This year Notre Dame Academy introduced the BYOD policy, meaning that students were required to bring their own device to school.

The students said bringing their device to school helps them feel more organized, rather than when they didn’t have a device.

“Bringing your own device makes it so I can be more organized, and it helps me keep tabs on what’s going on in class,” said Claire Edgar, NDA sophomore.

There are many advantages to having a device at your fingertips at all times in class, such as teachers can ask a question and students can have the answer in seconds.

In addition, students can do research, type essays, play in-class computer games such as Kahoot and other activities with a device.

“It makes life easier because it doesn’t waste as much paper as getting handouts, and it creates less of a hassle because we don’t have to go to the computer lab anymore,” said Micah Dennis, NDA sophomore.

With all the advantages there’s always some disadvantages, such as misuses of the BYOD policy.

Students are playing games, doing other homework in class, cheating, texting, online shopping and watching movies.

“Neutrally, if anything,I understand the material better if I don’t have a device in front of me,” said James Kanning, NDA sophomore.

Devices can be a distraction, but getting rid of them wouldn’t solve the problem.

In my opinion, students should be in charge of their own learning and should be accountable to make good decisions.

If teenagers don’t want to succeed in a class and would rather play games, that’s on them.

It is the same situation if an employee is playing games or going on social media during the work day.

The company isn’t going to take away all the devices for the other individuals, but rather company leadership would fire the employee.

Taking away the ability to bring your own device would set the students back in this world where everything is becoming tech friendly.