One app changed the way students learned in a very big way this year. Zoom, an instant video meeting platform. Due to the change of events this year, schools were able to bring face to face learning home to their students. West Bloomfield high school student, seventeen year old Lauren Jordan commented, 

   “Zoom was a really new thing for all of us. For me, it was definitely a burden. Half the time my teachers wouldn’t let me in the meeting because they don’t see me in the waiting room. So if you think about it, the app is convenient but could it use some bug fixes? Yes! It really could”.   

   The experience of seventeen year old West Bloomfield highs Gavin Hardeman had similar problems, stating,

   “I mostly just have problems getting into the Zooms, a lot of my teachers tell me they can’t see me. The app was smart and everything but I prefer facetime. Oh and when I can’t get in, it just goes in powerschool as absent but I try to tell my teachers”. 

   These next couple of students really seemed to enjoy Zoom. West Bloomfield high school student, sixteen year old Keith Scott said,

   “I like the cool features it adds to school. There are breakout rooms, you can share your content, have a profile picture, you can see all the participants and there are polls you can do! I could go on and on but the point is, it’s a cool app. I’m having way more fun on Zoom versus when I was at school. I think it’s just good to embrace it and look at all the positives. I’ve had my small Zoom troubles as well as everybody else but I really like it”. 

   What Scott said is true! There are many features on the app for the teachers and the students, that are easily accessible. 2020 West Bloomfield high graduate eighteen year old Anthony May wanted to add, 

   “I think Zoom affected my little cousin in a pretty good way. That small period before Zoom was up and ready for the students, my cousin seemed to be disconnected with everybody! So when he was able to video chat with all his fourth grade buddies, his spirits were definitely brought up”. 

   Zoom seems to be a very good platform to really connect with so many people all together. Many issues seem to spark with West Bloomfield high school, seventeen year old Alexander Kirk,

   “I feel like it’s a barrier for people who are shy or who have anxiety around people. They may get used to the comfort of their own home without people having

 to see them and turn their camera off on Zoom hiding from the world. I just don’t want these people to be shielded so much to where it really affects their social life”. Kirk continued to add,

“Is Zoom a bad app though? No, it’s not. It was pretty convenient for what we needed it for”. 

  It appears that students, for the most part, are okay with using zoom, but have found several glitches that have impacted their ability to use Zoom, but overall, students would prefer to stay connected and are okay working through the new technology.  Although it is not perfect, students prefer to stay connected.