Having modern technology is important on a school campus, especially when students, staff, and faculty alike depend on that technology. These machines range from computers to printers, and fortunately, most accounts find Highline technology dependable and user-friendly.

Ian Porter, a librarian at Highline said, “The technology services in the library are working really well … starting in the fall quarter the computers have been running a lot faster because of the IT department’s upgrades.”

Highline updates their technology frequently, notable in the library (Building 25) or computer lab (Building 30) with systems and software installed in the past year. This helped productivity greatly, as web pages and logins became blazingly fast. In Building 10, the journalism classes use Mac desktops, installed in the past year. These are the new M3 chips that came out only two years ago.

Gavin Rhodes, a student at Auburn Mountainview High School stated this about their school’s technology, “The technology at my school is great, we even are developing programs and extra systems for our special needs students.”

Technology can either benefit the school experience or harm it. This is important as many students and staff need better technology to complete work properly with good software and reasonable load times for applications. 

At 10 a.m., class is over and the library and computer labs are open. There is an English paper due today along with a few other assignments. The day is packed with work, there is no time to play or do much else! But the computer in front of you does not work, a staff member says to another user. But this computer is slow, and the WiFi keeps cutting out. How will school work ever be done if it takes two minutes to load a single web page and open links?

As slow load times delay their ability to do school work, especially with hardware heavy majors like engineering or computer science. Even nursing and science students use complicated technology, having computers that can support the tech is needed.

Highline does suffer from technological issues at times. Outside of computers, some classrooms and buildings are not up to date with their technology. Whether it is the printers, projectors, or learning software like in partnered websites. These at times are non-functional and are neglected, often staff or students will use other machines in nearby rooms or buildings before reporting issues. 

These issues can impact class time, Highline College student Meklite Abebe said, “The technology in most rooms is great. But in some classes and buildings the network runs slow and systems or machines are dated, which leads to class time being delayed due to technological issues.”

What can be done about this issue at Highline? Of course there is a budget the school follows, so always being able to update the technology is impossible, but knowing to report technological issues and not withholding problems is key. 

Reporting issues ties into bringing awareness that technology is heavily impactful on the careers and success of students. Organizations and schools outside of Highline College should also try bringing awareness to their technology, as it can greatly boost their efficiency and enjoyment in their work.