Every student knows the feeling of receiving an in-class assignment that feels like it will take every amount of willpower you have left to complete. Avoiding the blank Google Doc, you flip to another tab with entertaining online games or the website to buy that cute top you saw at Village Pointe yesterday.

Next thing you know, the bell rings, and the Google Doc is still blank. The assignment becomes another at-home task, but you feel like your brain got a brief break and is recharged for the next 48 minutes of work.

But what if there was a way for teachers to always keep students on task, even online? This year, MN downloaded Securly Classroom to all district-issued laptops. Subsequently, students are no longer allowed to use personal laptops.

According to the Securly website, Securly Classroom is devised to address the unique challenges of modern learning, on any device, in any classroom. It empowers educators to regain control and cultivate an environment conducive to maximizing student learning outcomes.

But, as is true with new technological programs that have emerged, Securly is a double-edged sword. While it is beneficial to administrators and teachers, Securly may bring more hassle than help to students.

For example, one common use of Securly is to limit tabs. Although this could prevent distractions, it also prevents multitasking. This is annoying to students who already finished the assigned task and want to work on other homework. With extracurricular activities and homework on their to-do list, multitasking is becoming even more important to involved students.

However, math teacher Mitchell Fricke shared that he limits tabs in the best interest of students. His five-tab limit ensures students are staying on task and actively learning. Securly also allows him to do other things like push an online graphing calculator to students so they do not have to buy their own expensive calculator.

From a teacher’s perspective, Securly has various benefits. Preventing distractions and academic dishonesty can be viewed as positives to the software, but the ability to view screens and search history raises a privacy question. The idea of someone watching your device constantly feels unsettling.

Assistant Principal Nate Wragge shared that Securly does not have any access capabilities that were not already available on district property devices. That being said, Wragge said that the purpose of Securly is not to monitor everything students do but rather to ensure they are staying focused and learning.

Both Wragge and Fricke shared that Securly records a lot of data that is valuable to teachers and administration. When trying to manage a large school with many unique students, it is crucial to keep up with technological advancements like Securly.

Outside of these pros and cons, there is a lot of gray area surrounding the management of technology in school. One gray area is the question of what level of management is appropriate for what age.

While Securly is likely helpful to guide technological use for middle schoolers and underclassmen as they transition to new stages of independence, it would be advantageous for upperclassmen to learn to manage their technology independently.

Although Securly aims to solve the problem of in-class technology distractions, it can feel far from practical for older students. Being managed so closely feels like a trip back to our middle schools.

As a former teacher, Wragge shared that it is difficult to find an effective balance of independence and management for students. Securly is encouraged to be used in MN classrooms, but it is ultimately teacher discretion as to how much or how little they use the software based on their classroom needs.

With these complicated questions and equally complex answers, it’s obvious that technology management will always be a pressing issue in classrooms nationwide. As teachers continue experimenting with Securly, students will continue to adapt to new norms.