Stephenson High School Case Study

At the end of the 2015-16 school year, Stephenson High School announced that it would be implementing Google Chromebooks at the start of the following school year. The fast-approaching change was a shock to students and staff alike, and each conveyed their opposition to the new technology. Stephenson had been reliant completely on hard copy worksheets and textbooks for as long as anyone could remember, but the structure was to transform entirely over the course of one summer. Chromebooks completely altered the high school’s teaching methods, structure, and policies. The school had to upgrade its internet, establish new rules, and pay for the devices. In addition, teachers were forced to completely alter their classes in just three short months to suit the new technology. Instead of reading from books, …show more content…
The school is very old, and therefore it is in need of many updates. The ceiling leaks, the floors are cracked, and teachers are short on resources. Several classes are not able to supply proper materials because the school is unwilling to pay for updated books and software. Rather than shelling out thousands of dollars for Chromebooks, the school could have provided repairs and resources that would enrich the learning environment. Multiple teachers were denied updated textbooks and software that had been used in their classrooms as teaching tools for years. They were instructed to use the resources available on Google instead of the professional material they had relied on in previous years. For example, in my Computer Aided Design class, all of the software used in design had been removed. In the place of the professional software that is used by real engineers, students have to cope with using Google Drawings, which has no real engineering qualities and it is inadequate for teaching real world