Throughout a single school day, a typical student at Elk Mound High School, depending on their classes, will login and use at least 2-3 different laptops/computers leaving a greater chance for a security breach. This threatens the digital safety of the students, not to mention the liability problems that the school administration could face. This is why every student at Elk Mound High School should be assigned a personal laptop that they can use for the duration of that school year. This will not only provide an extra around the clock resource for those student in need, but also give the administration an easier way to keep track of the devices.

Providing a laptop to every student will broaden their educational perspective, in addition to helping level out the playing fields between the students whose households can afford a laptop at home, and the students whose households can not. According to the Pew Research Center, 13% of all teens do not have access to a computer at home. These teens, depending on their situation, could very possibly be battling other inequalities as well. They should not be automatically be at more of a disadvantage because the household that they live in cannot afford a computer.

In addition to providing students with an around the clock resource, assigning one laptop per student will help the administration keep track of every device in a simple matter. “At least several times per month, laptop computers end up missing from a rack in a teacher’s room or the library,” states the principal, Paul Weber, “It takes time for Mike Vanslambrouck, our technology resource personnel, to track down the computers using a location software. Usually they were placed in the wrong rack or a student put the chromebook in their locker.” This tedious problem could simply be resolved by assigning one chromebook per student. This student would then be responsible for that computer until the end of the year. If something were to happen to the laptop, it would be extremely easy to find out which student was negligent.

Providing a personal laptop for each student does not only make homework and research more accessible, but also improves there grades and test scores. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development conducted several tests between the years 2001-2015, studying students from kindergarten, all the way to grade 12. The studies showed that the students who had access to their own laptops had increased their test scores in Science, Writing, Math and English. However, the benefits were not only limited to test scores. Students with computers wrote more frequently across a wide variety of genres. In addition they edited and revised their papers more often and drew form a wider range of resources. It's no wonder why there grades improved.

Even though some might say that providing a student with a laptop will only add more distractions to this distraction filled world, I say that it will actually do the opposite. Students need to be given a little freedom. It's the sense that there freedoms are getting taken away that causes them to act out in the first place. By allowing the students to have control over something that is “theirs” for the year, the overall urge to disrupt or act out will lessen because they know that they have something to lose.

Providing a laptop to every student will not only provide an extra resource but also teach the kids the importance of responsibility. The efficiency in which the students learn will be greatly improved, this is why every student at Elk Mound High School should be given their own personal laptop for the entire school year.