I was recently on a Zoom call for one of my classes, and a girl in my breakout group was very clearly still in bed. She then got out of bed, walked to her kitchen, and left her laptop unattended while she ran to another room. During her absence, her roommates made a cameo as they were walking through the main area of their apartment. I don’t know why this bothered me so much, but it did. I know we are all tired of Zoom classes, and I know we all most likely just roll out of bed to join said classes. I do feel that there are a few things that can be done to make your appearance on Zoom a bit less “candid.”
- Make sure you are muted.
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Another incident I’ve had with a Zoom call: a girl was not muted since our teacher doesn’t mute us automatically upon joining the class. She basically bashed the class saying it was “pointless” and that we never do anything productive. My classmates and I rushed to the chat to let her know she was not muted, but it wasn’t until her roommate had said more awful things about that class that she realized her mistake.
- When your camera is on, make sure it’s not super obvious that you’re lying in bed.
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Or honestly, if you are lying in bed, don’t make it so obvious that you’re in bed by constantly yawning, snuggling up to your comforters, and adjusting your pillows. It not only distracts the easily distracted (like me), but it is also lowkey disrespectful to the teacher, even if the class is a total snoozefest.
- Make sure that you actually attempt at talking in your breakout groups.
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I know they’re awkward, but the awkwardness only increases when no one is talking. Take it from someone who talks because she hates silence, I get super anxious when my breakout groups are silent. Even if it’s small chit-chat after the topic of the group has been discussed, at least something makes it a bit better.
- Do NOT eat unless you are muted!
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Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, do not eat with your microphone on! It’s already hard enough to concentrate in an online course, but when you hear someone chewing, slurping, or crunching on their breakfast or snack, it really makes it so much harder. So please, mute yourself before you eat that snack.
- If you have a pet make an appearance, you better introduce it!
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My professor introduced us to his cat, Bono, because another student had his kitten on his shoulder during the class, but the student never introduced the kitten properly! I mean, we didn’t even get the cat’s name! This by far is my biggest pet peeve about Zoom. If you’re going to have your pet make a cameo (which it definitely should), please give it an introduction. I at least need a name and its favorite things to do. It’s only proper!
But in all seriousness, we are all in this crazy Zoom-school world together. The least we can do is try our best to be present, listen, and contribute to the class. Happy Zooming!