Why iPads Just Don't Mix with High School

By Laura

          Our society’s technology is growing fast. Every few months there is a new phone or new laptop coming out that companies want you, as a parent, to buy for your teenagers. But when is it too much? Where do we as Americans draw the line? And most importantly… is it worth our time and money?

          Some public schools in our country have already given high school students iPads. They believe it will enhance their learning environment and will increase attendance in school daily. After all, the students can do homework on their iPad, class work, nearly everything. Typing papers and even researching becomes somewhat simpler with the iPad; downloading textbooks is also much cheaper on an iPad than buying an individual textbook for each student. But, as with all good things, come bad things, too.

          Students can become very distracted with the use of iPads in class. Instead of focusing on the work they are assigned to do, they could end up playing games or reading a book they downloaded. Most teachers aren’t quite so familiar with iPads, which can lead to problems with assignments for the students. There is really no central way of controlling what students do on iPads at school. Laptops in school, however, are easy to use. Teachers can control what programs are available and how students can use them, too.

          With access to the Internet and other programs with iPads, it would be extremely simple for kids to use online calculators, and websites where you can get information without doing the work. There is also no way to block websites such as YouTube or Facebook on an iPad, which is basically an open opportunity for any high school student to not do their work.

          Sadly, though, high school students not doing their work is the least of the problems iPads could cause. As these devices are extremely valuable and expensive, teachers and administrators cannot always trust every student to be able to take the iPad home and actually return it safe and sound the next day. Also, what if one kid loses or breaks their iPad; what are they able to do in class if the teacher wants them to use their iPads for an assignment? There is no way for almost any school to afford to buy enough iPads for each kid and replace ones, too. If an iPad breaks or is stolen, it will not be the school’s responsibility to fix it, or find it. It will be the student’s family who has to pay for any repairs, costing nearly hundreds of dollars, which most families cannot afford.

         

iPads are in high demand, this year especially because they are so new to us. The average cost of one, just one, is about $500. Buying an iPad, for let’s say about one hundred students (the lower average number of kids in a grade) would be $50,000 or more. That is money the school could be using for new uniforms for a sport, or more instruments or equipment.

It actually does help a lot to have the tools students need in school. But this doesn’t always mean we have to buy into the newest and best technology out there. We should be able to have computers and laptops that work which we can do assignments on, but we also have to have something reliable and easy. And that isn’t always the newest technology in the world, like iPads. Technology is growing and expanding right before our eyes, and sometimes we must grasp it while it is still here…but, sometimes, we have to think to ourselves…is it worth it? There is always going to be something better, or a new and more advanced version, but that does not always mean you and your children have to buy into it. So, as a result, iPads are simply not worth our high school’s time and money.