As times change to a new age of technology, RAHS is forced to adapt.

Although it can be daunting to think about changing technology, remember the advantages that come with them. School technology expert Jamie Crandall said, “There are so many possibilities with technology.”

In the olden days, when smartphones were a new phenomenon and computers needed a whole table to hold them, teachers had to calculate grades by hand, and students had to research with books in the library.

Now instead of chalkboards and paper, teachers are able to share any resources they want with students through Schoology, the school’s main online hub.

RAHS’s iPad program provides every student with a school iPad. Previously students started using Ipads as learning tools in 7th grade, but it’s beginning to expand now to include students in 5th and 6th grades.

Conveniently, the iPads provided students with a way to access schoolwork and join zooms during the pandemic. Senior Samantha Miller said, “I thought my iPad was great during the pandemic. It meant I could use it for school and still use other devices while on zooms.”

Students who didn’t have an iPad during distance learning agree that it was harder to do schoolwork without them. Freshman Jane Seifert, who was in 5th and 6th grades during the Pandemic, said, “It would have been helpful to have the iPads during the pandemic.”

Schools benefit from how technology can help gather information and aid in communication. As Seifert said, “We use the iPads in a lot of classes, and they help a lot to have a way to organize all your work and assignments in one place.”

Although there may be some drawbacks to this dependence on technology such as: performance flaws, the inability to do multiple things at once, not having dependable internet access at home, or having spotty Wifi, most people agree that the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Crandall said, “I always encourage everyone- students and teachers both- to be flexible, have backup plans, and think outside of the box when using tech.  If you are stuck focused on completing a task one way, and that way isn’t working… then there are probably tons of other ways to do what you are trying to do! Try a different way!”

Another downside of using technology is that it can become outdated quickly. 10th graders at RAHS with 6th or 7th generation iPads recently received updated iPads and 11th and 12th graders in need will be next.

With good care through the years, school iPads should last through the 5-6 years a student uses it, but Crandall also added, “With the extreme use that many people’s iPads got during distance learning, we are seeing more failed batteries, full storage, and other issues making iPads not work well.”

Students can always go to the media center if they are experiencing technology issues. Crandall said, “We will work with students to troubleshoot first, trying to find a solution to keep the iPad working as long as possible. If that’s not possible, a replacement might be necessary.”

Students agree that replacements may be needed. Miller said, “Since all of our schoolwork is online, having outdated tech is a huge setback.”

Seifert said, “New iPads are expensive, but seven years is a long time to use the same one. Stuff stops working as well, so it would be nice if the school updated them more frequently.”

With the expansion of the iPad program to include 5th and 6th graders the school has had to make some adjustments to ensure that students have usable tech for their entire career. Crandall said that in future years iPads will be replaced in students’ 9th-grade year, and iPad cases will also be upgraded.

Although there can sometimes be issues with using technology in schools, it helps give students more access to information, helps further communication between students, families, and teachers, and makes it easier and more efficient for teachers to give students resources.

Crandall said, “Changes are always happening in the technology department at Roseville Schools. When planning for thousands of students, change takes time.  But my goal is that every student at RAHS has access to a working device, providing equity in access to information & instruction, and opportunities for learning and exploration.”

Here are some tips Crandall gives about tech issues that don’t require a new iPad:

• If your Notability isn’t working well, and you want to get it to work better, things you can do are: 1. put in your Apple ID password (in your iPad settings). 2. do a hard restart of your iPad. 3. Keep fewer than 200 notes in your Notability app (if you have more than that, make sure they are backed up to Google Drive in PDF format, and then delete them from the Notability app
• If your iCloud syncing is really problematic (your notes sit with the spinning circle forever), then you should turn off iCloud syncing and only rely on the Google Drive backup.  Yes, your notes will all disappear from your iPad, but it might be better to just start fresh at the beginning of a trimester.  If your notes are in your Google Drive anyway, then turn off iCloud syncing and start new.