This article is part of a recent series on how technology affects education. Read more in the series to help understand how evolving technology is changing the educational landscape.
Since 2013, Cathedral Catholic High School has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School. The Educational Technology department describes itself as being “a leader in educational technology and continually hosts campus visits for schools around the country.”
CCHS gets this title because they provide an iPad to all students in grades 9-12. Each student gets an iPad that they have for two years in freshman year and, in junior year, this iPad is replaced with a new one with the latest technology.
But, is technology-based learning helping students?
Every iPad at Cathedral is equipped with core apps including Schoology, Notability, and Gmail, along with some specific apps that students need for each course. Depending on one’s course load, they will have varying personalized apps on their iPad.
Personally, Notability is my favorite note-taking app as I find it easy to navigate and annotate my work. On Paperlike Review, “Notability is currently rated 4.7 out of 5 stars on the App Store.” This high-ranking definition makes sense as we see many students use this app as their main source of note-taking on their iPads.
Another very popular app on the school iPads is the Notes app. Cathedral Catholic senior and varsity volleyball player Sophie LaSala explained how “my favorite app is the Notes app as I find it helpful to complete my schoolwork.”
LaSala then continued by explaining how she “find[s] using an iPad very helpful as it allows me to keep track of all of my assignments and keep my notes in one place.” Compared to past resources, like larger textbooks, the new technology is truly adaptable and helpful for students to stay on top of their work.
The main issue with learning with technology is the potential to lose focus on one’s device. Games of all sorts can be downloaded on each iPad which can pose a variety of distractions for students.
One game in particular, Block Blast, takes the leaderboard of the most downloaded game at Cathedral. Dons Press Staffer Emily Kovarik wrote an article entitled “Block Blast, Worth the Hype?” which emphasizes the appeal of the game as she shared how “approximately 71% of students surveyed had the game downloaded.”
With popular games on the rise, learning with iPads can sometimes hinder students’ learning.
The American University explained how when technology is used for learning it can help “drive globalization and digital transformation, teachers can help students acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the careers of the future.” When technology is used well, it can help students succeed, not just in school, but in the real world as well.
Ultimately, I believe that technology is beneficial for students’ learning. Even though it poses some distractions, I think that it is a good learning tool for staying motivated and diligent in the real world. In the future, I hope that all schools can become Apple Distinguished.
