...). I really look forward to this class! Last time we covered the part where Stuart leaves home and becomes a substitute teacher for a day... And then after that class I have my Introduction to American Culture and Literature class, which is always fun, though I can't see or hear any reactions from the 100 students in the class (though about 60 of them regularly post comments on our class blog, which is usually a nice form of feedback). Last Wednesday I covered American play and literature for children, showing them my Teddy bear, GI Joe, and Barbie and introducing some of the differences and similarities between girls and boys play and books etc. etc. Thursday is always a challenge because I have periods 2, 3, and 4, but the kids try hard and the limitations or problems are usually my fault or the online nature of the classes' faults, not theirs (though if I put them in breakout rooms again, i hope they'll really talk in English!). Right--so we're through seven weeks of the semester, with about eight to go. Good luck!
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Jefferson Peters (JP)
Can you find me in the picture above? Archives
December 2023
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