Sam Pickett ‘21
Columns Editor
As the University of Virginia heralds a new era of hybrid learning, the administration is doing its best to prepare students and professors for the challenges of balancing Zoom and in-person learning. They have created the “Great Lawhoo Bake Off” and “UVA Law Pets” Facebook pages to help students feel more connected, and an “Online at UVA Law” page to help students adjust to online learning.
In addition to those efforts, the administration did its best to give technology tips to a group of Millennials and Gen-Zers who have been using computers practically their whole lives. As a one-semester Zoom School of Law veteran and one of many students who just completed a summer internship online, I thought I could offer some advice as well. But I didn’t want to do this alone. So, I enlisted several of the group chats I am in to provide UVA Law’s best and brightest with some important tech tips™.
Let’s see if you can tell the difference between the tech tips I gathered, and those that the UVA Law administration so generously provided to us. No cheating.
When you are unmuted, people can hear you. When your camera is on, people can see you.
To help keep background noise to a minimum, mute your microphone when you aren’t speaking.
Limit distractions to make it easier to focus on the meeting at hand.
If your computer, or other technology, does not work, try turning it off and then back on.
Wear clothes rather than pajamas.
Keep your camera on, unless you need to take a break, but remember that you are on camera.
Don’t eat during class and avoid other distracting activities.
If clicking something doesn’t work, try clicking the other mouse button. If the other mouse button doesn’t work, try the first one again.
If your Internet stops working, make sure the modem is still plugged in. If the modem is not plugged in, you will not be able to connect to your WiFi.
When attending classes that are hybrid, use headphones to help you hear better.
If you cannot hear the professor, turn up the volume on your computer.
If your computer cannot maintain its charge during the entire class, buy a new laptop.
Prevent your computer from dying by keeping it charged.
Manage your time by arriving to an online class a few minutes before it starts.
Do not bring the computer to the bathroom with you. This will help avoid uncomfortable situations and is generally more hygienic.
Remember, people can see you and the area behind you when you are on camera.
Make sure you have Internet access. If you don’t have access to the Internet, you will not be able to use Zoom.
So, there you have it, folks. We here at the Law Weekly certainly do our best to help keep you prepared as possible for this transition to online classes. Check the end of the article for the Answer Key.
Pictured: Spoiler Alert! Here are the official rules for Zoom Etiquette. Photo Courtesy of law.virginia.edu
If you correctly identified the fake tips, congratulations! If you didn’t, then please send me an email to confirm that I am as clever as I think I am. Don’t send me an email if you got them all correct, though. That doesn’t help my self-esteem.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best of luck navigating a semester of hybrid classes. If you have other clever tech tips, don’t forget to share!
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shp8dz@virginia.edu
Answer Key: (R= Real UVA Tip; F= Fake Tip)
(1) F; (2) R, from “Zoom Etiquette for Students”; (3) R, from “Zoom Etiquette for Students”; (4) F; (5) R, from “Online at UVA Law”; (6) R, from “Zoom Etiquette for Students”; (7) R, from “Zoom Etiquette for Students”; (8) F; (9) F; (10) R, from “Online at UVA Law”; (11) R, reported by a student; (12) R, from the mock hybrid class; (13) F; (14) R, from “Zoom Etiquette for Students”; (15) F; (16) R, from “Zoom Etiquette for Students”; (17) F