For anyone who has been back in the building in these past weeks, you know how each class has still been centered around our computers. Not every student has been able to bring their own device though, so lots of students have been trying to complete work on their phones. Being at school without a device leads to tons of homework and nothing to do while in the classroom. This will change shortly because the school will distribute 1,500 Chromebooks in the following weeks to students who need them.

Back in August, 5,000 students countywide didn’t have access to computers, and GCS was waiting for a large shipment of 80,000 Chromebooks. Most of these were delivered in late fall, but with similar problems all over the country, the process has been slow. Teachers were given ThinkPads and elementary students were given iPads back in October. Slowly but surely this has helped solve connectivity issues and connect students and teachers during virtual learning.

Five of my in-person classes have still been conducted online though, with most students logging on to the Microsoft Teams meeting from their desks. Additional students realized this once they got into the building, so computer requests have increased even for students who have a device.

Despite why students need devices or how long the distribution process has taken, these iPads, Chromebooks, and ThinkPads will help bridge the gap between virtual and in-person learning. These devices will be utilized after the pandemic as well, which many studies have shown to improve the quality of classroom education. While the last thing most of us want to do these days is log onto a computer, they provide more resources and improve communication and assignment feedback.