Discord – An academic tool ?

Over the course of the last 16 months, online learning has been the dreadful but only way for students to learn. Seeing 25 faces on a zoom screen, will never, no matter what the circumstance match up to the comfort of being in a classroom. Studying or not, ( most-times not ), the attachment us students who are unfortunately being forced to do online learning have to our classrooms is massive. Maybe it’s just sitting at a window seat and the gentle breeze hitting you, or having the comfort that everyone else in this room is also going through the same anxiety and nerves during an exam, is comforting. It feels good to know that you’re not alone.

While some students may argue that online learning has some benefits and is way more convenient, the benefits being online exams ( if you know what I mean ), the fact that you can switch off your video and mute yourself as per your mood and sleep is just a blink away, I don’t think a single student on the face of this planet wouldn’t want to go back to school and our oh so glorious classrooms.

Adapting to online learning came a little easier to some people than others. Personally, I miss my classroom because being in an environment like that of a classroom, my brain’s light was on and I was in an environment that I could be held accountable in by my fellow students if I wasn’t studying or being productive. Our generation seems to have found a way to make online learning cater to our needs as well. Areas over the internet like #StudyWithMe videos on youtube and the #StudyTogether server on discord are places students go to seek comfort and share the vibe.

Both are extremely effective places to study with other students, and feel like you aren’t studying alone, but in my opinion , Discord is the way to go! Discord has been becoming exceedingly popular in India. Children starting from 12 years of age are now using discord as their primary source to communicate with one another. Be it sharing homework or mid-class chatter on #general servers or particular dedicated servers for any possible thing you could think of.

Talent shows, movie clubs, book clubs, college advice! You name it and there is a server for it.

Students in India, including my sibling and I wholeheartedly use the #StudyTogether server on Discord in an attempt to duplicate the environment of having study buddies. Most social media influencers now have their own discord servers with multiple channels to cater to different needs. Social media star, Avanti Nagral is one such person. Her discord server has now become a place where her supporters interact.

There are different channels on her server, Talent Shows, College Advice ( this is quite a popular one, since she is a Harvard university graduate ), comfort rooms to name a few! The COVID-19 Pandemic has forever paved the way for remote and online learning. Discord keeps proving itself over and over again as a platform. Video calls, audio calls, dedicated discord servers, this platform has the best of all words.