Technology is incorporated in a variety of ways in a typical school day’s setting, from lab projects to creating classroom presentations to taking online classes, but it is especially important in the journalism department.
“For yearbook, we use a variety of technologies. We use Adobe software to create our ideas and designs. We use recording devices for quotes as well as cameras and video equipment to capture moments that we will use for our yearbook. The technology we use is what makes all of this possible. Without technology, we wouldn’t be able to make our yearbook possible,” junior Kadence Gerber said.
Not having access to certain technology in the classroom has created issues when it comes to the journalism running their social media pages. In the past, students have made their graphics and designed their post on the desktops in class, but for Instagram it must be posted from their phone.
“With the new phone policy, the way we have to go about posting on Instagram is only doing it in that class hour and sometimes we'll have to do them at lunch time,” senior Makenize Collins said. “We have gotten used to it since we have been doing it for a while but when we need extra pictures or information, we can't really text anyone because everyone else isn't supposed to be on their phones, we wouldn't want others getting in trouble. We have made up a system that works perfectly for us from the new circumstances.”
Another way students use devices is for the online courses they take during the day. Every student is issued a school iPad but most students prefer to use a laptop that they have purchased on their own.
“I decided to buy a laptop for my online class because we have to write a lot of things, like speeches, when I took Public Speaking. It is really hard to type on the iPads that the school gives us because they don’t have a keyboard. I also really like the bigger screen for zooming with my online teachers,” junior Avery Beyer said.
However, other classes utilize the iPads in hands-on activities in the classroom. Some science teachers prefer to use iPads because their students can take pictures easily, connect to LabQuests and time their experiments.
“We use iPads all the time in Physics. They help us collect data and take pictures that we add to our lab reports. We can connect them to all kinds of sensors in class to make our graphs. We do labs at least once a week so if we don’t have our iPads, we don’t get much done,” junior Landon Doty said. “It allows us to do a bigger variety of hands-on activities. Our school day would look completely different without the technology we use.”
Senior Makenzie Collins posts on Instagram for the social media team. “I am posting a wrestling post for our school Instagram page that we do daily. Technology helps me with my school work because most of my work is on a computer, especially my design classes. I love working on computers and different technology they affect my school life very much and I think I learn more and easier when it's on technology and very hands on,” Collins said.
Sophomore Guthrie Danford listens to a history lecture while taking notes on his iPad. “We are watching a video about how life was in the trenches during World War. Technology helps me understand different ways of learning using videos and other learning tools. Having an iPad on hand for school work is very helpful for doing homework at home,” Danford said.
Senior Hadison Hatcher works on her college class on her laptop. “I am doing College Algebra. Technology plays a huge roll in my education. There are great resources that help me to be more educated. I access all of my college classes through my computer. Therefore, I use my computer every day,” Hatcher said.
Senior Kinzie Rogers and junior Avery Beyer work on an infographics during their in-house-training class. “I first think of what I have to do, then I find colors and things like inspiration pictures to go off of, next I do trial and error to see what’s best. Being a senior with technology makes it easier to access more information I need to further my education. I also use technology for things like my transcript and my essays I write to be able to apply for scholarships,” Rogers said.
Junior Lydia Filinger works on her online class on her ipad, while others students are using computers. “I was working on my psychology homework. We use our school iPads to complete our assignments, there is an app that has the algebra book that we use. I’ve noticed a large change from pencil and paper to using devices for school. It makes work easier and I can get stuff done much faster," Filinger said.
Sophomore Olivia Horst and freshman Ellena Bell work on a design for the graphic design class. While having some experience with design, she continues to want to improve her skills. “Working on any device is very convenient and helpful with designing, writing and so much more. We are especially lucky to have the computers we do. Working on a computer is very effective in a good way. It helps with multiple things throughout the school day. I enjoy graphic design and the computers make everything easier with access to Adobe software." Horst said.
Sophomore Valeria Soria works with her classmate Sophia Burton on trying to figure out chemistry formulas and problem solving. “In Chemistry class we had to organize our results in Google Spreadsheets, Sophia and I were trying to figure out how to work some of the functions. Technology sure does help with doing our formulas and equations faster. We were using the spreadsheets so we could calculate our formulas quick and not have to do each one by one on paper. Devices has affected my everyday school life because if we need to find something out. We can figure it out in less than a minute. If we need to communicate for projects or turn something in quick. We can do it on our devices. It sure does make our lives easier," Soria said.