Recently an announcement was sent out addressed to parents and students from the district:
“The administration of Mariemont High School is piloting a program during the 4th quarter where by students will be permitted to bring their personal laptops/netbooks/iPads and other tablet devices to school for use in the classroom.”
This has been something that has been bubbling underneath in library chatter and before-class small talk throughout the year but came to surface during the netbook pilot run.
Dr. Renner explained, “Many students had netbook complaints. Some said they would rather just use what they have at home.” He went on to say many netbook-pilot students were leaving their netbooks at school because of this but in the classroom the any-time access was an excellent tool.
He said, “We are in a time where we have to do more with less.” So letting students use their own, perhaps better quality technology is the best solution.
Junior teacher Mrs. Toepfer said, “I’m eager for students to have access to laptops in the classroom again.” She said she was pleased with the netbook pilot program. Mrs. Toepfer was a teacher for great number of the students involved in the first netbook pilot. With netbooks, her classes were able to access their classwork and handouts online, she said. “If every student had access I could stop killing so many trees,” she added.
Some are wondering about potential issues created by such access to technology. In interviewing several students they seem to identify students gaming as the biggest problem with the program.
Dr. Renner’s solution: “If you are not using it, it is not out.” This means if a student is not using it for classwork then it cannot be out.
Mrs. Toepfer also commented on this saying “it is a very real concern. I would have to monitor for such things.” They both said they would have to take each instance on a case-by-case method seeing as the school is just trying this out.
Many students are looking forward to simple benefits of this such as holding all their files in one place rather than using the less- than-reliable VPN or other methods. “I won’t be loosing information anymore. All my work will be in one place,” remarked Senior Alex Utt. His main worry is students abusing the privilege and ruining it for others.
Mathew York, a senior, agreed saying “at first it will be a distraction but the way technology has been going, one-to-one is bound to happen.” He thinks over all it is a good thing going. He said, “It makes everything centralized and a less-paper more computer- based direction is a good direction.”
The first fifty students to pick up the form from Dr. Renner’s office will become the accepted pilot group, the forms have been available since Tuesday. This cohort of students will determine if Mariemont will allow all students to bring personal devices in the future.
Dr. Renner added “Teachers and students shouldn’t feel that they have to use the technology. I hope they only use it when it is beneficial to the classroom.” Over the next few months of school we will see if personal devices become a distraction or an educational aid, maybe something in between.
