My Spring Semester Wrapped Up
Spring 2021 semester marked my third semester completed online. At this point, it’s hard to remember what an actual classroom feels like. I miss movement on campus, groups of students rushing to classes together, and I forget what it’s like to have someone sitting next to me during class that I can quickly whisper to when confused.
But the upside is that virtual learning isn’t as hard anymore. Being sent home freshmen year was like getting swept up in a storm. Everything was messy, professors and students alike didn’t know how to best utilize technology, and we struggled immensely.
But by this year, most of my professors knew how to successfully teach and create a positive zoom environment, so it felt like I was finally learning again. Across the nation professors and teachers have made phenomenal changes to keep the zoom room engaging, which has helped students like me tremendously.
Through this blog, I’ve most enjoyed being able to change and edit my work throughout the semester. I was able to go back and incorporate new elements as I learned more.
For example, earlier in the semester I made a post about celebrating Purim during COVID. Later, we learned how to make infographics and I was able to go back and create one for this older post.
I created this infographic via Canva that shows West Rogers Park COVID-19 statistics. I felt that the information was more digestible when presented in the bar graph instead of a text on my original blog post.
Being able to revisit my work has helped me learn this semester. It was a way to watch myself improve weekly as I learned new media elements and editing skills.
I found video editing to be most challenging this semester. Technology has never been my strong suit, so the thought of editing videos and sound bites together was daunting to me. But, I think that I have improved in my video editing skills immensely.
My roommate Nina Smythe plays the ukulele. In the beginning of the semester, I made a profile video package showcasing her musical talent. To the left is the updated version. After working through the semester I was able to fix jump cuts, add titles and a wider variety of shots.
Overall, this semester strengthened my eye for detail, not only with video and sound bite editing, but still photography as well.
Photo of a purple flower, by me, before editing. The same photo of a purple flower after editing.
Overall, I enjoyed creating podcasts the most. Interviewing people about their hobbies and incorporating my own narration clips was a lot of fun. Below is a short podcast audio I did with my sister, Bria Luem, about being a “plant mom.”
Ultimately, I think this was my most successful virtual semester yet. Although I am excited to return to campus and in-person classes, I think our Loyola community has really grown this past year. Together students and professors learned to emphasize with one another. We figured out how to stay connected and engaged during a global pandemic, which speaks volumes, and will hopefully only strengthen our community as we return to campus.
Signing off for Loyola Spring Semester 2021, I’m Maia Luem.
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