Student technology was implemented in Littleton Public Schools quite a while ago, and as time progresses, technology proceeds to improve by leaps and bounds. Littleton Public School’s next focus should be funding brand-new student technology for their one-to-one initiative.
The current models of Chromebooks used at our school are outdated and astonishingly slow. One of the models used, the Lenovo N22-20, was intended to be used with students in mind. A more current laptop version was critiqued as a device with “incredible battery life, extremely slow multitasking and running basic functions, poor audio quality, but amazing durability.”
The other model used, the Lenovo 100e, was also aimed at a student audience. The 100e has the same functions as the N22-20, with high durability and battery life but faster processing power than the N22-20 (which does not say much). The screen is something else, with blurry text and poor visual quality.
The computer itself is no longer produced by Lenovo, meaning that there are no more replacements for the ones in use. As time goes on, laptops begin to slow down more and more due to various causes, such as insufficient disk space, software and hard drive corruption, and inadequate technology.
By using the current models, there was a quick experiment run to see how long it would take for the Chromebooks to launch, sign in, and then load three tabs: Google Classroom, Google Drive, and a Google Doc related to the assignment, three of which are a staple in a school environment. It took approximately three minutes and twenty seconds for the N22-20 and about one minute and thirty-four seconds for the 100e, which may not seem like much but is a massive loss of time in the classroom, especially with multiple students in the room using different models.
This is not to mention the struggle that is Chromebooks crashing pages multiple times while in class. The Chrome Operating System (OS) is also very limiting to students. Multiple classes use different programs that cannot be utilized on a Chromebook, so it is very limiting to people who wish to use Photoshop, coding applications, and other software. The interface is nearly completely incompetent compared to other systems, which can collect things on a desktop in folders, search for files on computers more conveniently, and complete tasks quicker. It is evident that these models were purchased with younger students in mind, but it is almost mandatory for high school students to have more than one tab open at a time.
Buying every school in the district a new computer can be pretty expensive, but people should do their classwork at a high school level without waiting for 5 minutes to load a page. Suppose there are restrictions that the school is concerned about. In that case, Windows allows for a computer tracking system, robust firewall choices, and the same website blocker can also be used on the operating system. If durability is an issue, students should be held more accountable for their repairs and damage. More than ever, computers have been used in the previous school years.
Technology has been heavily relied upon for instruction, learning, and doing assignments during the past two years. Students needed to be able to work from home. Using a Chromebook for Google Meets was incredibly sluggish and almost inaccessible. Not every student has access to a stronger personal computer than a Chromebook, so it was complicated to get things done. Not only that, students and teachers alike recognized that technology is a new dependence in the classroom, so an upgrade is in order. This year, much work is on Google Classroom rather than pen and paper, and it does not seem like things will change any time soon.
As for a resolution, ordering new laptops for a later school year should be organized and funded. Many large tech corporations are more than willing to offer discounts for education. They can offer resources and security that are much stronger than what the current Chromebooks can offer. Understandably, funding can be challenging to manage, but eventually, the technology will have to be updated. Sooner rather than later is a better mindset for something like this, especially seeing how slow the Chromebooks are now, not even looking to the near future.