Schools have students on computers all the time, but being on devices constantly is annoying and comes with many problems.
Chromebooks can act as a distraction, can hurt students’ mental and physical health, and can cause many tech frustrations.
Chromebooks work well, but they also act as a distraction.
Even with tools for monitoring students’ activity like GoGuardian, students find access to games no matter how much teachers try to prevent it.
Some kids have also been able to “jailbreak” the Chromebooks so that websites can’t be blocked, meaning they have been able to remove security restrictions imposed by the district technology department.
Even if they don’t “jailbreak” the Chromebook, they have ways of going on sites to play games. Students can use Chromebooks to hide phones propped up behind them, cheat on assignments and more, so why are they relied on so much?
While Chromebooks make it easier to access information and are easier to carry around than a stack of textbooks, they still do pose a problem by affecting students’ health. Mental health and physical health are put at risk by being on devices all the time.
Constantly staring at a screen can strain kids’ eyes, and cause back and neck problems.
Blue light glasses have gotten much more popular due to the strain on teens’ eyes from being on a device almost all time.
Devices have also been a big reason for headaches among students. Being on devices for a prolonged time like this also can increase symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Therefore it’s not just students’ physical health, but also students’ mental health that Chromebooks can harm.
In addition to the concerns about being distracting and bad for student health, Chromebooks can also suffer from technical issues.
Almost every class has kids on Chromebooks, but the Chromebooks die more often, getting kids in trouble for their Chromebooks not being charged.
Then there’s power outages, bugs, and crashes that make working online annoying as well.
A whole essay–hours of work–can be deleted in a matter of seconds. Answers can be looked up in a matter of minutes.
Technology in the classroom is an issue. Having less written work is impacting kids ability to spell properly and causing their handwriting to suffer as well.
It’s ok to use it in some classes and not others, or to switch it up and do paperwork every once in a while, but being on devices almost all day in school is the problem.
Chromebooks are a constant battle for both students and teachers, from arguing about Chromebooks to arguing over their technological issues.
Whether it be missing or broken Chromebooks or charging them, there is a constant battle.
Chromebooks are like any other device, shouldn’t be a constant. Chromebooks are ineffective.
Chromebooks are more of a hassle than they’re worth now.
Using them on occasion is great, but it should really be cut down some for the students’ health and for the school.
