I do not mean to make light of PTSD in any way, but I spent an hour today messing around with the doc cam I used during the pandemic. I needed to get it up and running for some virtual lessons I'm creating for a client, wanting to point at an anchor chart, look at writing, and show the page of a book.
Several of the plastic pieces snapped the moment I moved the lever to open it, so I rigged together rubber bands to help create the tension, to get the right angle to show my paper anchor charts & picture books. I needed to re-load the software, but then found myself on a chat with tech support to get my new laptop "talking" to the doc cam. What a win - Matt was helpful, even sending screen shots into our chat to point me in the right direction. OK, camera working, software loaded, now a test video - or two - or three - or four. I'd completely lost my skills, so perfected during COVID, of creating a Zoom, sharing the right camera, still looking at the screen to make eye contact with students, remembering to keep it crisp, brief (how did my first go at an 8 minute lesson take 12 minutes? Argh!).
I'm back into the flow, and tomorrow, I'll hit it again and find the right groove, flexing these muscles again, using my "on camera" voice, remembering that videos need to be strong, but not perfect. Cue the anchor chart. Annnnnnnddddddd: ACTION: "Hello friends, I'm excited to be learning with you!"
Oh my goodness, you totally impressed me. I'm glad I was retired when the pandemic hit. Not sure I could have handled all the new learning that required. It's a joy when tech support is there and helpful! Kudos to you!
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