At Benilde-St. Margaret's, our one-to-one laptop program has been a major selling point for the past few years, making us seem advanced and on the cutting edge of technology. While school laptops may be a fantastic concept to draw in students and make a school look up to date, the simple truth is that they are a major distraction from actual learning.
For me, the ability to check my Facebook account or browse the Internet during class makes paying attention in class difficult at times. The laptops also make life harder for teachers, who now have to constantly monitor student laptops, update grades almost daily and create new PowerPoint presentations, all of which serve to minimize their actual role as an active teacher in the classroom.
In short, the push for technology in schools may seem necessary, but in actuality it creates unneeded and expensive distraction and reduces teacher involvement in the learning experience.
SAMUEL A. MESHBESHER, MINNETONKA
