Schreiber is one of the wealthiest schools in all of New York, but unfortunately, it still seems to lack in the area of technology.  While the school does have its share of advanced tech, not all of this technology is ideal for learning in classrooms, nor is this technology up to modern standards.  This lackluster technology in the school makes it harder for students to remain engaged, succeed academically, and prepare for the future.

Room 17 is one of many rooms in the school that lacks any new technology.  Instead of using interactive whiteboards or modern computers, this classroom uses a computer made over 15 years ago.  As a result, students in this classroom detail that it is harder for them to stay engaged and actually retain knowledge.

“Replacement is long overdue.  Class is often interrupted by people coming in to fix the outdated technology.  It’s not really that big of an issue, but I don’t see why the school doesn’t just replace this outdated technology instead of constantly performing fixes on it,” said freshman Diego Barrera.

While a major downside of replacing this outdated technology may be the cost, the school is likely to end up paying more when fixing this outdated technology than what they would in replacing it.

“The school will inevitably have to replace this decade-old technology, so instead of wasting money on temporary repairs to maintain this inconvenient technology, the school should just make the upgrades now,” said freshman Rigel Kinney.

An area of technology where the school specifically lacks is in IWBs, or interactive whiteboards.  While IWBs are costly, they have been proven in studies to have improved the engagement, retention, and even the test scores of students.  A study conducted by the Canadian Center of Science and Education found that the “use of smart boards improves order and organization, level of clarity, interest, and level of overall satisfaction.”

Many students at Schreiber themselves have seen the impacts that technology has had on their performance.

“It’s easier for me to stay interested and engaged in a lesson when there’s more technology and student involvement,” said freshman Nyra Mehra.

In addition, students at Schreiber should be familiarized with newer technology in order to prepare them for the future.  The world is becoming increasingly dependent on technology, and it is crucial that students are familiarized with modern technology before setting off into their future careers or colleges that might utilize technology that Schreiber does not have.

“Especially for careers or colleges that specialize in business, education, or technology, it’s crucial that you are at least familiarized with the technology that’s used, ” said freshman Ethan Yeung.

“Whether it’s with a college education, a career, or anything else, the goal of school is to provide students with an education that will help them with their future.  If the school isn’t willing to at least introduce certain technology that’s commonly used outside of school, I feel like the school is failing at its job,” said freshman Madis Joks.

The need for functional, sustainable, and usable technology became apparent during the events of the pandemic.  Students went to school online, and were forced to use new technologies that most students had never seen before.

“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all figured out how important technology is in our education, and in our futures. The pandemic had an irreversible impact on the tech industry and its integration in our everyday lives. The school should work on implementing new technology into school to not only better prepare students for their futures, but to better prepare the school in the event that another pandemic occurs,” said freshman James Welch.

The school is fortunate enough to have technology that many other schools do not, like Chromebooks and the advanced computers found in the schools’ computer lab, but there is always room for improvement.  Unfortunately, many classes have outdated technology, some of which dating back to the 70s, which in turn has negative effects on students’ ability to retain information and to be engaged in class lessons.  Replacing this outdated technology with something modern may increase students’ ability to succeed in what is an increasingly competitive and technological world.