The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

Chromebook Review Through the First Marking Period

Chromebook+Review+Through+the+First+Marking+Period

The Chromebook is the newest form of technology to come to Saint Peter’s Prep in an attempt for 1 to 1 (1:1) technology. This has completely changed the way the school works and how people communicate with each other. The school has made this attempt in order to make Prep more technologically advanced while offering students new platforms for lessons and instructions. As with most new initiatives, there are a number of benefits from the incorporation of these devices; however, there are also a few pitfalls.

The Chromebook is positive for Prep since it opens the school to a new style of learning. With the Chromebooks, students can easily take notes that are automatically stored and more organized than in a notebook. Also, because of all the apps Prep has linked with the Chromebooks, students no longer need to take home a significant amount of books, which would normally weigh down their bags. This prevents any back issues from developing, which does happen to students who are forced to bring home multiple textbooks everyday. The Chromebook makes Prep much more environmentally aware and friendly as the teachers no longer have to print out relevant materials they want to give their students; instead they can simply share those documents or media activities with them through one of Prep’s many apps. Students can do assignments at a moment’s notice by the Chromebook’s offline capabilities and long lasting battery life. The first wave of Chromebooks, despite initial uncertainties and concerns, have proven to be a great resource for students who like to be connected with their teachers and have the ability to work in a new, more efficient way.

Despite being great sources of educational technology, the Chromebooks have shortcomings as well. One effect that the Chromebooks seem to have on students is provided moments of confusion. This ranges from figuring out assignments and due dates to remembering passwords for the various websites used for a student’s various classes. Billy Fitzpatrick, a member of the class of  2016, had this to say about the confusion resulting from 1 to 1 technology: “There have been frustrations and growing pains in getting accustomed to the new culture of learning. One way in particular… is the fact that students who established a routine in the earlier stages of their Prep careers now have to re-create a whole new organizational method.” Changes in routine can be sources of confusion and dismay because students who had previously been accustomed to using pencil and paper to take notes now have to find a way to organize themselves and study mostly through Google Drive. In addition, almost every teacher has their own website or websites that a student must check every day in order to be updated on assignments and due dates, which can become burdensome. It is clear that, although being able to access almost all of the information one may need for school on one device is convenient, it has also caused growing pains for students not familiar with this type of platform.

Another negative outcome of the implementing of 1 to 1 technology at Prep is that the Chromebooks tend to be a root cause for distracted moments in the classroom. Prep’s technology department does its best to limit the Chromebooks, limiting them for educational purposes. However, there are still programs through which the Barracuda and other firewalls may be breached. Auggie Burkhardt, another member of 2016, commented on these possible distractions and said this: “It is easier to become distracted by the Chromebooks in class because you’re tempted to search the web or play games since the Chromebook basically acts as a barrier between you and the teacher.” This comment raises another good point about in-class distraction enabled by the Chromebooks, which is that it may make it harder for teachers to gauge student interaction with and understanding of material.

The resources provided by the Chromebook are helpful for education and clearly a step in the right direction in terms of addressing technological advances; however, the responsibility of using the devices correctly falls squarely on the shoulders of students.