Bring Your Own Device policy highlights benefits of past Chromebook carts

Photo by Isabelle Wang

Despite students bringing their own laptops, the Chromebook cart still has some utility.

With the implementation of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy this year, students are now expected to bring their own laptops to school or check out a district-owned Chromebook for the year. For the most part, Chromebook carts were removed from classrooms and students are now left to their own devices to get schoolwork done.

On one hand, the BYOD policy has helped students become more self-reliant because students have to ensure their computers are charged to bring to school.

The main reason BYOD was put in place is because of the district’s cyber security insurance. The costs here have ballooned to such an extent that BYOD became the only option in order to cut back on these expenses. 

Some classes and departments continued to have computers, including journalism and the Media Arts Program, but the era of every classroom having its own laptop is over. Now, waiting in long lines to get a Chromebook or signing into an account each time is no longer required.

However, Chromebook carts still have benefits, and they should be left in classrooms as a backup alternative as long as they can. 

While the BYOD policy increased classroom efficiency for the most part by saving students’ time from laggy Chromebooks that restricted certain websites, Chromebook carts were a helpful alternative in case there were problems with students’ devices.

If a personal computer died or there weren’t enough outlets, students could almost always default to chromebooks, which were usually charged and ready to use. For example, on red days last year, my home computer often ran low on battery by fifth or seventh period, so having chromebooks in English and History classes was a lifesaver. 

Now, classrooms typically don’t have enough outlets for every student to charge their computer, and most outlets are located in awkward places where the cable could potentially trip students or teachers. If students’ devices run out of battery, their only remaining option is to use a phone to complete online classwork. 

For classes that rely heavily on technology, such as Physics, Chromebook carts are kept in the room so students can work on labs using special software. 

Chromebooks already have all classes’ necessary applications downloaded, making activities easier for students to navigate as teachers can show how programs function with everyone working at the same pace. Troubles such as finding why a software isn’t working or downloading on a student’s laptop can lead to wasted class time. This causes students to miss out on classwork, so they end up spending a couple of days catching up while everyone else has moved on to other topics.

The truth is, the school needs to find a way to make BYOD work better. The implementation of BYOD has now made me appreciate all we’re missing out on with the loss of Chromebook carts. While BYOD does enable students to become more independent, a backup of Chromebook carts should be offered in more classrooms.