I joined a Webex session last Tuesday (14 April 2020) about writing article for mass media. It was a sharing session with Assoc Prof Kassim Thukiman. A humble guy with vast experience on writing article for mass media. He has a flair of Malay language. Indeed. A class of its own. Things went well for this Webex session. So, I thought Webex is ok. Not that bad. But, how wrong I was.
I had another Webex session last Thursday (16 April 2020). This session was a meeting to discuss a special grant post-covid19. Only 10 proposals will be selected. Tough competition. Indeed.
The first 10 minutes was ok. I can see the host, Assoc Prof Fauzi from ATI talked. Then followed by Prof Zaidatun. Then out of sudden, I could no longer see her face, the slides and hear her voice. I tried to check the source of my technical problems. Well, apparently, the internet is really low and thus, I experienced that.
Having to experience this first hand, I start to think about the students who have classes using Webex. If they have similar internet connection limitations, they might experience the same thing. Of course, I can always look back the recorded session. Yet, the feeling that I had when such thing happened is indescribable. I felt confused, sad, mad (at the internet connection) and such feelings bugged me for the whole day because even though I know that I could not control it, yet I wish that things are different. I hate the fact that I am missing out some things that might be important. I want to be “present”. Watching the recorded session does not make me feel “at present”. Feeling left out is psychologically painful. It has something to do with our basic needs as proposed by Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs. Feeling of belonging, inclusion and such.
Having a first hand experience on this matter makes me more emphatic of my students’ predicament. So, I will try my very best to make sure that I can reach out to them regardless of the limitations especially internet connection that we might have at the moment.
