Technology for Education and the COVID-19 Pandemic
By: Grace Connolly
Through the almost two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns, teachers and students alike have had to make adjustments to their teaching and learning, much of which has been reliant on technology. As we return from online learning and back to in-person classes, much of this technology has remained as helpful tools to aid in making teaching and learning easier and more accessible.
As a student at Arizona State University, I have noticed many of the same technologies my professors used last year during our online school year continuing to be used during our in-person year. The majority of which being: digital whiteboards, online messaging, and Zoom.
While in high school, almost every class I went to involved a teacher using a whiteboard to teach the lecture. Before you had time to write the content down, it was already erased. Due to COVID, however, teachers had a harder time recording themselves on the whiteboard – either the video quality was too poor and unable to pick up the writing or videoing arrangements were too difficult to provide a visible view of the board. As I transitioned into college during COVID, most of my professors used a version of a digital whiteboard during online lectures. As they taught, their notes appeared on screen and were later saved so if you happened to miss something or needed to review for homework, they were available after the lecture. Even though we are no longer holding online classes, many of my professors still utilize this digital whiteboard allowing for students like myself to access notes and other content whenever we need, no longer needing to rush to take a picture before the board gets erased. It also helps when needing to re-write certain equations or words – you can’t copy and paste on a whiteboard!
During COVID, trying to build a sense of community was tough. No longer having in-person classes stripped away the small talk between peers that helped foster relationships in your classes. Online messaging sites like Discord or Slack really made all the difference. Having a place to turn to for homework help or simply talking with your classmates was needed in a time that felt so disconnected. Even with the return of in-person classes and more in-person interactions, online messaging sites have remained constant. They provide an outlet for communication and help outside of class with other peers, teaching assistants, and professors. I know personally, I have several Discord Servers/Group Messages that I use almost on a daily basis, not just for help but for talking to my peers and getting to know them better.
Finally, there is Zoom. I believe that Zoom, an online video calling platform, made the biggest difference in online learning both during the online COVID year and this year’s in-person classes. Last year, Zoom was what basically every class I took used to conduct lectures, recitations, and labs. I even met on Zoom for my band class! In order to ensure the safety of both students and professors, this was what was needed to happen. Now, with the return of in-person classes, many of the professors still utilize Zoom during class. Not only does Zoom provide an easy-to-use recording feature that allows you to share the recordings with ease, but it also allows students who can otherwise not be present in class still be able to participate in the lecture – whether live from home or at a later date via class recording. COVID-19 is far from over and it is our job to make sure we keep our peers safe. When contact tracing or recovering from COVID, students can log on to Zoom lectures or view the recorded videos allowing them to continue to participate in class, even if they cannot be there physically. As much as I grew tired of Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting, it allows for more accessibility and flexibility that in-person classes or meetings don’t always have.
Technologies that we have used for education throughout this pandemic have begun to shape and change our learning and teaching experience for the better.
Written by:
Grace Connolly
Barrett Fellow Scholar
Physics
