Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic my interests have focused on the use of various tools to create virtual synchronous meetings. My thinking in this area can be found in several projects.
Zoom Gaze
I began to explore the concept of a Zoom Gaze during the beginning of the pandemic through a blog post where I explored the larger concept of The Gaze (the male gaze, the carceral gaze, the medical gaze, etc.) as it applied to the sudden increase of video conferencing due to the pandemic.
After a few months of reading and talking about this as a construct in which to better understand the power dynamics of this form of communication I wrote The Zoom Gaze for Real Life Magazine.
Later, just for fun, I established the Zoom Gaze Twitter account mostly to retweet other people accounting their experiences with video conferencing.
Virtually Connecting
Virtually Connecting (VConnecting) – VConnecting is a hybrid connected/connectivist learning movement with a mission of enlivening the virtual conference experience for scholars who cannot attend academic conferences in person. I was part of the early leadership of Virtually Connecting and served as a Co-Director until 2021 in an advisory role along with Maha Bali, Rebecca Hogue, Helen DeWard, and Christian Friedrich.