The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped education almost overnight. Across the nation, students were forced to do all of their work online—a massive shift that gave teachers little time to adjust to a new environment. Despite the five years that have passed since the lockdown started, the pandemic’s effect on technology use is still seen in M-A classrooms.
While some teachers used Canvas before COVID, teachers who weren’t as familiar with the resource had to adapt quickly. “COVID was the first year I came to M-A,” Spanish teacher Michael Mueller said. “It was really tough to learn how to use Canvas effectively, but I love it so much now, and I can’t imagine going back to what it was like just five years ago and not having that resource.”
While teachers have regained the option to assign physical handouts and worksheets, many have continued to rely on online resources. “During COVID, a lot was online. I think some of that has stuck around, in the same way that people working from home have continued working from home,” senior Sam Goldman said.
“I’ve learned how to use Canvas a lot more to my advantage,” Spanish teacher Julieta Oropeza-Gamez said. “For example, if I’m ever absent, I can put an assignment online.”
Through COVID, teachers have discovered new online resources and methods to help them teach their classes. According to a 2021 survey, 40% of U.S. adults said they used digital technology in a new or different way since the beginning of the COVID outbreak.
Online resources are often more efficient and easier to assign than physical handouts and assignments. “When I had to make copies in the copy room, it used to be packed,” Oropeza-Gamez added. “After we came back from COVID, I didn’t see as many teachers waiting for a copy.”
“Technology has impacted my students for the better. We just have so much information at our fingertips,” English teacher Abigail Korman said.
Similarly, many students gravitated towards digital assignments rather than paper assignments. “I prefer online assignments because I feel like it’s faster and easier for me,” sophomore Marvin Guardado said.
“My handwriting is pretty bad, so I like online assignments if we’re answering questions,” freshman Conor Wall said.
However, some teachers still prefer paper use in their classrooms. “Research has demonstrated that kids tend to retain more information if you physically write it,” Biology teacher Patrick Roisen said.
According to a 2014 study, students who take notes on paper absorb more knowledge than students who take notes on their laptop. Note-taking on laptops tends to transcribe lectures word-for-word rather than actually processing the information.
Despite using this more traditional approach, Roisen still utilizes online resources. “It’s very easy for me to make videos of notes for kids who miss it because I just record the zoom meetings,” Roisen said. “There’s also an application called EdPuzzle which makes it easy to show videos in class. Instead of using worksheets, they can answer the questions online.”
However, for some teachers who were already comfortable with technology, computer use hasn’t changed much since the pandemic. “I haven’t learned a lot about technology through COVID. My generation grew up with computers, and I just learned about it over time,” World History teacher Marcus Kevorkyan said.
Cheating has also led teachers to return to paper assignments. “After we came back to the classroom, we used Chromebooks more. After A.I. started becoming a bigger thing, we have gone back to more paper and pen things,” Wan said.
Students agreed that digital assignments can lead to academic dishonesty. “It’s definitely easier to cheat with online assignments,” Wall said.
It’s not just on a high school level—many universities have seen an increase in cheating since the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, at Virginia Commonwealth University, reports of academic misconduct tripled between the 2020-21 school year and the prior year.
Despite using paper in her classroom, Wan still aims to cover properly using online resources.
The COVID outbreak drastically shifted how computers are used at M-A. While both online and paper assignments provide unique opportunities, each also has its own limitations. As classrooms continue to evolve, we should aim to find a balanced approach that utilizes the strengths of both to best support student learning.
