The coronavirus quarantine has forced students and parents alike to rely on technology to ease their at-home lifestyle, but various students have raised the question on whether the amount of technology in our lives is helping or hurting us.
Mark Hou and Kimberley Chovanak provided a glimpse into their new quarantine lifestyle, as well as the pros and cons of online schooling.
Hou, a freshman at MIHS, has stayed connected through video games and group chats with close friends.
“I think, given the circumstances, it’s helping because if we were quarantined and there wasn’t technology, we wouldn’t be able to connect. I mean, maybe we could mail, but even that’s risky because of the coronavirus,” Hou said. “If it’s on the basis of how school was vs. now, it’s a bit of a downgrade, but I think it’s helping.”
Kimberley Chovanak, an MIHS Sophomore, said she has been spending more time with family and going on runs with friends (while socially distanced) when she can.
Chovanak said that social media has been given a new meaning in her life because of the quarantine.
“I’ve actually been using Instagram for educational purposes,” Chovanak said. “Before quarantine, I would go on and be like ‘haha, funny memes,’ but since none of my friends are posting a whole lot, there is a lot more stuff about music theory in my feed, and now I’m like ‘Huh that’s really interesting!’”
Though she isn’t using technology as much as others might at times like this, Chovanak agrees with Hou that the resource is beneficial.
“I really like how we’re responsible for our education because if we really want to go above and beyond in a class, it’s up to us, and the teacher just provides the resources,” Chovanak said.
It is obvious that our learning as high schoolers would be better enriched by one-on-one interactions with teachers, but technology does provide an outlet for education and communication for students, which is vital to our growth as scholars, as well as individuals. The conditions aren’t the best, but we’re making the best of the conditions.
