Stillwater Area High School currently struggles in keeping up-to-date with technology due to a low budget. The school has a multitude of computers, but many of them do not meet the needs of students. Even with the multitude of computers, students are still not quite satisfied with our current technology situation. Students perceive the problem as not a problem in quantity, but in quality and distribution.

There is a wide assortment of computers in use, ranging from practically unusable 10 year old Dell laptops to brand new and affordable iPads and Chromebooks. Along with these portable devices, the school houses a computer lab in the Media Center and another lab filled with recently updated Mac desktops. Teachers are outfitted with adequate teaching tools including MacBooks, Smartboards, Promethean Boards, etc.

The technology department is working on a new five-year plan to solve the many problems with our computers. Technology Coordinator Mike Teachout said, “We can refresh our hardware now, but in another few years it’s going to become obsolete, so we need to plan for what happens when the technology reaches that point.” Teachout added, “We need to consider what are we using now, what’s going to become available, and how are we using that.”

The Dell laptops seem to be the largest issue. They make up a major portion of the school’s laptops, and are severely outdated. Many of them take 10 minutes to boot up. Some of them have batteries that will not even hold a charge off of their chargers. The technology department is trying to cycle out these carts of Dells, but money is tight with no tech levy in place. The tech department funding comes from what little money is left over in the budget every year.

With this shortage of money, the school needs to figure out a solution that can efficiently distribute the current laptops that work. Some classes have a hard time getting carts of Chromebooks because they are always signed out. A large portion of students have their own laptops, and the school needs to actively promote the use of personal devices at school. With an accurate headcount on who has their own technology in classrooms, the tech department could improve the distribution of laptops to the classes that need them the most.

What do you think about the technology at the high school versus the technology at the junior highs and elementary schools?

• The high school has better technology
• The high school has worse technology
• The high school has about the same technology
• It doesn't matter
• I don't know

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This small budget for tech provides the school with limited options when it comes to buying new laptops to replace the old Dells. When it comes down to price, Chromebooks are the best bet. They are simple and affordable, starting at $200.They run Google Docs and Moodle sufficiently, as well as being very simple for browsing. While they cannot handle higher power applications, they get the job done for the majority of work students are doing at school.

On a positive note, students are happy with the technology teachers have at their disposal. Many teachers have Smartboards, making notes and presentations very presentable and convenient to be uploaded and viewed online. Many teachers have Macbooks, and do not need to waste time in class trying to get their computers to work. Overall, teachers have adequate technology to successfully teach their students.

Regardless of what the technology department comes up with to fix current situation, students will be better off bring their own devices if they have them. New computers will be cycled in in place of the old Dells, but technology is ever changing and will become obsolete in a few years. At the moment the Chromebooks seem like the best option, but the staff needs to look towards the future to fix the technology shortage.