Today, technology is in our everyday lives. It’s in our pockets, homes, and schools. With the advancement in technology teachers and students can easily teach, and work on assignments. With this comes negatives, becoming too reliant on technology is a struggle in and out of school.

Often teens are overgeneralized as spending too much time on their iPhones. Teens today have grown up in a world of technology and now have to rely on it for learning. So excessive screen time not only comes from scrolling on social media but also time spent doing school work. 

Wilsonville High School over the years has invested more in televisions,  set up on the walls in the school, and in most of the classes for teachers to use accordingly.  Every student is also provided with a school-issued Chromebook. A typical school day for a student is spent largely on a computer or TV. 

Every teacher has a different teaching style. Many teachers use online articles or videos as a part of their assignments. While helpful, it takes away from interactive learning time with the teacher. When giving lessons, “it’s usually online or videos describing what we’re doing, or articles that we have to read,” says Kylie McCormick, a junior at Wilsonville. 

McCormick notes that she often finds herself more distracted when doing online assignments. She notes that she prefers paperwork. “Writing things down helps me remember and think better than typing.” Studies show that putting pen to paper helps connect areas of the brain. It is easier to recall information when writing it down versus typing. 

Doing online work requires a working computer and keeping it charged. Avery Jacobs, another Junior, says,

“There is not always access to technology, whether a computer is out of battery, you don’t have internet or access to a charger.” While the school provides computers, there are often technical difficulties. 

While many new teaching opportunities are available with technology, interactive, face-to-face lessons are important in a classroom. While teens spend much time on technology it is a way of life that they have been exposed to for most of their lives.