iPads: A Student’s View

As all students and parents know, students and staff have in their possession an iPad, which in many classes, replaces most of their school supplies and textbooks. When I first heard that we were transitioning to iPads, I questioned the logic of this. All of the pros I could think of were outweighed by negatives. Now, as the end of first full semester of actually using iPads is drawing to a close, I will discuss some pros and cons and my opinion of the iPad.

There is, without a doubt, a positive side to the iPads. One thing is that a students are less likely to experience back pain, due to the many heavy textbooks and binders in a backpack. This is a great benefit for all students, who no longer have to deal with lugging around so much stuff in their backpack.

A second positive is that La Salle has reduced its use of paper. Obviously, using an electronic device will reduce paper waste, which is awesome and wonderful for the environment.

Third, it can help with organization. Many people have said, and I agree, that transitioning to the iPad has helped with organization through many apps such as Notability.

But, there are also downsides to go with these positives.

As a student, I have seen my peers be off track playing games such as Madden, or checking Tumblr or Instagram. My inner parent is wondering why the school chose to allow students to posses such a expensive and distracting device. Teenagers do not have the ability to use devices like the iPads responsibly.

Schools are there to educate and help children excel. To the administration, why would you give the students a device which they cannot use responsibly? And, when they are not using the devices properly (because you know they will), is an announcement going to make them stop? No, because that announcement has been made, and I STILL see my classmates using it inappropriately.

Not only is the iPad distracting, it could lead to lack of sleep: “Researchers at the University of Toronto compared the melatonin levels of people exposed to bright indoor light who were wearing blue-light–blocking goggles to people exposed to regular dim light without wearing goggles. The fact that the levels of the hormone were about the same in the two groups strengthens the hypothesis that blue light is a potent suppressor of melatonin.” It’s already hard to go to bed at a decent hour when you have extracurriculars, a ton of homework and nerves because you have three tests in the morning, so adding the enforcement of staring at more blue light, which may cause lack of sleep, for around six hours a day, will not help students perform well in school.

Here’s another thing, etextbooks. There are SO many problems I have with them, but primarily, the costs. The cost for my etextbooks this year cost more than what my actual textbooks did last year. Additionally, you can’t sell it back. So that means a ton of my parents’ money is gone. Forever. Por siempre. Toujours.

Adding on to this issue with the textbook, someone told me that they have only used one of their etextbooks ONCE all semester. That textbook probably cost around twenty dollars. This is different than if a teacher asked a student to buy a textbook and never used it, because you CANNOT sell the etextbook back and receive money. Again, I repeat myself, money is lost.

Personally, my experience with the iPad has been difficult. Primarily with Internet access. My mother has blocked the internet, excluding the sites that she allows. Now before all of you reading start thinking my mom is a jerk or crazy, you should know that I understand her reasons and support her fully.

My family values not using technology a ton, and ever since I was little they have monitored what I was doing. They are just doing their job as parents. While this restriction sometimes sets me back (especially in classes that heavily use the iPad, such as Biology), and I am sometimes irritated by it, I mostly don’t mind. My mom’s values should be able to be maintained while I attend school. All of my family finds it a nuisance when we have to sacrifice OUR values and spend a bunch of money to buy a device to send me to the school they originally wanted me to attend.

I know that the iPads open up a new world for research and instant feedback and other positives, but families should not have to sacrifice their values to be able to go to a Catholic, college-prep school that’s close. Students should also be able to go through school without being exposed to additional distractions, such as games and social media.

While there are positives to the iPads, such as the reduced amount of paper, I believe the negatives simply outweigh the positives.

Photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sokr/6266531166/