Computers are undoubtedly important to the education system. Nearly every school district in Massachusetts, including Lexington, uses them to augment students’ learning  experience. Although some students have complained about not being able to learn with their personal computers, Lexington High School should continue to mandate that students use the provided Chromebooks in class.

One reason why distributed chromebooks are the right choice for school districts is that they ensure a standard experience for everyone. There are numerous models and brands of computers, each with different features. This could mean one model runs faster than another or possesses a function another may not. 

“The reason we give everyone a Chromebook is so that there is some equity in access to technology,” Ellen Shea, a history teacher at LHS, said. 

The school-provided technology allows each student to access the same resources from the same machine. If personal computers were allowed in schools, those without access to higher-performing computers may feel disappointed.

Furthermore, if everyone worked on their personal computers, it would be difficult for teachers to ensure that students are productively working on their assignments. Since certain websites are blocked on the Chromebooks, students are restricted from accessing potentially distracting websites while in class.

“Chromebooks allow teachers to control more of what the students are doing during class, such as keeping them on task and making sure they aren’t online shopping or playing games,” Samuel Ding, a sophomore at LHS, said. 

On the contrary, personal computers allow general access to personal information such as email addresses, other accounts, and most importantly, ChatGPT.

With the rise of tools like ChatGPT, teachers need to be reassured that the work their students are producing is their own, and not plagiarized or AI-generated. They cannot control that on personal computers, which is why it is so important to have regulated Chromebooks. 

Overall, while personal computers may be highly appealing to students, they should not be allowed to use them in classrooms for the distractions and issues that they pose.