VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Nearly two months into the new school year, some Virginia Beach City Public Schools teachers are reporting both benefits and challenges from a new policy limiting Chromebook use among younger students.
The Virginia Beach School Board received an update earlier this week on how teachers are adapting to the changes, which took effect this school year.
Under the policy, students in prekindergarten through first grade are no longer allowed to use Chromebooks or other devices in the classroom. Second-grade students may use Chromebooks in the classroom, but cannot take them home. Exceptions are available for some students, including those with individualized education programs, or IEPs.
With less screen time, the school division has introduced hands-on learning tools for younger students, including listening centers, audiobooks, and classroom dictionaries.
A teacher advisory group made up of prekindergarten through first-grade teachers reported several positive effects from the change.
“The teachers are reporting that students are doing more imaginative play, having more social cooperative work within centers,” said Ryan Goldberg, executive director of elementary teaching and learning for Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
Goldberg said teachers have also noticed a reduced workload when it comes to managing devices, allowing them to spend more time teaching students independent tasks.
However, the group also identified challenges, including the loss of technology-based tools that provided individualized instruction.
In prekindergarten classrooms, teachers pointed to the loss of Hatch, a platform that offered literacy, math, and social and emotional learning activities. The platform also allowed teachers to switch to a student's home language, which provided comfort for younger learners.
The school division is expected to provide another update on the policy early next year.
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