Lincoln East High School's home of Spartan news

The Oracle

Lincoln East High School's home of Spartan news

The Oracle

Lincoln East High School's home of Spartan news

The Oracle

A New Wave of Technology

A+New+Wave+of+Technology

Chromebooks are coming to East next year. As part of the CLASS plan that was approved in 2014, all students at Lincoln East High School will receive a Dell Chromebook 11 at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. While many students are excited about the change, some are not certain that Chromebooks will be the best option for us.

“What is a Chromebook?” Chromebooks are laptop computers that run the Chrome OS and store everything in your Google Drive. These laptops have been praised for their affordability and ease of use, especially in education. The all-day battery life is key for students that will be using their Chromebook all seven periods, and the small form factor makes the device not cumbersome to carry around in contrast to traditional textbooks. On Chromebooks, students will be able to create documents and presentations, use GeoGebra for solving math homework, access their online textbooks for classes and much more. We are entering a new era by using Chromebooks, but that’s not without its caveats.

“I’m not really a fan of the Chromebooks,” said Meredith Gaer (sophomore). “I think looking at any screen all day will put a strain on your brain and affect your learning.”

“Teachers aren’t ready for that switch yet. Some teachers already have issues with their current laptops and it’s just going to cause more problems,” said Dodie Melcher (sophomore).

But, the opinions aren’t all bad.

“It’s going to be a lot easier for the students with not having to carry books,” said Emma Wudel (sophomore).

Riana Lurice Dazon, a Lincoln High/TCA senior who uses a Chromebook every day has had mixed luck in her experience. “There are so many applications that are not compatible with them due to their nature. I am really optimistic to LPS finding a balance between students needs and district regulations. You need to adjust to the technology, and that starts in the classroom,” she tells me.

Derek Funk, an English teacher at East, has been piloting the Chromebooks in his classes. Students have been using them to write narratives, read stories, and open documents. Besides initial hiccups in the beginning, things have gone well. He thinks that both teachers and students can appreciate the laptops. He also likes that students who wouldn’t otherwise have access to a computer at home, now have that opportunity. “It’s great for lower income students who can’t afford internet or can’t afford a computer.”

There’s a good chance this new foray into technology will be stressful, complicated, and could impact education in ways that we’ve not expected. We’re doing what we’ve always done, just doing it differently.