Technology is now a big part of schools, especially at Portage Northern. Teachers have assignments posted on their Google sites so if kids miss a day, they can go and see the work that they missed. Students also use technology every single day in their personal lives: they use the internet for talking to their friends and to go social media and see what’s happening to everyone’s lives. Those privileges, however, are limited when using the school’s internet, which is an annoying fact of PN life for many students.

One of the bonuses to being at school is being able to use the school’s wifi and not use our data. When the school blocks websites and social media, we are unable to do that because we are forced to use our own data to do what we need to. The most trending app that everyone uses for communication with their friends Snapchat. Most ways students communicate is with friends is through face-to-face talking, but when they are away from each other, they take out their phones and just start snapchatting. Most people get why schools don’t let people use the school’s internet for messaging or looking up websites that aren’t school-related, but it would be nice if we could have different privileges when we were done with our work or during non-class times.

All social media isn’t blocked: this year, students are able to use Instagram. The problem is that there isn’t much purpose to using Instagram; it’s mainly just used for posting pictures for everyone to see. Sierra Eaton (10) explains why Snapchat should be available on the school’s internet: “I think that Snapchat should be allowed to work on the wifi so the students can save money by using less data. Students are already going to use Snapchat during the school day, whether or not if it’s on the school’s internet.”  

From getting out of class and going to the next, to cafeteria time where everyone eats and gets some free time, students use this app for a everyday usage. Students prefer to use Snapchat over other apps because they can use filters and stickers to express their feelings in your picture or video in addition to being able to just send the picture to certain people or add it to a story. For many students, unblocking Snapchat would have far more pros than cons.