Audrey Carr, Editor-in-Chief
@audreyccourant
When standing at tables to hand out copies, my enthusiasm for the effort members of the Courant put into their pages radiates as I hand students the latest Courant issue. I constantly see students open the paper, glance through the photos, and put it down. Students are reluctant to utilize the QR codes that take them to The Courant website. Most students have mobile devices that can be used to scan the QR codes in our paper; yet most are unaware of the possibilities that the website provides.
Avid online reader Rubina Isfahani explains the importance of reading the Courant. “I think the website is a valuable, user-friendly resource that keeps you up to date on what is happening around the schools,”she said.
Rubina has noticed that several of her peers don’t access the website and feels it is not mentioned frequently enough. “Linking the Courant website to the Weekly Update could be a great way to make students aware of this resource,” she said. “Broadcasting the website in this way will benefit students who would normally look forward to receiving a physical copy of the Courant, but will now have access to frequently published articles.”
When reading the physical copy of the Courant, students’ attention is drawn mostly to the media. “I always read the entire stories but when looking through your eyes automatically go to the pictures. I think the caption underneath is what most students read and they will continue to read the entirety of the story based on the caption and pictures,” Rubina said.
If students were to use the QR codes embedded in our stories they would be exposed to a whole new array of media on our website which includes: audio stories, video stories, podcasts, and photo galleries. If so many students are looking at the photos in the print version, why shouldn’t they have access to a wider variety of media on the web page?
Perhaps, as Rubina points out, if students had more access to and awareness of the digital Courant, they’d be more likely to take advantage of it. A mobile app for The Courant is in development and will provide accessibility. Students are regularly on their phones checking on social media platforms, so the app could easily become part of this daily practice, providing an accessible resource for students at any given point in time. The mobile app is minimalist, and the design is targeted for first-time users. It will only take a simple tap of an icon to load content.
