What better way to solidify New Trier’s reputation of being the “rich people” school than to buy 600 kids an iPad 2. While these were given out with good intentions, am I the only one who thinks that giving out iPads to students to use during class is a bad idea?

First off, the entire point of school is to drop the social media and focus on learning about the wonders of science or how to write a poem. Social media apps are free at the App Store, which means that they’re at the fingertips of each and every student who is supposed to be paying attention in class. Teachers are going to wasting more time reprimanding students to pay attention than teaching the lesson.

As a user of the new iPad program, I’ve been spending a majority of my Psychology Sociology classes making squares all over my notes on Remarks. Not because I have the attention span of a two year old, it’s just hard not to let yourself get distracted when these tools are literally right in front of you. It’s like doodling, except the paper is worth $400.
Senior Lucija Antolovic says that students often do other things than follow along on their iPads in her class. “I’ll look up and someone will be on their Facebook app while someone else is playing Angry Birds.” While I’m sure that a majority of students are following along, all these apps still pose a significant distraction.
I understand the argument that schools should incorporate the latest technology and that this new technology will reduce the tons of paper teachers and students consume. I’m all for these ideas and for helping the environment, but I’m also for helping students study in a way that won’t distract them. Research shows that when writing down information presented to you with pen and paper, your brain is better able to memorize the information more efficiently. According to an article on the blog Lifehacker, “Dr. Virginia Berniger found that children’s writing ability was consistently better (they wrote more, faster, and more complete sentences) when they used a pen rather than a keyboard.” Even though it is convenient to have all your notes saved onto one device, it doesn’t seem like the ultimate way for students to study.

New Trier does a wonderful job at educating its students, and although I am grateful for being provided this level of education, I’d rather have air conditioning in every room, especially the gyms and cafeteria, than a new iPad.