As the first full rotation of hybrid scheduling comes to a close, WHHS students are accepting Google Meet as a part of their new school routines, drawing comparisons to their previous experiences of virtual education via Zoom.  

“I like using Google Meet much better than Zoom because all you have to do is click a link to join a class,” said Senior Elise Kosoy. “You don’t have to worry about downloading an app, or inputting a password and number each time you use it.”

While Google Meet lacks most of the advanced features Zoom offers, what it does provide is a quick, video-calling service that can be reached through an easily-accessible link. This one simple and efficient function seems to have earned a substantial amount of favoritism from the student body. 

“Google Meet is just a lot easier to use,” said senior Gabby Fishgrund. “You can join your class in a matter of seconds. Plus, since you can only see a limited number of classmates at a time, the screen is a lot less crowded and distracting than it is on Zoom.”

Once again, in the eyes of the students, the convenience and simplistic setup of Google Meet trumps all of Zoom’s add-ons and accessories, including customizable backgrounds, waiting rooms, and virtual whiteboards. 

While digital conference platforms like these two now play a crucial role in hybrid and remote schedules, they have not always been utilized to this extent. When our normal schedules were first disrupted by the pandemic last spring, Zoom was optional for both teachers and students. Although it was relatively helpful in retaining a sense of educational normalcy in the midst of the COVID crisis, it was not used in the collective or consistent manner that’s currently set in place.

 “I am glad we’re hosting virtual meetings more routinely this year to help make a more engaging remote classroom,” said Graphic Design teacher Patricia Noll. “However, I prefer the setup of Zoom which I used last year. I was able to see the entire class at once and could pre-set the settings for all my classes. I always seem to have a problem with the Google Meet settings each period.”

Whether teachers are comfortable with the functionality of Google Meet or not,  the majority of New Jersey schools have adopted hybrid learning and are using it in place of Zoom. Thus, it’s popularity has dramatically increased, supporting about 100 million meeting participants every day. However, it has yet to surpass Zoom’s 300 million daily participant rate. The majority of that number, however,  consists of business and occupational meetings rather than students.

In regards to the mixed opinions that WHHS students and teachers have expressed, it’s clear that it will still take time to adjust to the features of Google Meet. As we abandon traditional teaching methods and come to terms with this school year’s virtual classrooms, the application itself seems like it is here to stay, keeping us both connected and safe while we wait out the pandemic.