Communication in activities is super important, but with many roadblocks in the way, it has become difficult. As many people may know, there have been some changes in how the leaders of extracurricular activities stay in touch with students. Band, a messaging platform that keeps students updated in real time, was a significant form of communication for many people in various activities, including Poms, Journalism, Speech, and many more. If Band was such a crucial source for information, why are we switching to something else? A new app has been introduced to the students of the high school, called Rooms. It will be used as the new way coaches/leaders contact their players/groups.
Nathan Usher, senior, is in Choir, Show Choir, Glee Club, Football, Baseball, Track and Field, and National Honor Society (NHS). Given his numerous activities, he will definitely be using the new Rooms app. Usher has been in the choir since fifth grade and has joined many activities since then. “Not doing any activities can get kinda boring,” Usher said. He says that he has the app, but it hasn’t been working right. Some of Usher’s activities that are planning on using the app are NHS, “but other than that, I don’t think many of the other activities are using it yet.” Usher thinks “it could be a good idea if it works, but I think the things we had before, like Email and the Band app, were pretty sufficient as they were already.” But some downsides have already become apparent during the implementation of the app. Usher stressed that people who enjoyed using Band may not want to switch to the Rooms app. Many did enjoy Band for its functionality, but considering Rooms is so new, it’s unknown if they have similar features.
Paige Junge, English teacher and head Speech coach, said, “I’ve only honestly used it once. I was able to get logged in to it pretty easily. I did it on my computer. The one message I sent worked. I have not tried to send messages to students, but I have heard students say they were struggling to get in.” Junge also believes that Rooms is going to be a good idea. “I like the idea of a district-sponsored communication “hub.” I like it because it matches the style of other communication we use today, because not everybody does Email, you want a nice, easy app. It helps protect the school because it keeps everything under the school’s digital policy. If there’s confusion on something the teacher might’ve said to a student, they can look at it as opposed to a private text; they can’t see that.” Junge also thinks it is appropriate to draw a line when it comes to communication. “Like if I’m going to be reaching out to you in a capacity for the district, I think it should be in a more public setting, or an accessible setting as opposed to private messages.” Junge thinks “it’s gonna stick around [the Rooms app] because it does mimic the style of communication that we all are typically doing anyway…I think it’s actually gonna be really nice for teachers to connect with parents… I think that in the future we will have a school or district-sponsored app that we use for communication, and there’s legislation in other states where it’s requiring such things for legal purposes.”
Junge, much like Usher, also believes there are already negatives about the app. “I loved Band. I honestly wish Band had a paid version that schools could purchase because, like I said, I love the idea of a school-wide app so that the students and parents don’t have to bounce between like five different apps…” Junge also notes that Band has many more helpful features than what the current state of Rooms has to offer. “Rooms as an app right now feels a little clunky. I’m hoping it will get better as we use it, the functionality will get better.”
As time progresses, the quality of the app will more than likely progress as well. Rooms could be a great app for communication if used properly; however, with many struggles already occurring in Rooms, it’s hard to say if this is the right app for students.
