With Bonita Vista High (BVH) recently returning to in-person learning in the form of a hybrid schedule, all teachers on campus have received new technological resources such as flat screens, microphones and cameras. The district provided this equipment in order to make teaching easier for teachers and students, including students who have not returned to school.

“Every classroom has a 75-inch interactive flat screen, and that was something that was at the site level. We decided that it was part of our infrastructure we wanted,” BVH Principal Roman Del Rosario, Ed.D said. “How much do we use to buy technology beyond what the district provides? At the school site level, there are really important decisions that have influence over how we spend our money.”

Advanced Placement (AP) Literature & Composition teacher and Yearbook Advisor Juan Gabriel Garcia explained that the new technology helps better facilitate the hybrid learning process.

“It allows for students who are in class to stay engaged in a way that simply staring at their personal screen does not,” Garcia said. “I can alternate between clicking my trackpad or clicking the screen which again makes for more physical engagement than just sitting in front of the computer.”

In contrast, English 9 Accelerated and International Baccalaureate (IB) Literature teacher Raymond Chhan does not believe these new resources have necessarily made online teaching or learning easier.

“There are some limitations with the smart boards. For example, annotations or notes that I make on a document with the smartboard are not visible to students viewing the document online. It only affects the smartboard itself. It is helpful for students who are in person, though,” Chhan said.