Every which way to zoom

I spent the week in Las Vegas, speaking at eight schools for Nevada Reading Week.

The last time I was here was in January 2020…AKA shortly before the world screeched to a halt. So it felt almost poetic that one of my first author trips since author trips have resumed was back here.

One positive of the pandemic is that it forced authors to diversify (and, to trot out an overused word of the COVID era, pivot). Before the pandemic, I’d spoken in schools (indoors). Now:

• I’ve spoken at schools outdoors. 
• I’ve spoken via Zoom to kids who were distance learning (i.e. all of us were home). 
• I’ve spoken via Zoom to kids who were in school (i.e. one screen for each class).
• I’ve spoken at schools where some kids were in the room with me while others were on Zoom from elsewhere in the building. 

And as of this week, I’ve now spoken at a school where all the kids were on Zoom from elsewhere in the building and the librarian and I were alone in the library. 

Sandra Abston Elementary

Next: I will be alone in the school and all the kids will Zoom from my house.

Thank you to all the kind librarians who hosted me. Extra special good vibes to Jen Jiron at Kenneth Divich Elementary, who coordinated all eight schools/eleven talks—a task that can be stressful at any time and is even more admirable during a pandemic!

with Nikki Bylina-Streets at Abston

with my excellent host Jen Jiron (narwhal costume for 

“Dress as a Children’s Book Character Day”)

One year of virtual school visits

Cringe not—I'm not going to recount every visit one by one. I'm also not going to reflect more broadly on our COVID year (because I've already done that). I'm simply noting a milestone, albeit small, as I am wont to do.

Prior to COVID-19, I'd done few virtual appearances. (What is now called a "Zoom visit" was then known as a "Skype visit.") I would advocate for in-person engagements whenever possible; kids these days are so used to screens that anything up close and personal in the real world has a bigger impact. Plus my approach is more performance than presentation and it gets quite emotional, both of which make it harder to convey remotely. (Though this year, I've learned how.)

That said, if Skype was a school's only option, I was open to it.

Even when the human race went into lockdown in March 2020 with no indication of when such extreme measures would end, I (and some other authors/speakers) at first resisted going virtual. I thought I would wait it out.

Something else I have learned: don't play chicken with a pandemic. The pandemic will win.

So on 6/10/20, I did my first full virtual visit, with a school in Massachusetts. By "full" I mean more than a single talk. This was also the first school I booked to be virtual from the start (i.e. not rescheduling what was originally scheduled as an in-person). My previous talk was in person in Ohio on 3/12/20. That night, or within the next three days, the world went home and stayed there.

In July, I did my first international virtual visit (the students were in Dubai, I was on a second-floor deck a few houses from the beach in North Carolina). In April 2021, I did my first virtual keynote. In between and since, I did more talks (K-12 schools, universities, synagogues, community groups, etc.) than I was expecting in March 2020.

On 6/11/21, almost a year to the day I first waded into virtual waters, I did my last visit of the 2020-21 school year, speaking remotely to middle schoolers in New York. 

Unlike some pivoters, I hadn't invested in a ring light; an adjustable floor lamp on either side of my desk—both already there pre-COVID—worked just fine. I hadn't picked up a classic-looking 1940s microphone; no one complained about the sound via my laptop. I didn't have to plunk down a nice chunk of change for a standing desk...well, not during quarantine; I had bought one in 2017. I didn't gussy up my background; it's the same old window, bookshelves, and boxes of comics it was in the Before Times because all of that already align with my raison d'etre.

What I did do:

• added images to my presentation to bolster spots where formerly I would talk for a stretch without changing slides; in person, I can use facial expressions and body language to compensate, but that isn't an option with videoconferencing; even without these new additions, my presentation already included more images than I typically see in other author talks, but staring at one picture on a screen for more than a few seconds can cause attention to wander; at first I thought I'd remove these "hitch" images when I go back in person but have now decided to keep them
• bought a laptop stand and wireless keyboard for better ergonomics (mostly for everyday health but it also helps with presentations)
• began using earbuds for aesthetics even though I still prefer wired headphones both for fit and for our future; the first time I used both these and the laptop stand for a presentation was the same day, 6/11/21 (again, the final presentation of the school year)

I know blog posts (or online articles in general) without pictures can be a drag, but so are the now-ubiquitous screenshots of Zooms, so I will spare you.

Looking ahead, I am so eager to return to live audiences...but also fully on board for virtual visits. What they may lack in the palpable energy you get only when in close proximity to other people they make up for in convenience...plus they give every student a front row seat.

Virtual visit verdict

Well, a verdict, anyway: thumb’s up (whether the Zoom icon or your actual flesh-and-blood digit). 

In the shell-shocked early months of COVID-19, schools struggled simply to educate their students under difficult new conditions that felt sudden though epidemiologists (among others) knew such a situation was coming. 

Understandably for many schools, booking optional enrichment like author visits was not a priority—or, in some cases, a possibility. 

A year later, as the pandemic still rages, schools in general seem more open to the idea of piping in an author talk via the internet. (Granted, Skype author visits have existed almost as long as Skype has, but commonly as a backup, not the first choice.)

During COVID-19, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with students in a range of locales, from New Mexico to Hong Kong. While I am eager to return to in-person gatherings, I’ve found a lot to love about virtual visits and imagine they’ll remain a part of my portfolio past mass vaccination. 

Feedback on November presentations I gave for Michigan students in grades 1-6 (rescheduled as virtual after the virus torpedoed the originally planned in-person visit) helps explain why:

• “Wonderful virtual presentation! Even from a distance, the author was able to connect and engage my class! Fantastic opportunity!”—teacher in New Buffalo, MI
• “The opportunity to do something different was appreciated.”—teacher at F.C. Reed Middle School, Bridgman, MI
• “The virtual author visit…was very cool. The students were excited to meet Marc Nobleman and were intrigued by his stories and how much time and effort went into creating his works. Definitely worth the time!”—Principal Patrick Zuccala, Three Oaks Elementary, Three Oaks, MI

Thanks again to the Tri-County Reading Council and a generous grant from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians for making this experience a (virtual) reality.

London Zooming

No, I don’t mean London calling. It’s still the season of author visits in the time of pandemic.

The latest time I’ve started a talk is 10 pm. (The audience members, no surprise, were teenagers.)

As of today, the earliest is 6:25 am (11:25 am UK time). 

I had the privilege of beaming in to be one of the author speakers for the Book Fest at the American School in London.

Thanks again to Kwame Alexander (currently the ASL’s Awesome in Residence) for inviting me to be a part of this special event. 

And no, “Show Control” was not a command to the students...they were a great audience. I’m assuming this because at no point did I see or hear kids. As with other virtual presentations, I talked to a little white light at the top of my laptop screen. 

It’s amazing what we humans can get used to…

Speaking in Dubai via North Carolina

The day before Independence Day, I got up early to speak to 300-500 students between the ages of 14-18. The talk started at 7:30 am...for me. 

Yes, the talk was not from around here, and the students were unseen. I was speaking to the community of GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai—by way of North Carolina, by way of Zoom. Since I was in NC on vacation, sharing a beach rental house with my family and two other families with whom we podded, I wanted to be quiet at that hour...so I sat on the front porch. It was the first keynote I have delivered a) outdoors and b) without shoes.

The podium.

I had been asked to speak about "your journey, Batman & Bill, and the concept of identity in a digital world." I don't know how well I covered the third topic, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was honored that it was part of a larger event: a 6-hour live stream fundraiser. The teen organizers of the event (some shown below) were helping fellow students who lack resources for distance learning. #educationuninterrupted

Thank you to Sheldon Dias and your colleagues for the invite and kind words.