bit by bit

Hi everyone, I’m Sarah. I’ve come here via a winding path but I’m thrilled to be here in this moment. This year has been a struggle as I have been at home with two small children since March and had hip surgery in September. It’s been wonderful to get to know my children in a different way than if they had been in school, but I’ve been so thankful to have this program as an outlet for myself. It’s been a strange combination of self-care and self-torture but it has been a lifeline for my sanity and sense of self. I was drawn to this class because of the virtues of virtual connect-ness that have been amplified during the pandemic. I’m currently in info202 and we were assigned to read a section of David Weinberger’s “Everything is Miscellaneous”. In the book he describes the difference between atoms–things that take up room, that degrade over time, things IRL; and bits—unconstrained by space, everlasting, the virtual world. In this year, technology has allowed my house-bound exhausted atoms to feel like bits floating through the digital ether. I’m thankful for the ability to connect to classmates and professors from the comfort of my home and I look forward to learning more about emerging technologies and the opportunities that they provide for teaching, learning, and meaningful connections.  

Weinberger, D. (2007). Everything is miscellaneous: the power of the new digital disorder (1st ed.). Times Books.