SCROLLING BEFORE SCHOOLING

How the Classroom, the Student, and the Scroll Have Redefined Learning

- Words By: Aadithya Harish

The morning SCROLL, A NEW KIND OF ROUTINE

The day begins not with the chirp of birds or the whistle of the school bus but with the familiar glow of a screen. Before the first bell rings, students everywhere are already knee-deep in feeds, reels, and trending topics. What used to be a quick breakfast before rushing out the door has turned into 10 minutes (or more) of scrolling, checking updates, memes, AI study summaries, and even morning motivation clips.

This “scroll before school” culture isn’t just a habit; it’s a reflection of a new world order. Information is no longer confined to classrooms; it’s streaming 24/7. The phone that once distracted students from studies now teaches them through short-form videos, AI-generated notes, and interactive apps.

Gone are the days when “homework” meant notebooks and pens. Now, it’s PDFs, Google Docs, and cloud storage. Students share lecture notes over WhatsApp groups and discuss exam prep on Discord servers. Even attendance reminders are sent via push notifications.

It’s easy to dismiss this digital transformation as overdependence on technology, but in truth, it’s an evolution. The way students learn, socialise, and even think has changed. Education has moved beyond four walls, and scrolling has become the new morning warm-up.

FROM CHALK DUST TO CLOUD DRIVES: HOW CLASSROOMS CHANGED FOREVER

If you grew up in the early 2000s, you remember the sound of chalk squeaking on blackboards and the teacher's red pen correcting your notebook. Today's students are more likely to see a laser pointer or stylus gliding across a smartboard. Classrooms have evolved from analogue spaces into digital ecosystems.