Personal devices, such as laptops, have always been allowed in school. Blind Brook High School students remember the old days as middle school students when they were stuck with an unresponsive Chromebook that took way too long to load. It was always the motivation to use the devices that people owned at home for high school that made pulling out the Chromebook each day a little easier. Approaching the 2024-2025 school year, Blind Brook High School implemented a new policy, one that would phase out personal devices from their school system. 2023-2024 high school students were already acquainted with bringing their devices in and out of school, so in an attempt to preserve the established routine, only the ninth graders were not permitted to bring their laptops to school, leaving them with only the school-issued iPad.
If you were to go around asking current high school students how they felt about being prevented from bringing their devices, you are most likely to receive a pretty resentful reaction. Many students feel that it is easier and more efficient to work off of their laptop rather than the school-issued iPad. When asked how not having her device at school impacts her ability to learn, freshman Julia Mensch exclaimed, “I think not being able to have my personal device affects my ability to learn because some apps are not available and my learning could be much more excelled with my own personal device. I find working with my own computer gives me better productivity”. Building off of her comment, formatting is much different on the iPad. Google Docs and Google Slides are prime representations of this. Features such as the paint roller icon (used for copying a format of text) and the comment button are much more accessible on the laptop than it is on the iPad.
On the contrary, many Blind Brook staff, especially those in the technology department, are big advocates of ridding the school of personal devices. They make compelling arguments, stating how having personal devices on the network in school can threaten the efficiency as well as the safety of the network. Director of Technology Mr. Von Hollen discusses a main concern of the use of personal devices in relation to the education students are receiving, stating that student personal devices can bring access to social media and communication tools, distracting the student from learning and instruction. He also voices in great detail the importance of limiting the use of personal devices in school, “The more we as a district control those variables the lower the risk factor for other devices and systems becoming infected or breached. Regarding instruction, students must have the same experience. With each student having the same device, programs, and updates – we start to tackle the security and experience challenges.” His main goal, along with the rest of the Department of Technology, is to, “Find a balance of education and student practice towards these ideals as we continue our journey of navigating a complex and evolving situation.”
Blind Brook’s Congress has been tackling this debate in their frequent meetings, uncovering all sides of it to ensure a decision on personal devices can be made that benefits the interests of both the students and the facility. As for now, Blind Brook High School allows for personal devices to be used along with the school-issued iPads, with the exception of ninth graders.