Come September, students at West Vancouver secondary will be looking into current events for social studies class and commenting on group projects the same way most other people already do - electronically, over the Internet.
Starting at the beginning of the next school year, use of a digital device like an iPad, tablet or laptop computer will be required for students in grades 8 and 9 at the school.
Making the digital technology mandatory for high school students is a first on the North Shore and a move that could also be adopted at other West Vancouver high schools.
"Things change and we need to change in response," said principal Steve Rauh.
Rauh said West Vancouver secondary decided to make the move after requests from students to recognize what is already a significant source of information for most teens.
"This is what they've grown up with," he said.
Rauh said the vast majority of students at the high school have Internetcapable smartphones and tablets anyway. Grade 6 and 7 students at the elementary schools that feed into West Vancouver secondary also already use the technology at school, he added.
Rauh said making iPads - or similar devices - mandatory in the classroom doesn't mean students will be on the electronic gadgets all the time.
"That's going to be up to the teacher and the nature of the lesson that's being given," he said. "It's another tool and you don't use the same tool for every job."
"It's not about being on a computer every minute of every day," said Gary Kern, the school district's director of instruction, technology and innovation.
Kern said while overuse is a common concern voiced about bringing technology into the classroom, in schools where digital devices have been introduced, it hasn't turned out that way.
What it does, he said, is make it easier for teachers to plan lessons knowing all students - not just threequarters of them - will have access to a digital device in the class.
While Rauh said about 90 per cent of the students already have a tablet or a laptop, the school will set aside money to buy and loan devices to students whose families can't afford to buy one.
Rauh said based on what he's seen in the elementary schools, he's not expecting problems with theft or damage to the devices. "The students seem to get it," he said. "They know what they have in front of them is a valuable piece of technology."
Another worry that sometimes gets voiced is that students could spend their school hours accessing inappropriate content.
The school district already has filters in place on its Internet service that block obvious content like pornography, said Kern.
Beyond that, he said, "a lot of it is through education" on how to be a good digital citizen.
"It's less about the things they shouldn't be doing," he said. "It's more about the things they should be doing."
Kern said the West Vancouver School District isn't alone in addressing the issue of technology in the classroom. "These conversations are happening across the country."
