Earlier this year, District 200 administrators were enthusiastic about the rollout of a one-to-one computing program, which entailed handing out Google Chromebook laptops to every student at Oak Park and River Forest High School beginning in the 2016-17 school year. 

Now, several months into the first year of the program, some early, albeit unscientific, data about students’ and teachers’ experiences using the devices provide some vindication for that early optimism.

At the time the program was pitched to school board members in March, the district’s assistive technology facilitator and occupational therapist, Lisa Vincent, lauded the potential benefits of the laptops, which were given to several hundred students in pilot programs that started in 2013 before they were administered to the entire student body this school year.

“For students who have struggled or failed in classes because they couldn’t keep track of assignments or couldn’t manage their materials to get their assignments turned in, using the Chromebooks are a real game-changer for them, and we’re seeing the technology actually improve their abilities as students,” Vincent said. 

A recent opinion survey conducted by OPRF’s Student Council indicates that a majority of students have a favorable opinion of the laptops. Out of the 100 students who participated in the survey, nearly 80 percent noted that they either “like” or “love” having a Chromebook.

Fifty-two percent of respondents said they feel that they’re generally more productive when working on the Chromebook, with 17 percent reporting that they’re less productive “because of the distractions that they come with” and 31 percent reporting that the Chromebook isn’t a factor in their productivity.

During a school board meeting last month, Jackie Cofsky, the Student Council liaison, referenced some of the specific comments made by students and teachers about the new devices.

“The comments that struck me were the kinds that said they love the Chromebook because they’re able to do work at home, which they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise, because they don’t have access to a computer at home,” Cofsky said. “So it opens them up to a whole list of opportunities.” 

Cofsky noted that teachers reported “seeing way more work being done because of the Chromebook” since students can now access online data and complete assignments more easily while in study halls and on lunch breaks. 

The student leader, however, expressed some caveats from students and teachers about the fresh proliferation of the laptops. 

“A lot of kids made the point that they learn better from pen and paper,” Cofsky said, adding that many students reported that they feel it’s much easier to absorb content through plain old pen, paper and physical textbooks. 

Those students, Cofsky said, don’t want the Chromebooks to be mandated at the expense of getting rid of those old-fashioned alternatives.

And some teachers, Cofsky noted, expressed fears that the option of radically independent study afforded by the Chromebooks might lead to students becoming alienated from the classroom experience. 

“Teachers didn’t want students to feel like they could be home teaching themselves the lesson,” Cofsky said. “They fear that any kid can stay home from, and potentially miss school. Teachers still want to have that important student-teacher interaction.”

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com 

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