Oak Park United School District and community parents discuss the pros and cons of the recent technological developments within the district.

The most recent technical updates within the district include the adoption of Google Apps for Education within the classroom, an increase in iPads and Chromebooks, and upgrades for teacher iPads and laptops, Oak Park Technology Teacher on Special Assignment Keenan Kibrick said.

“The district is heading towards…creat[ing] a global collaborative education for students that matches the 21st century world around us,” Kibrick said.

In order to keep up with the rapid technical advancements in the world, Superintendent Tony Knight said that the district “will move toward a more electronic experience in terms of assignments [and] grading,” which is the current position of many colleges and universities.

Knight suggests that within five years, “the textbook [may go] extinct.”

To pursue productive and efficient uses of technology, “the district technology plan has a systematic roll-out based on classroom need for use of technology,” Kibrick said.

Students, teachers, administrators, and parents each experience this plan — which is outlined in a document available on the district’s website — a little differently.

“I think parents will react positively because even though it may be uncomfortable, people can see the many advantages these changes can bring,” Knight said.

Parent Sridhar Ramamurthy is one such enthusiast.

“I believe the school district is going in the right direction with its technology implementations… I am for device agnosticism,” Ramamurthy said. “Technology is evolving and changing every day and… it is critical for the students to understand and adapt to it. It prepares [them] for the future.”

Parent Kasey De Varennes said she worries about technology addiction.

“Our children cannot live without their cell phones,” De Varennes said. “Now we want to add iPads into the mix?”

However, De Varennes also said that she hopes to see a “balance.”

“I want technology to be an enhancement to learning. Student-teacher relations where our amazing teachers spark our children’s imaginations and challenge their learning capabilities are the skills that stand out in my mind,” De Varennes said.

Parent Kaa Ong suggested that the district conduct a study to determine the most “effective student learning [method] between traditional learning methods [and] electronic teaching methods.”

Ong explained how the primary focus should be placed on student learning.

“Many students with self-control and self-discipline will benefit out of [the technical advancements]. However, for others, it can be quite distracting because they can access other programs…on the electronic devices without the teacher knowing it,” Ong said.

Kibrick also acknowledged the possibility of student distraction from learning.

“Technology itself isn’t the problem; it’s how people use it. [It’s] a very powerful tool,” Kibrick said.

Other opinions arise about more specific technical implementations, such as the goal to create a 1:1 ratio between students and devices within the district.

“I am not that enthusiastic about [this idea]. I am not sure if the students will get the benefit for [the money] being spent on this initiative. There could be other projects… that may need to be addressed before implementing this,” Ramamurthy said.

In reviewing the list of complications, Knight said that “the cost of technology is an ever-present concern.”

But despite these possible complications, Kibrick said that he hopes these technological developments are just the beginning for what is to come.

“I’d like to see more of what is already happening,” Kibrick said. “Next year I hope the same momentum [from this year] stays.”

While student education has been the focus of the technological changes, the district has also used the technology changes to update Oak Park’s public appearance.

According to Kibrick, the district office utilizes its newly created public Twitter account and Facebook page to “share examples of amazing student success and technology in the classroom and at school” that will “positively affect the public appearance of Oak Park and help show that the district is a leader in 21st century education.”

With printers that can create 3-D objects, cellphones that can broadcast to Youtube in real time and even self-destructing computer chips, the world has progressed in its ability to create lasting and efficient tech. With the introduction of new technology to the district, many students have come forward with mixed reviews.

In addition to school-monitored Apple Macbooks in many classrooms, students also now have access to Chromebooks — Google’s laptop — as well as iPads, on which students can use their new school-sponsored Gmail accounts which are linked to the new Google Classroom feature, to which teachers upload assignments and students directly submit their work.

Although Oak Park is still in the formation stages of its tech program, many find these innovations to be helpful, and many do not.

For some, like sophomore Garrett Olsen, the inclusion of more technology in school is “beneficial” and simply reflects students’ technology usage outside of school.

“Since the majority of us grew up around tech, it feels natural to incorporate it in to learning,” junior Harrison Wos said.

Teachers have the option to use the new technology in their classrooms, and some choose not to implement the iPads or laptops into their everyday curriculum.

However, some classes, such as Anatomy, depend on the use of technology and online-collaboration within class.

“It’s super convenient for me to be able to work on assignments anywhere and to collaborate with classmates. I love how it allows me to stay better organized by having less loose papers to deal with,” senior Arielle Sunshine said.

Even so, Sunshine said that the increased focus on technology might, for her, detract from the overall learning process.

“[Technology] on its own makes learning more difficult,” Sunshine said. “I choose to write my own notes whenever possible because I know it’s how I process information, and I think physical writing needs to remain an important focus in the classroom.”

These complications inherent in technology also frustrate senior Sarah Koep.

“I hate the new technology because I like having paper,” Koep said. “I’m a pretty simple person and technology just complicates things; I just hate technology altogether.”

Despite these criticisms, technology-assisted education may be here to stay.

“I like [the new technology implementation] because it helps the environment and it pushes us to keep pace with the advancing in technology, plus it shows us how schools will likely continue to progress in the future,” senior Amanda Mertzel said. “Schools will probably continue to get more and more technological.”

To determine the practical impact of the trend towards technology in education, the Talon interviewed the individuals who implement technology in classrooms on a daily basis — the teachers.

School webmaster and computers instructor Erik Amerikaner said he sees technology as an integral part of education, especially with respect to STEM careers.

Amerikaner’s goal for the technology department is “to provide the tools and learning environment for students to be successful in the 21^st century career and educational world.”

Science department chair and biology chair Winnie Litten said she views the integration of technology in schools as a method for providing students with additional perspectives.

Litten currently serves as a TechLITE, a teacher who assists and motivates other teachers in using technology. In her classrooms, Litten frequently uses Senteo clickers and iPads.

“There’s so many more resources out there and things we can relate to once we have technology as a vehicle to see the rest of the world and how it interacts with our topic,” Litten said.

Teachers consider not only the academic effects of technology in the classroom, but also the social effects.

“In education, we think we have to use technology to reach students, and I think students themselves say, ‘I don’t think this is really doing it for me,’” English teacher David Kinberg said.

Kinberg, whose classroom has comparatively little technology, said that there is a lack of “human connection” with technology that does not exist with traditional methods of teaching, such as classroom discussions.

Health teacher Eric Pryor, who also uses little technology in his classroom, expressed a similar sentiment.

“[Technology] can’t take the place of a good teacher and quality lessons and instruction,” Pryor wrote in an email.

Regardless of their use of technology, teachers agreed that they could not be replaced or even largely substituted with technology.

According to Litten, instructors can “become the guide” and bring with them “the wealth of perspective” that the Internet cannot.

English teacher Caitlin Fowler noted that the teacher must be able to continue when faced with technical difficulties.

“It is a really cool teaching/learning experience when technology fails because students can see how the teacher handles it,” Fowler said. “The teacher uses technology but doesn’t depend on it.”

Fowler, who uses iPads regularly in her classroom, is also a TechLITE.

“[Technology] should be used to augment what the teachers already do well and what the students already do well,” Fowler said.

Kinberg agrees.

“Each and every teacher has to be able to use [technology] to the extent that it enhances their teaching style,” Kinberg said.

To Kinberg, the key to effective education is just the teacher.

“You could give [teachers] a candle and that’s all they would need — just a little bit of light, and they’re going to reach their students and really be effective,” Kinberg said.