Introduction – Derek Lasker

Hello! My name is Derek Lasker, and I am a sophomore from Lancaster, New York. I am a sophomore and I am studying statistics. I enjoy spending time with my friends (which is a lot tougher to do nowadays) and I have a passion for most sports, particularly hockey and football. I also have an interest in history and what kinds of data can be drawn from it, and how it can be used to draw important conclusions as well as challenge preexisting notions of events that may have occurred centuries ago. Week Five (Podcasting and Communication as Public History) seems very exciting and interesting to me. Podcasting is obviously on the rise and I think it is a great way to convey knowledge to a wide audience, and since it can be both produced quickly and accessed easily, I feel that it is a great way to capture the emotions of how a lot of the “general” people are feeling in the time when important historical moments happen, and not just the ones who are directly involved (although it’s possible to get their insight more directly in this form too).  I would not say that any week in particular makes me nervous. I think the online class style has forced me to be on top of my time management as opposed to in person learning, I think it’s almost easier to slip into a lull of laziness when you’re sitting at home instead of on campus. I also think it forces me to be more proactive with my learning and do a bit more self teaching, since it’s more difficult to communicate ideas with teachers over Zoom rather than in person.