The Moeller Crusader Asked About Classroom 2.0, the Students Answered
Zaragoza House Captain Jack Land demonstrates the proper way to sit the new desks.
Picture by: Jimmy George
By Jimmy George and Tim Coyne
Moeller has gone through many changes through the last couple of years, including updates to all of the classrooms in the main hallways. This fall The Moeller Crusader staff collected data from the students on what they like and dislike about the new classrooms. Moeller updated the classrooms to help improve the learning experience of the Moeller students. The class of 2021 was the last class who knew what it was like to sit in a room with no air conditioning, traditional desks that have been here for years, and chalkboards mounted to the walls since the 1960’s.
The classrooms have now done a full 180. The chairs are all on wheels with a pivoting desk surface to do work. About 32% of the 250 students surveyed rated the new desk as a good improvement to the classroom. This number could be higher, however many students commented that the desks were not as easy to fall asleep in given a smaller surface to lay your head.
The days of continually wiping sweat from your brow are now gone. One of the biggest and most welcomed additions to the new classrooms is the air conditioning. When given nine new additions to choose from, 20% of Moeller students think the best new addition was the air conditioning. Teachers like Mr. Girard, Mr. Blum, and Mr. Faller clearly love the air conditioning perhaps a bit too much; their rooms were rated as the three coldest in the building. We think alumni would agree and talk about the good ‘ole days when they came to school in mass dress code everyday with no AC.
Teachers and students have been using the new technology to their advantages by connecting to the smart boards and projectors in easier ways. Students love the screens because it allows for new ways of learning and peer revisions on essays. Even though Mr. Ward may not like them, the white boards are were seen as an improvement from the students’ perspective. The new boards allow more of an opportunity to go the board and work out problems as a class or brainstorm ideas for an assignment.
The new rooms also make it easier to charge your computers. With over 20 new plugs per classroom, over 80% of students polled have said charging their computer has become easier. The outlets also allow for phone charging to be possible with two USB ports between each outlet. Unfortunately, it has become extremely difficult to charge our phones because of the new pockets in every classroom. All Moeller students dislike the phone cubbies saying they feel like they are not being treated with the maturity and respect that Moeller says they want us to have.
Senior Ethan Holley taking advantage of all the plugs to rejuvenate all of his devices.
Picture by: Jimmy George
Finally, Moeller students left comments on the survey about some of the additions they wish they would have seen with these renovations. For starters, the one addition Moeller forgot to factor into these rooms are clocks. We have clocks on our tablets, but not all classes use your tablets. There are clocks in the hallways and science rooms, however in the Classrooms 2.0 the only way to tell time is by your tablet.
Other students mention the possibility of there being cameras or a new streaming service for the days they are absent. The idea being, guys could tune into a lecture while being home sick. While 72% of students oppose this addition, it would allow for students to stay caught up with work and material being taught that day. We would venture to guess that many teachers wouldn’t like this idea either. Mr. Jackson stated, “I’m a teacher, not vlogger.”
If you haven’t taken the survey Mr. Jackson sent out, check it out here. *Yes we know that it appears your answers are being erased. Fear not, they are being accurately recorded as you’re going through the survey.
*As more results come in, we can update this story with more accurate numbers.