Alexander Kozub ’20
THE ROUNDUP
After five years of iPads as Brophy’s technology of choice the school decided to switch over to the MacBook Air for this school year.
This decision took months of research, surveys, focus groups, and feedback until the final conclusion was reached, Assistant Principal for Technology Mr. Mica Mulloy said.
This year, every freshman have purchased a 13-inch MacBook Air rather than an iPad that has been previously designated as the school’s one-to-one program’s technology of choice.
“Five years is an eternity in technology, and having iPads for that long, the switch was necessary,” he said.”The faculty and staff have been really open to improving the technology and the one-to-one program by taking part in focus groups and sharing their thoughts.”
When asked about how this change will affect his curriculum, religious studies teacher Mr. Jon Shores didn’t think it would have that much of an effect.
“I do not think my curriculum will change much. I think it will enhance it because the students will be able to do more with it,” he said.
One of the main drawbacks with switching would be the multimedia aspect that the iPad provides.
Last year, Brophy found that a majority of students on campus have smartphones that students can take pictures with if they need.
If students do not have a smartphone they can sign out an iPad from the Innovation Commons for free and use it for thirty days. Students will be allowed to keep signing them out if you need them for extended periods of time.
“That then doesn’t become a loss for us, it then becomes an opportunity for us to take advantage of that already really powerful tool students already have with them,” Mr. Mulloy said when talking about the role phones will play this year in the multimedia part of the curriculum.
Freshman Albert Piotrowski ’21 thinks that the multimedia change is the one bad change to come from this switch.
“The MacBook has been working quite well, the only thing I wish we had was the video capability, but that doesn’t hold us back too far,” he said.
