The narrow dialog box only occupies one-third of my computer screen. There are three faces arranged from top to bottom. After scanning each face, I try to focus on the student who is speaking, but I still occasionally look at another classmate, or even myself, unconsciously. Are my actions strange? Does my expression look dull or not serious? I quickly find myself distracted. I straighten my sitting posture, move my back away from the back of the chair, put my hands down on the computer keyboard, and blink my eyes vigorously. I try to focus. I turn my eyes and attention back to the classmate who is speaking. But she has finished her speech, and I find out that I don’t know that she is looking at me or another classmate, which makes me wonder who she is expecting to speak to, and I can’t see her body movements accurately or what direction her face is facing, and even the poor resolution makes me unable to see her eyes clearly, which makes me lose some of my judgment. I turn my eyes to another classmate, trying to get the answer from her face, but I fail, her expression does not change, she is also looking at us. Am I going to continue discussing the point of view? Or can I start my own opinion, will it make this conversation blunt and impolite? I’m still thinking. The three of us seems to be waiting for something, and this virtual “meeting room” fall silent.
The Hurdle
