This year, Grayslake Central high school has instituted a new policy that requires students to keep their phones out of their hands and in a caddy during classes. As a result, students are left with just one electronic device in their possession during class – their school provided Chromebooks.

During classes, students use their Chromebooks to work on online school assignments. Along with this, they often use Chromebooks as a way to find entertainment, now that phones are not an option. Gianna Arzer, a junior at Central, uses her Chromebook as a boredom buster. “It’s just something to do when I finish my work, or for music and stuff like that,” Arzer said. Whenever students want to listen to something while working, or have time to burn after they finish a test early, or just have free time in a class, they can find a way to fix those problems through Chromebooks. Along with that, students can communicate with each other using their Chromebooks using apps like Google Chat during and after school hours, now that texting is not an option.

While these aspects are helpful, are they also distracting? Sophomore Emma Espineli feels like Chromebooks can be a hinderance to focus. “I feel like it’s just distracting [as phones], I feel like before people weren’t playing games or doing much on their Chromebooks, and now that they don’t have phones they’re playing games.” Freshman Sorelle Otterson said“I think it could be distracting if you choose to play games.”

Overall, Chromebooks can be distracting to some people during school, but they can also be helpful and can provide entertainment, acting as a middle ground so that students don’t have to use their phones, but can also listen to music or find entertainment, rather than sitting in silence with nothing to do.