5/17/2021 Why is Your Camera Off?By Madelyne Street African Studies II does not require the camera to be kept on. Naturally, most students turn theirs off; but, for what reason? (Source: Madelyne Street) We’ve all turned off our camera for one reason or another, but is your camera off for real reasons or some other reason? Which have you used?
“I have poor internet connection.” Sometimes the internet will work faster if your camera is off. Remote learning has been a challenge for all of us, but it has definitely disadvantaged students who live in rural areas with poor internet connectivity. Even the school’s Wi-Fi can be bad sometimes, so to keep from freezing up or glitching, keep the camera off. “The weather is hurting my WiFi.” “There is a hurricane.” “There is a snowstorm.” “It’s raining.” Common weather excuses that prevent anyone across the state from attending class fully. Nonetheless, teachers and students can't control the weather or what it does to our internet connections; so, if it is ruining your internet connection, keep the camera off. “My family is distracting and embarrassing.” Parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins or pets can get in the way of you having your personal space to get your classwork done. But, with a global pandemic, they don't have anywhere else to go either. Some parents could be working remotely which could mean everyone is in the same workroom. Or, your family may like to be the center of attention so they just want to say hello to you, your class and your teacher in the middle of your presentation. It may be best to save the embarrassment and distraction by keeping your camera off. “I’m sick.” In these unprecedented times, a single cough could send you and your entire family into a lockdown quarantine. Sometimes we wake up with a tummy ache, fatigue or migraine and you may not be up for class; therefore, you log into the zoom and turn your camera off so you can rest while paying attention. “I hate my room and it’s messy.” Is the bright green or pink paint you choose in 3rd grade out of style? Is it embarrassing? It probably is. Your room is also a disaster, and no one needs to see your undergarments and dirty laundry laying around in the background. So, keep the highlighter-yellow walls and unicorn-themed underwear to yourself. “I’m ugly.” Yes, you are. The truth hurts, doesn’t it? There is beauty in all—well, most—of us. But, when we aren’t feeling cute, hot, handsome, beautiful, or attractive in any way, we are going to turn our cameras off to avoid any embarrassment. “I am sleeping.” Did you hit snooze five times, and were you too sleepy to stay awake during your 8:30 a.m. class? Or maybe you took an afternoon nap and forgot about your evening class, so you turned off the camera to continue your dreams of Prom and a normal graduation? Most of us Zoom from the comfort of our beds, so it is only natural to drift off into a slumber. “I am in the kitchen making myself a treat.” Are you bringing back trends from early 2020? Whipping coffee and making avocado toast because you woke up five minutes before class and didn’t have time to eat breakfast? Though paying attention to your 8:30 a.m. class may be important, at the moment your brain can only think about food. So, make yourself a treat and enjoy eating it while taking notes on whatever an antiderivative is. “I'm not paying attention.” A very honest answer. Whether you are watching Netflix, scrolling through TikTok or doing pretty much anything other than listening to your teachers, you are probably going to be very confused doing your homework. Sometimes paying attention the whole time will be better for your future self. On the other hand, maybe you just need a brain break to do something you enjoy instead of finding the antiderivative of 2x-0.45y. “Technically my camera is on, but it’s dark in my room” Your camera is on but no one can see you… odd. Accidental? Purposeful? Both? Perhaps the sunlight coming through your windows in the crisp early morning was enough to light up your entire room, but, now that it's evening, the sun has set and you're too lazy to turn on a light. “My dog ate my homework so I don’t have it ready to turn in.” Unless your dog ate your computer, this excuse is no longer valid. However, if they did eat your laptop, turn off your camera so you can take them to the vet. Comments are closed.
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