As the COVID-19 continues, it is not only just transportation systems and travel agencies that are taking a toll, but also it is high school and college students who are seeking a high-quality education. Not to mention that their standardized tests, such as SAT, are getting canceled worldwide, their education itself is being converted to the popular calling software, Zoom. The transition to this software has raised many questions regarding the quality, accessibility, and worthiness of the education provided.

In my personal experience, receiving lessons over Zoom has reduced my entire school learning to a few video calls. Not only is it impossible to do previously planned activities for the lessons but also it simply is different doing classwork without the teacher’s physical presence. The teachers watching over me in the form of pixels while I am comfortably sitting in my room in cozy clothes merely does not feel the same, and it has affected my motivation for my courses. After all, one wifi disconnection could disrupt the flow of the entire lesson.

I am certain that this opinion is shared not just from me, but for students all around the world. There have been numerous cases worldwide where zoom calls have been hacked and hijacked. This has taken place in many forms: “Zoombombing” (in which random users with access to the link unexpectedly “bomb” the call), Dark Web incidences (in which 500,000 hacked zoom accounts were given away), and private Zoom recording exposures. This compromises the security and privacy of the users. When students are exposed to such risks, it is impossible to feel as safe and stable as in actual classrooms.

Due to these inconveniences, many college students are considering taking gap semesters. Although some people may see this as an overly sensitive response, these dire situations call for desperate measures. For now, we can only do our best with the status quo and wait for the end of this pandemic to return to our normal lives and catch up to what we have missed.

최윤영 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

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