In Matthew Stebbins’ first hour English class, he walks into the classroom and immediately takes a computer from the storage cabinet. He logs on, checks his email, checks his grades on SIS, and then logs on to My Big Campus to do his work for the day. Students all over the school district, like Matthew, are logging on everyday to get their schoolwork done.

Technology is rapidly increasing in the school district with the introduction of classroom sets of laptops and Chromebooks. High school science, English and history classes utilize computers nearly every day on programs like My Big Campus and Google Drive.

“Our district inventory currently shows 650 windows devices and 450 chromebooks,” said Shawn Crouch, one of the Technology Directors.

That is over 1,000 computers currently in use by students and teachers.

Technology is and will continue to be a large part of student education at school.

“Overall we are seeing a lot more engagement in the classroom. There has been a learning curve for both staff and students but what we are finding is there is so much more and accurate information that students can learn,” said principal Randy Luebbert. “We are seeing teachers using the technology for students to develop, analyze, and produce more and at a higher level which results in better thinkers.”

“The main goal for the increase in technology is to enhance our students’ education and help prepare them for the future,” said Crouch. “Technology cannot replace teachers, but it can assist them in readying our students for what lies ahead.”

Technology has left an impact on the way teachers run their classrooms, and will ultimately prepare students for tasks in the future, as technology becomes a bigger part in everyday life.

“I use technology in class everyday,” said science teacher Bob Foster. “Technology use increases students grades and it makes it where students can make up their work easier.”

“In my class we use computers 80 percent of the time,” said history teacher Nathan Parker. “We are lucky to have the computers, it prepares the students for life after high school.”

“Technology will not ever replace the teacher but it is changing the role of the teacher from the sole source of knowledge in the classroom but to a facilitator of learning and be able to differentiate instruction like never before,” said Luebbert. “Which will allow our students to learn more than ever before.”

In November administrators from other schools in our conference visited to view students use of technology.

“They were very impressed and some are even setting up dates to send members of their teaching staff to Warsaw to learn from our teachers,” said Luebbert. “Overall they agreed that we are where they want to be but we are way ahead of them.”

In a recent survey, students communicated that most of them use a computer at school each day.

There were 479 students surveyed in the high school and the middle school, and out of the group, 67 percent of students use a computer every day during school. And similar results were revealed when students answered that they think technology use is important to their education; 67 percent answered that it is either “very important” or “pretty important.”

The reliance on internet and computers is also increasing rapidly, of the 479 students surveyed, 77 percent of the students said they feel it is necessary to have internet at home to complete schoolwork. However, 51 percent of students have wireless/cable connection at home and 13 percent have cable internet.

Students have mixed opinions on technology usage.

Some students enjoy having computers to do their work.

“I would like do my work on the computer, I am really disorganized, and it makes it easier to find my assignments,” said junior Matthew Stebbins.

“I like using computers, it makes it where there is less stuff to carry around,” said junior Madeline McMillin

“It’s easier and simpler to do work online,” said senior Luke Spry. “It allows for homework to go home easier.”

But, with the rapid increase in technology, comes frustration from some students.

“We should not rely on technology,” said sophomore Frank McMillin. “If it all shut down, we would lose everything and everyone would have to return to pencils and books, things that people forget how to use.”

“The world revolves too much around technology,” said senior Briar Collins

“It depends on the assignment, I would do longer ones on the computer and shorter ones with pen and paper,” said freshman Dallas Larson.

  “Regardless of whether a graduating student attends college, joins the military, or dives straight into the workforce, technology will be ever-increasingly important,” said Crouch.