Technology Policy
How does LCA approach digital technology?
LCA is a paper-and-pen school. We design our classes to use the absolute minimum amount of digital technology. For all students, all assignments are handwritten, video is avoided, and phones and all other digital devices are put away for the duration of the school day.
We are not opposed to any technology when it can be shown to be useful. However, as we see it, the education of K-12 students was almost universally worsened by computers, phones, and unfettered access to the internet. We view the massive introduction of digital technology over the last fifteen years as an unprecedented experiment in education. Now that we have seen the results, we have concluded that the experiment was largely a failure. A growing body of scientific research strongly supports our position, some of which is cited at the bottom of this page. The results have perhaps been best summarized by Dr. Horvath in his testimony to the U.S. Senate, where he testifies that, as a general outcome, increased screen exposure results in less educational attainment. As a result, we avoid digital technology whenever possible.
Instead of digital technology, we rely on the time-tested practices of education: the honest relationship between teacher and student, the power of a real book in hand, the skill of handwritten notes, and the beauty of the written word. These fundamental ways of educating students have seen success for thousands of years, and we expect them to remain extraordinarily effective.
We are not purists: whenever a lesson must rely on digital technology or whenever the benefits of digital technology can be shown to significantly outweigh the costs, we require the use of that technology because we are always ultimately interested in the best education possible. For instance, we believe that typing is an essential skill, and we require all students to learn to type on computers, usually beginning around 4th grade. But, we always place the burden of proof with the technology, as we are convinced that, all else being equal, digital technology makes an education worse than a screen-free classroom.
What benefits does our low-to-no technology approach provide for our students?
Printed readings are better comprehended than digital readings, so students learn more.
Students are better able to pay attention with the removal of constant distraction of screens.
Students have better memory when they are not reliant on a device to store information for them.
Students are more self-reliant when they are used to working with only a pencil and paper.
Students develop better fine-motor skills when handwriting.
Students have more genuine friendships when conversations are not mediated by screens.
Students engage more confidently in face-to-face conversations with peers and adults.
Students have more freedom to be both children and human beings when they are not being prompted by devices.
Time is not wasted setting up and managing devices.
Our policy for digital technology is as follows:
All digital technology is required to pass the “minimum-use test”: if an activity can be reasonably completed without devices, the students may not use them.
All use of personal computing devices (including phones, smart watches, and laptops) for students is prohibited at school or during school events, except on the rare occasions where the school is not able to provide enough devices to our students.
Computing devices brought to school or school events must be stored in a bag and turned off.
All readings are assigned in print.
Instruction is never conducted by video or audio recordings, in class except for recordings of songs for music class.
Projection is only used for still images which have an academic purpose, but printed handouts are always preferred to projection when reasonable.
Whenever students are asked to use digital devices, a primary goal of the lesson must also include teaching them to use and to interpret the device.
All typed works must include a handwritten draft.
All typed writing must conform to the same expectations as regular writing (appropriate grammar, spelling, and form).
Calculators may not be used until students begin working with trigonometric functions or other functions with irrational outputs, and even then, definite notation (for instance 2π instead of 6.28…) is preferred when reasonable.
School clocks must always be analog.
Students in preschool through 5th grade may not use any digital devices whatsoever, except to learn typing and for an annual standardized test administered digitally.
The use of artificial intelligence to complete assignments is prohibited. Instances of this use are treated as plagiarism, just as if a human being's thinking and writing were plagiarised.
There are no Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI, “school-at-home”) days. School is either in session on campus or not.
We have highlighted several studies below:
Clinton, V. (2019). “Reading from Paper Compared to Screens.” Journal of Research in Reading.
Students reading from paper consistently comprehended more than those reading on screens. Researchers called this the “screen inferiority effect,” and it has grown larger over the past two decades even as devices have improved.
Daily use of digital devices in English language arts classrooms was negatively associated with reading comprehension at the 4th and 8th grade levels.
Students who read digital books didn’t enjoy the same positive reading habits of students who read printed books. Further, early exposure to screens showed a negative impact on the long-term development of readers. Over long reading assignments, six to eight times greater comprehension was predicted for students reading printed books than students digital books.
Children exposed to screens show altered brain patterns which resulted in reduced ability to provide visual attention after exposure to screens.
Handwriting is associated with much more extensive brain activity than typing suggesting that handwriting is significantly superior for coding information and memories more generally.
College students performed significantly better when they took handwritten notes as opposed to typing them, with as much as a 50% increase in the number of A students if all students switched to handwritten notes.