By James Kulp

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, the country is under a mass shutdown. On March 23, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) officially announced that schools, both public and private, would remain closed for the duration of the school year. This closure did not come as a complete surprise after the virus’ spread and seriousness became apparent. However, it does not change the devastating impact it has on the Collegiate community. The question remained: How would Collegiate continue to educate students from home in order to maintain social distancing and the safety of the students and faculty? One answer, as of now, is the use of Zoom. 

As Collegiate students, we are lucky that all hope to continue learning is not lost. Each student in the Upper School has a laptop, and Middle Schoolers and some Lower Schoolers are issued Chromebooks, giving a majority of students access to Zoom and other online learning platforms. Zoom is a video-conferencing software app, similar to Skype, that allows classes to meet in online meeting rooms. Zoom uses the computer’s camera and microphone to show a live video depicting each student and teacher in the class. Each teacher has a link to their specific class, and the students simply log on and see one another in small windows in real time. It is relatively intuitive and easy to use, while also providing various other features to help teachers instruct students as they normally would. 

One of these helpful features include a green highlight around the speaker’s window to make it clear which member of the class is speaking. Within Zoom, teachers and students can also share their screen with the rest of the class. This feature is quite useful, because it allows teachers to use presentation slides or show the class videos, as if they had a  classroom projector. Furthermore, in a math class, I was taught how to share my phone’s camera view by connecting it to my computer to show classmates a math problem, instead of trying to describe my work. Students are encouraged to mute their microphones when not communicating with classmates or asking questions to cut down on background noise and further distractions. 

Feedback around Zoom has been mixed. B Pollard (’21) rightly points out that “it is probably the best way to continue our education.” However, Matthew Rowe (’21) said, “while Zoom is adequate, the scenario we are all in is far from ideal.” Zoom requires students to sit in front of their screen for 50 minutes at a time for each class. This prolonged screen time raises concern about too much screen time over the course of the day. To mitigate this issue, much to the delight of many Collegiate students, Upper School days are significantly shorter than they were in the normal routine before Spring Break. Yet staying in one place in front of a screen, even for three or four classes, is still taxing on the mind and body. Trey Hepp (21’) says one of his favorite parts of Zoom is the breakout rooms, because “they make it feel like a normal classroom.” Breakout rooms allow teachers to split students into small groups to work on problems or discuss questions in a smaller setting.

Teachers are looking into how to best administer tests and quizzes. Just last week, I tilted my screen downward to let my Spanish teacher, Esperanza Soria-Nieto, watch me write graded sentences, and I sent her a photo of the answers when I was finished. Collegiate’s Honor Code is still in full force and effect and taken seriously. However, teachers want to provide the most test-like environment, where temptations to cheat are minimal. 

Distractions during Zoom classes are prevalent as well. Digital devices, pets and family members wandering into frame, noise from several different backgrounds, and open computer windows are just a few examples of barriers to optimal focus. Conversely, other students find that having the mute option is a helpful tool when compared with a normal classroom setting, where students are easily distracted by each other, given the close physical contact. Finally, Zoom is an online tool, and although it has been mostly reliable, technical difficulties, unstable wifi connections, or computer malfunctions often pose a problem. Now that the popularity of Zoom’s online conferencing tools has soared around the country, security issues have also plagued the app.

The most pressing issue is not with Zoom itself, but the mere fact that it’s not the same manner and method of learning we’ve had since Kindergarten. The consensus among many of the students I spoke with is that the novelty of waking up later and having shorter school days is wearing off, and everyone just wants to be back together again. Upper School math teacher David Kehlenbeck noted that “students and teachers don’t have the same rapport, and though it will never be a replacement, it is certainly better than nothing.” What I can say is that Collegiate students are quite fortunate to have an avenue to continue learning. Many students have no way to do so.   

Featured image courtesy of Zoom.