The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented shift in the way that schooling is done in America. While schools are closing their physical gates, the main alternative is sitting at home, doing virtual learning. It’s hard to imagine that there is anything positive with virtual learning. The idea of learning through the computer screen seems inferior and unproductive compared to learning face-to-face. There are definitely drawbacks to this, but in hindsight, there are also many benefits that could be missed.
Taylor Do, a junior at James Logan High School, thinks that virtual learning is actually more effective and less time-consuming.
“It used to be that school was almost a full-time job but now it is almost like a side hustle,” Do said. Virtual learning gives him more time to do extracurricular activities, which makes schooling feel less stressful. “Stress has always been one of the most hated parts of my high school experience, so to have it be decreased significantly has been great.”
Do is very optimistic about a year where virtual learning continues. He is very hopeful that his experience with virtual learning will help develop his academic skills. “Overall, I look favorably upon my experience in virtual learning.”
Virtual learning definitely has its downsides; it’s definitely not all rainbows. According to a New York Times article, What Students Are Saying About Remote Learning, virtual learning can be an immense distraction. There are many times when students were simply not paying attention to the teacher. Many of the students in the article don’t have adequate internet access to have a Taylor Do-like experience. Some students wish that learning was face-to-face in order to meet up with friends.
Prabhjot Gill is one of these particular students at James Logan High School. He desperately wishes that we will go back to normal schooling sometime soon.
“This is [my] last year and I want to meet all my friends and say goodbye, because who knows when are we are going to meet with friends and teachers,” Gill said. He also finds virtual learning to be very mundane and tedious. He thinks that the positive of it is the zero percent chance anybody would get sick. “My feeling is that virtual learning is good because of the virus, but most of the time I feel bored when I’m in class.”
Contrary to Taylor Do, Gill feels that his stack of homework has grown, so he doesn’t have the amount of free time that he usually has. “Virtual learning is a little hard, so most of my time after class is wasted studying and doing homework,” Gill said.
Daniella Sales, a James Logan sophomore, would definitely agree with Gill’s negative concerns.
“I do find it boring. Plus, with connectivity issues, it’s even harder. It’s very difficult to communicate through just a screen,” Sales said. She finds virtual learning to be less interactive due to the lack of internet connection. Sales also agrees that homework can actually pile up. “Everything feels like homework, so the workload feels like more,” Sales said. There is an exception that she would say about virtual learning; even though it suffers from less interaction, Sales does see some light through the darkness.
“I think for kids and staff who live far, it’s easier for them because they don’t have to commute every day,” Sales said. She understands that some people don’t have access to bus rides to consistently go to school.
There are different arguments that depict virtual learning as positive or negative. For some, it’s really easy to paint a picture and view everything about this year negatively, especially with the given climate of our nation today. However, when asked if he can handle this bizarre and interesting 2020 experience, Do took an optimistic position.
“Definitely, being at home is great,” Sales said.
Source
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/learning/what-students-are-saying-about-remote-learning.ht
