SPOKANE, Wash. — This month, students across the district at Spokane Public Schools (SPS) have been taking tests online. The uptick in computer usage means the line outside of IT have wrapped around the corner more than once for help with troubleshooting errors. It can lead to some frustration, but that doesn’t mean the expansion of tech in schools has been a bad thing!
According to Greg Trepus, IT Supervisor with SPS, there are a lot of benefits laptops bring to the classroom, from expanding access to education tools and programs to providing valuable transferrable skills for the modern age.
Knowing how to use a computer, access digital resources, protect passwords, and navigate a keyboard are all pivotal skills will help kids when they graduate.
“For moving into future careers or entering the job market, I can’t think of any job out there where you don’t in some way have to touch technology to be successful,” said Trepus.
That being said, there are some challenge which come with providing every student in the district a laptop for schoolwork. These include network load, broken hardware, and help navigating the software and troubleshooting program errors.
Whenever there is a large concentration of students taking tests in the same place, IT has to make sure the network can handle it.
They also have to repair broken devices. Luckily these days, SPS has more than enough laptops for everyone in the district to have one, so replacements are available should any laptop break beyond repair.
Of course, it takes time for students and staff to become familiar with the different programs needed for schoolwork, just like it takes time to update technology when it does not do so automatically. The delays can cause some frustration, especially users still learning how to utilize technology.
The good news is, there are some ways to keep your computer healthy, whether a student or not!
Trepus said you should reboot your laptop once per week with ‘fast startup’ turned off so the device can close unnecessary programs and apps and keep it running smoothly. He also suggested leaving your computer on overnight to make sure it is updating while you’re catching some Z’s.
“If you get way behind, or you’ve let your device sit for 3 to 4 months, and then you turn it on, it’s going to have a deluge of things that it needs to install,” said Trepus.
Making sure you computer is up-to-date should be one of the first ways you trouble shoot a problem on your PC — right after you try turning it off and then on again, of course!
