While COVID-19 was harmful to our society in many ways, there are a few positive effects that come from the time students spent online during the period of quarantine. Students learned how to become more sufficient in using technology, stay informed, and why social interaction in their lives is so important.

“It ultimately made us value in-person social activities much more as we realized the stronger relationships and cohesiveness of being able to shake someone’s hand or exchange words without having to press an unmute button,” junior Ishan Mehta said.

Through what felt like an eternity of online schooling, students were confined to meeting peers and making relationships through a small black screen on a computer. Students were being deprived of an essential part to effective learning; social interaction. 

The lack of social interaction that was possible due to the learning arrangements at the time were damaging students’ social lives, leading to a lack of confidence and an increase in depression because of the isolation that students were forced into. Because of this horrible time, students were able to learn how important it is that they communicate and interact with their peers both during school and out of it. “It showed me that it is very hard to replace real life interactions with any pseudo-interactions,” junior Aiden Stewart said.

Through the hours of time spent on technology, many students feel that they gained an increased knowledge of the technology that they use every day. “I got better at communication online through email and messaging systems like discord and iMessage,” Stewart said. 

The increased knowledge of technology is also beneficial to students because of the direction our society is heading. In the future, technology will most likely be used more as new technology comes out. Having this period of time engulfed in technology may have been beneficial to students who were not so tech savvy. The period of online schooling forced everyone to learn how to communicate through technology, which helps prepare students for the future. 

“I think the pandemic enabled me to become better versed with technology in general. I already knew the basic functions and features of my computer and similar devices, but the pandemic forced me to delve further into the sophistications of each. Considering the growing age of modernization, the effects of COVID actually helped me get better prepared for technology-related things, and thus, the future,” said Mehta.

Although COVID-19 was detrimental to students, there were still some positive lessons learned from the time in isolation. Students learned how to better use technology in their daily lives in addition to school. Many students relied on technology for interaction with their peers. Students also realized the importance of social interaction in the process of learning and in everyday life. The positive lessons that students learned through this time will prove to be beneficial to society in the future.