Are we getting more homework with our Chromebooks?

story by Kelby Dressler ≫

This year, Eudora High School decided to get every student a chromebook and get rid of all other in-school online devices. There are mixed feelings about them. In an anonymous poll of 181 EHS students, 54.5% said they like the Chromebooks and 45.5% said they don’t.

Sydney Wilkins, Soph., says, “I have a love-hate relationship with them.” Wilkins  says that sometimes she enjoys them and sometimes she doesn’t.

Many believe that having the chromebooks this year gives the teachers the opportunity to add more homework assignments. Some teachers say to go read the link or finish the assignment posted on Google Classroom at the end of class when the bell is ringing. Jeremy Gish, Freshman English teacher, said that he’s not convinced that there is more homework being assigned.

“I suppose that is possible,” Gish said. “It could also be true that it just feels that way to students because Google Classroom and the Chromebooks have made it easier for teachers to hold students accountable for work,” says Gish.

Some teachers and students think that doing work and grading it is easier on chromebooks, whereas some think the opposite.

“I definitely prefer grading on paper. Computer grading is much less time-efficient,” Gish says.

Robyn Kelso, Dance coach and Government teacher, believes that sometimes, shorter assignments are easier to grade on computer.

“It depends on the assignment – longer assignments such as papers are better graded hard copy. Short quick assignments are easier to grade online. So for me it’s a mixed bag,” Kelso said.

Another important question to consider is, are the chromebooks beneficial to students?

“Like everything else in a classroom, they can be a super effective tool for learning,” Kelso said. “But so can class discussions and textbook activities.”

Kelso looks toward the future, worrying about possible health issues concerning the use of the chromebooks.

“I think having their own device is helpful, but already I am seeing students hunched over their computers and worry about posture and eyesight issues on down the road so I will continue to try and have a balance of technology and non-technology assignments.”