THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION TAKING THE FACTORY OUT OF SCHOOLS
CAMDEN BENESH With colleges mostly back to in-person classes and lifted mask mandates, a sense of normalcy is somewhat present again within the classroom environment. Attending class through a variety of options, rather than just in person, begs the question: where is the future of education headed? Oftentimes, I fantasize about groundbreaking technology usually seen in science fiction. Whether education is led by an artificial intelligence (AI)—like the self-learning pods seen on planet Vulcan in the 2009 Star Trek film—or maybe we’ll just be able to plug into an outlet and have information dumped into us like robots a la The Matrix. For some, attending class on Zoom feels very futuristic. The future of education is quite intriguing. While Zoom is a convenient tool for orchestrating online learning, it became the norm for quite some time. So, is remote learning here to stay? Or will it be known as something relegated to the early 2020s? Zoom allows flexibility for those who can’t be physically present, and the platform illustrates just how far technology has come. It’s very useful for connecting communities far and wide. Learning from home might alleviate the pressure students have felt going to in-person classes—learning is just a click away from the comfort of home. But this convenience, while beneficial, also comes at a price as more specific and hands-on classes feel lackluster. How is one supposed to learn how to weld if they can’t even come into class? How can they dissect a frog without proper direction, let alone getting a dead frog to their house? How can one play volleyball online? Schools didn’t really have the choice at the beginning of the pandemic to keep in-person classes going, but many of us have pondered why we’ve spent so much money on tuition just to learn online. The pros and cons vary person-to-person, but at some point, we’ve all experienced the drawbacks of online learning. Zoom fatigue is very real. “Seeing yourself in a video chat, excessive eye contact, and reduced mobility are a few of many causes of Zoom fatigue,” wrote Vignesh Ramachandran for Stanford News of a recent peer-reviewed study. Zoom brought new tools to the table—but not without new sets of problems. Teachers have had to navigate the world of blank screens and shoddy internet connections. And let’s face it, I know everyone loves breakout groups, but it really doesn’t get better than being in-person. Conversely, as we resume learning in-person, the classroom environment might not be the best thing to continue as we move forward. While a lecture format works for some, changing the classroom dynamic is something we might see in the coming years. With the almighty, powerful and scary internet, the scope of individualized learning might become increas-
WHITNEY GRIFFITH
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OPINION
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
