Room Assessment for Online Video Interactions

"Because of COVID-19, I can't work in my regular office on campus. Normally, I work from my office on campus and just check email periodically at home. For this reason, I don't have a home office. Now, however, I'm in Zoom meetings a good chunk of the day from home. So, I've been using the kitchen table as my work area. This is problematic for so many reasons but one interesting thing that recently came up in a Zoom meeting is that to others in the meeting it looks like I'm in the bathroom while meeting! Well, let's just say I am now putting together an office space at home that also looks good via Zoom. No wonder the people I was meeting with kept asking me if I was alright. They thought I was on the toilet during our meeting. Major fail.

You can see that it does, in fact, look like I'm in a narrow bathroom space. Someone even suggested the broom handle in the background looked like a toilet plunger. Goodness. So, a very brief example of how space/environment and the artifacts in the space/environment communicate."

For today's challenge, you will be assessing your current environment. This can include a review of the artifacts in that environment. You may select any particular space/environment where you're residing when making video-calls. You will take a screenshot of yourself from the video chat "view" (we should be able to see the space you're describing for this challenge). Then, please answer the following prompt.

Prompt:

Provide a brief overview of the space/environment. For example, where is it (family home, campus dorms, etc.)? Then, what space is it? For example, your bedroom, your dorm room, the family room, etc.?

Why did you choose this space/environment to describe? For example, is it where you spend most of your time, etc.? Does this space/environment have special meaning to you, etc.?

Did you have any say or impact on how the space/environment looks, what it contains, etc.? For example, if you're describing your bedroom, did you decorate it?

If someone, who doesn't know you well, were to walk into this space, what would they learn about you from the space and/or artifacts in the space? In other words, what does this space communicate about you or where you are?

Now, Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangout yourself (or someone) in that same space. What would they see? What would they make of the space? Of you, as a result of the space they can see?

Complete your challenge write-up by answering the challenge prompt with an organized essay response (i.e. introduction, main points, conclusion) rather than simply just answering the questions. Be sure your response is thorough and connects to the learning materials (please see rubric for grading details).