Even before the pandemic, schools were converting to virtual classes and assignments with the addition of school-wide laptops. But, with the onset of the pandemic and quarantine, schools went entirely virtual making use of new platforms such as Zoom and Google Classroom.

Now that we are back in person, there is a mix of new technology–as teachers still make use of Classroom–and traditional paper handouts, as well. 

Reactions to this have been pretty mixed, I’ve heard many people praise and tear down the switch to virtual. Some of my classes even have zero paper assignments.

Was the move to online assignments worth it or not? Both virtual and hard copy have pros and cons. 

Paper assignments are less convenient, it’s much harder to connect with a teacher for questions on the assignment outside of class, and they can’t be completed everywhere and anywhere like virtual assignments can.

Online assignments have the benefit of being entirely portable, being able to be completed anywhere with an internet connection. Google apps can even be accessed on a smartphone so there’s almost zero excuses in regard to finding and completing assignments.

In the 21 century, I think the ability to do my work anywhere and anytime is paramount.

On the other hand, junior Joshua Myers said that it would be beneficial for everybody to switch to entirely paper assignments.

“One, you have this specific piece of paper you are given, right, so you’re not going to get this list of crap and other stuff they put here (Google Classroom) and have to be like no, this is the one you turn it in on.”

Myers mentioned the simplicity of it all, something I also agree with. With this, there’s the downside of it being too simple, losing one paper gives you no chance to complete it without getting an extra or finding the paper. 

Very likely, teachers would have a different outlook on this since they are creating, posting, and planning the assignments while students only have to worry about completing them. 

Updegrove seemed to be in favor of the push for online, stating that, “At this point, I think we should be more virtual than physical, especially on the sole fact that organization is not key functioned on anyone (students).”

He also said digital work allows for everything to be in one place at one time. This is something I can see a lot of teachers siding with.

He also said,“You have access to it no matter where you are at any point, so you don’t need a paper version of it you can’t “find” it; it’s right there for you on any device that you choose”. 

Organization plays a factor in both points made by students and staff, and at the end of the day it comes down to a preference.