Patriot Perspective: New Mac option leads to possible consequences

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Welcome to the 21st century, where technology gets out of date within a year of being released.

Being able to use laptops in the classroom is a progressive, admirable principle of JC. Having laptops allows us to expand on the lessons we learn and, in reality, is more consistent with the 21st century and the college atmosphere.

Starting next year, JC will expand the list of laptops that parents may purchase, as opposed to buying the standard Lenovo X230 Tablet PC that the school currently requires.

While this change is a great movement towards being a more effective college preparatory school and allows for more flexibility in a family’s budget or personal preference, there are negative effects that JC should keep in mind as it makes this change.

For one, laptops are expensive. The current standard laptop can be more than $1,500, which is a hefty sum for some families, especially after they’ve just begun budgeting for four years of a $15,000 tuition.

While the change is being made so that families will have cheaper options, it also includes Macs. A clear financial gap may arise between students, as some will have the newest MacBook Pro, and others will have opted for the cheapest option.

Not only will the school have to deal with the different speeds and capacities of the different laptops, but a lot of students may have to deal with the jealousy of seeing their classmates with better laptops.

Also, the tech lab will not be able to fix every problem that arises. Instead, the Macs will have to be sent away to be fixed. Although that is similar to how Lenovos are sent out to have big issues fixed, the Macs may have to be sent away more frequently for issues that are not as major.

Another issue is that students’ laptops will have different capabilities. How often do you hear teachers mandating that a laptop can only be in use if it’s in tablet mode? Most computers are unable to be turned into a tablet and be written on, so for a lot of classes, laptop use may be reduced or even eliminated altogether.

In order for this change to go smoothly, the school will need to create a new system in order to standardize what students need to have on their computers.

For example, the school may need to require all students to have the standard Microsoft programs such as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook on their computers.

Additionally, the school will need to allot a day in the summer for incoming freshmen and transfer students to get their computers programmed to hook up to Wi-Fi and the library printer. The orientation day will need to be more in-depth and more personal than previous orientation days.

In the past, freshman orientation was primarily to teach students about accessing teacher websites, using teacher dropboxes, and working OneNote. While this is a nice opportunity, students could figure those things out on their own anyway, and their teachers ended up repeating it to them during the first few days of classes. Considering freshman orientation was never a vital day for students, it may then be an easy time to add this more important information.

Other questions still need to be addressed by the school such as: Will the school still create emails for everyone? How will the acceptable use policy be affected? How will teachers adjust their plans to accommodate all laptops? Will teachers be able to choose any laptop they want?

Teachers were not formally consulted in making this decision. If a Mac can’t support an online lab simulation or download a document, teachers will have to adjust their lesson plans all by August. Also, it may be difficult for teachers to have a different laptop from their students. They will not be able to be sure of the different abilities of each student, and their Powerpoints and documents may not be able to be downloaded or viewed properly.

In addition to all of the possible problems mentioned, there are likely many more that will arise after the change is made. However, this is to be expected with any change.

Apart from the negative effects and still to-be-answered questions, the change is good. 10 years ago, laptops were not even a prospect in the school. In order to make JC more effective in preparing students for college and, ultimately, becoming more intellectual people, the school must move forward.

In college, students are not required to buy a specific laptop, they are left to their own devices. JC is effectively working towards more truly embodying the title of a college preparatory school. However, it would benefit students if JC focused on the inevitable issues that come along with instituting this change and worked towards making it an advancement in education, not a burden.