Exclusively Digital Curriculum Needed
October 18, 2016
Should laptops replace textbooks?
Technology can literally lighten the student work load. My backpack is almost filled to the brim each day with notebooks, pencils, textbooks. But in biology I don’t need any of those traditional supplies because I use a school issued Chormebook.
A completely electronic classroom allows students to turn in their homework using cloud based software like Google Classroom. Turning in reports, essays, and homework using Google Classroom has been far less stressful for me in classes like in Ms. Jackman’s Biology course.
Laptops are also great for taking notes. Freshmen Annie McClain said, “It’s easier to type when taking notes because it is faster.” If I’m writing things out by hand, the teacher usually moves onto the next topic while I’m still in the middle of a sentence.
Using laptops for group work makes it easier for students to share documents and collaborate on assignments, even when they are not physically in the same place. I use Google docs to compose assignments like this article, because I am able to communicate and share with my partner after school without needing to set up a face to face meeting.
Additionally, students who interacted daily with laptops and iPads increased their math scores by 20% in one year, according to a study done by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in California.
It is true that technology can be temperamental at times, and having access to the web offers up a power set of distractions. Louisvillelawreview.org reports that 90% of high school student laptop users were distracted for five minutes, and 60% of the students were distracted for half the class. Nevertheless, the benefits make these minor setbacks worth it.
According to usnews.com, 78% of high school students reported that having laptops made them feel more engaged in the class.
The shift toward a paperless curriculum where every student arrives on campus with a laptop is a positive one. I hope that the one to one device programs in science and social studies at Campolindo prove to be just the beginning of a school-wide movement toward exclusively digital curriculum.
