WOODBURY — At the end of the day, computers are computers: staring at a screen, sitting in school typing away at an essay, or a homework assignment. So, why do so many Nonnewaug students this year choose to use personal devices over the school provided Chromebooks?
“School Chromebooks are useless, and you can’t do anything on them because everything is blocked,” said Nonnewaug junior Noah Blood, who brings his MacBook to school. “I use it for school work, so I can use other apps that aren’t available on the Chromebook that help me get my grades up.”
Having a personalized computer during school can have benefits, but there are also risks that come with it. Ty Starziski, a Nonnewaug junior, was sitting in study hall when an airborne pen shattered his MacBook screen.
Despite this damage, Starziski doesn’t regret bringing his own computer to school.
“I definitely don’t regret bringing it, even though it broke,” Starziski said. “It just works better, it’s faster, and I can do more on it.”
Aubrie Salisbury, a Nonnewaug sophomore, also had her MacBook screen shattered on school grounds. This experience led her in the opposite direction of Starziski.
“I like it because I can watch Netflix if I have free time,” Salisbury said. “I obviously can’t do that anymore, and I’m going to be hearing about [breaking my MacBook] for the rest of my life. I wish I never brought my Mac to school in the first place.”
MacBooks aren’t the only other personal computers available to bring—Laila Jones, a Nonnewaug junior, comes to school with her HP.
“My HP allows me to do certain things that I want to be able to do on my own time, like when I’m in study hall or have time after school,” Jones said. “I can get some home stuff done instead of having to use my Chromebook that doesn’t have many platforms for me to personally utilize.”
Even though some jump on the opportunity to bring their own devices, others are content to use what Nonnewaug provides.
“I don’t bring my MacBook, even though I have one, because it has all my personal information on it and I try to keep some things separate from my school life,” Nonnewaug junior Karli Brandt said. “If the school supplies me a school computer, I might as well use it.”
