Amber Lee ‘24
There is always at least one student in our classes that has problems with his or her Zoom or Canvas page. The types of issues are diverse: poor internet connection, VPN issues, lag, dropped links and so on. Students and faculty at St. Mark’s are constantly in conflict with technology issues, especially due to the unexpected remote learning environment that has been thrusted upon us. It compels us to face unprecedented complications in diverse dimensions, and one of the biggest challenges for everyone is the technology that is utilized. Applications such as Zoom and Canvas make it easier to connect the remote students with their teachers and allow them to actively participate in class as usual, however, there are limits to what technology can do, both the applications and the devices. Not only are students struggling with technology problems, but also teachers are frustrated when dealing with new tech issues. In the yellow-block global seminar class, there is one remote student, JC. I interviewed JC and his teacher, Mr. Corazzini, to talk about their experiences.
Mr. Corazzini
“With the current classroom dynamic, we have an advantage in that JC is the only remote student. With a lot of other teachers, you see them use their computer for zoom, an external camera, and in many cases an iPad to do lecture notes. Because JC is the only remote student, we truly only have to use the computer in order for him to feel like a part of what is going on in our activities.
Zoom is a pleasant surprise in that JC gets to see everyone's faces and even though he is many miles away, he can interact with the class and get an opportunity to know personalities as he participates in breakout rooms. The limitation of the technology is because of our lack of access to an iPad and then our ability to move the external camera that we were given.
The external camera is small and we are not able to mount it in a way that gives JC the ability to see the panoramic view of all the students. All he can see is about four students when we turn it. If we had access to another iPad, I would have the ability to do a split-screen of JC and those on zoom and give people the ability to see lecture notes!”
Zhun (JC) Chen
“Our teachers try their best to make remote students engage. But remote students can’t see other people, and it’s hard to build relationships or ask for help.
When your classmates are talking, it’s hard to understand because the computer is usually set near the teacher. It’s also really easy to miss homework assignments and hard to keep track of time. Teachers reply to your emails a day late or they take forever. Zoom is laggy sometimes. Also, looking at your computer for a whole day hurts your eyes.
But in zoom, it’s really easy to collaborate on some group works. And being able to see your total grade calculations for each course on canvas works really well as an inspiration or encouragement.”
Although situations and technology difficulties cannot be predicted nor dealt with easily, everyone at St. Mark’s is trying their best to make it work. Teachers have experimented with various applications and methods in order to provide remote students with equal experiences, and students are working hard to stay on top of their workload and confusing schedule. During unexpected and unprepared times like this, it is crucial that each member of our community plays their part to the best of their ability, and also trys to understand each other with generous hearts. Despite frustrating circumstances such as tech issues, people are always eager to continue attempting and putting effort. I strongly believe that this atmosphere and environment will enable us to overcome COVID.