I read with amusement a string of Twitter posts extolling the benefits of an online conference. Last year, everyone was lamenting that the in-person gathering was forced to be offered remotely, yet this year — amidst the largest attendance ever — people are fervently hoping that some element of virtual programming can continue in the future. My, how things have changed!
It’s not just with this conference either. The higher education community is wrestling with how to provide continued access to students when live learning returns in earnest. Remote workers are urging their employers to continue the practice at least in part. Personally, I’d love for the class I’m teaching this summer to stay online since it falls in the middle of my sister’s vacation and I’d like to join her family at the lake!
As people have become more comfortable with the remote set-up and tools their perspective has broadened to see the advantages of the platform rather than just the loss of in-person encounters. Don’t let this lesson be lost on you. Too often, we resemble Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, protesting that we don’t like something before we have really tried it. Maybe, just maybe, the pandemic has shown us a whole new way of connecting rather than taking it all from us.
