Dear St. Paul Public Schools,

I have completed some of my field work for my degree in Secondary English Education in St. Paul Public Schools and for the past couple months, I’ve been a substitute teacher primarily in this school district. There is one thing that always jumps to my attention when I walk into nearly any of your classrooms: the use of iPads. Growing up in Minneapolis Public Schools, this resource was not available to me and my classmates (mostly because it wasn’t invented yet) and now while volunteering on a regular basis in MPS, they are sometimes used, but not nearly as often as St. Paul schools tend to use them.

At first, I thought this was an amazing idea. In classrooms, I have seen the benefits these iPads have for students. Students have access to math games that adjust to the individual students’ levels and make learning more fun. They have online access to books that they can read. If they’re growing up in a home that isn’t considered print-rich (many books and assorted reading materials available), this is an incredible asset. Students can challenge themselves and work at their own levels in subjects that are required of them to pass through the school system and for the rest of their lives. If you give a child an internet-capable device, I truly believe you’re giving them the world. When used properly, iPads are an excellent tool that has a very positive impact on students.

Here is what troubles me though: In my experience working with students who have one-to-one iPads, there has been no limitations on internet access while in school and because each student has their own, they have access to them all the time, whether they’re needed in class or not (this is true especially for older students). Recently, while substituting in a ninth grade English class, I was walking around the room checking in on students who were completing assignments on Schoology on their iPads. There were a good number of students completing their work as asked by their classroom teacher, but there were a troubling number of students choosing not to. With open internet access, students were choosing to play non-academic games, watching videos on YouTube… heck, there were even a couple students watching full episodes of Bob’s Burgers and Criminal Minds. Even when they tried to show me that they were multitasking-- working on their assignments and watching Criminal Minds in the corner of the screen-- it was clear to me by the amount of work actually completed by the end of the period that their minds were not fully present in their physical environment.

Because of this open access internet while in school coupled with readily available one-to-one iPads, it seems that school work is increasingly becoming an optional activity for students. This over-reliance on iPads to deliver education is doing more harm than good because students are given this tool and not taught that having an iPad is a privilege and a responsibility. When a student is given an iPad, teachers are not giving students permission to check out whenever it’s convenient for them; their intention is that students will be able to engage more in classwork.

One other thing I have noticed is the interpersonal skills of many students seem to be lacking. With the screens, students don’t have to interact with a teacher as much and they don’t have to have their peers to talk to either. Less time interacting with flesh and blood people means that students are missing out on opportunities to learn conflict resolution, respect towards others, and cooperation. These are valuable life skills that students are going to need for any path in life they take. While there are certainly other factors that contribute to this lessened social time, excessive screen time is certainly not doing students any favors.

But perhaps this problem isn’t 100% the fault of the students who use these iPads; the teachers are just as responsible for this predicament. I have noticed while being a substitute in the younger grades (fifth grade and under) that iPads seem to be used to keep students busy. While younger students aren’t typically allowed to bring their iPads home, there is an over-reliance on them within a typical class day. Instead of giving students access to print books, students turn to online books. Instead of playing math games with each other or employing the use of manipulatives to learn mathematical concepts, students are glued to their screens. There are merits to having students work alone in a quiet environment, but our students seem to be subdued now that learning isn’t as collaborative or interactive as it once was.

To reiterate, I don’t think iPads are our downfall-- there are many great things about iPads that can truly benefit our students. That being said, perhaps the day has come that we reduce our time with our technological companions. Reduced time in the classroom with iPads would help increase the notion that it is a privilege to use this tool, not a given. In the older grades, maybe it is time to consider having classroom sets to be used when the teacher says it’s time as well as reducing classroom time in front of a screen. There should also be consequences for when classroom time is being misused while on the iPad.

Sincerely,