Chromebooks are one of the most used devices for school learning, according to Youth Radio media “A survey revealed that 98% of schools use computers in the classroom and 75% of the national education market already uses iPads and Chromebooks. Roughly 57% of students use digital learning tools every day and spend at least 50% of their classroom time engaging with a device.”
What does this mean? It means that future generations will use technology even more for learning. McPherson Middle School in McPherson, KS took action against this. Starting second semester, Chromebooks will only be used when necessary, they are trying to get less screen time because “it promotes deeper thinking, handwriting fluency, and less screen fatigue,” Principal Inge Esping said.
Would GEHS consider doing this?
“Believe it or not, I don’t make big decisions like this on my own. Sometimes, our Board Office makes the decision for me. But typically, I involve input from our teacher leaders (Building Leadership Team), our PAC students from the Principal’s Advisory Council, and parents from Site Council,” Frank Bell said. “I enjoy the collaborative approach to ensure we do what’s right for GEHS. So for this one, it’s not on our radar yet, but as I mentioned, I support English teachers doing this during their blocks for assignments.”
Is McPherson doing the right or wrong thing with their new system?
“I understand why they’re doing it. They are removing any use of artificial intelligence, including software like Grammarly, to ensure the student’s work is 100% theirs,” Bell said. “I think there is a time and place for that, and candidly, I know we’ve had English teachers do this for some assignments. That certainly makes sense when the instructor desires to ensure the work is completely the student’s. Now, our penmanship, that’s a whole different question!”
A Missouri lawmaker proposed a bill that does exactly the same thing. It aims to reduce screen time and encourages deeper thinking. Tricia Byrnes is a Missouri State Representative
“We replaced crayons with Chromebooks before we had evidence it worked,” Byrnes said in a statement. “A child’s brain is wired by their hands, not a stylus.”
If this bill passes it will do the following things:
“No more than 45 minutes of digital instruction across all subjects for students in grades K-5. 70 percent of student work must be completed on paper,” according to the bill. “Elementary schools must maintain printed textbooks and bring back “physical manipulatives” for math and science. Students must be taught cursive. School districts cannot assign homework requiring technology. School districts cannot replace cursive with typing or stylus apps. School districts cannot rely solely on technology for classroom management, textbooks or library time”. All of these things were included in a KCTV article.
