By Sevanah Sandoval
The new Chromebook background
If you’ve opened your Chromebook within the past week, you’ve probably noticed that any background you had has been removed. Every background has been replaced with a sunset photo with the BUSD logo dead-center.
To get a consensus on the school’s feelings about this change, I’ve interviewed students across the grade levels about the silent background sweep. I have also reached out to the district’s Director of Technology to provide insight about the change.
Student feelings about the background switch are mixed. Emilie Campbell, Senior, expresses she is “slightly annoyed by losing the ability to [choose] what type of background I have on my Chromebook.” Campbell misses her old, more calming background as opposed to the “busy and loud” replacement, suggesting “if the school were to change the background to be more aesthetically pleasing and nicer looking, then students may be less opposed to it.”
She is also confused as to why no students were notified that the change would be made, calling it “sudden.”
Some students are more neutral about how they feel about the change. An anonymous Junior shared that they “barely notice” the switch, explaining that their old background was just a black screen. An anonymous Sophomore shares similar feelings, saying they were surprised but “don’t care too much about it.”
One anonymous Senior, however, was very passionate about the subject, claiming that “the decision to strip us of our unique images was a clear indication” that self-expression was not being valued. The student further described the issue as a challenge against student creativity.
Despite mixed feelings about the switch, the students interviewed generally agreed that it was not unfair because our Chromebooks are the property of the district. An anonymous Junior cited the district removing student profile pictures, reasoning that “they should also be allowed to change wallpapers.” The Junior also highlighted that this change is valuable in preventing students from having explicit backgrounds on school-issued devices.
While universally agreeing that the district had the right to switch everyone’s backgrounds, some are wishing students were given an explanation or warning. Campbell expressed that “if [the district] provided an ample explanation, I would be more understanding and less annoyed with the sudden change.” Campbell is not the only student feeling this way, as many students simply want to know why the backgrounds were standardized.
Luckily for us, Bruce Lambert, the Director of Technology for the Benicia Unified School District, has agreed to an interview regarding the change and why it took place.
Mr. Lambert explained that Chromebook backgrounds were changed because of “instances of students using inappropriate backgrounds across all grade levels.” In addition, Mr. Lambert explained that making every background the same “contributes to a more cohesive Chromebook environment.”
I then asked Mr. Lambert why students did not have the ability to choose from the backgrounds offered by Chrome as long as they did not upload any of their own. He answered, explaining “I want to clarify that this is an all-or-nothing situation. We don’t have the option to permit Chrome backgrounds while disallowing personal uploads.” In addition, Mr. Lambert explained that because the Chromebooks are the property of the district, “we sometimes need to introduce changes or policies to ensure their appropriate use within an educational setting.”
To conclude the interview, I asked Mr. Lambert if there was anything else he wanted students to know. He responded that he hoped students would treat their Chromebooks with care, because a lot of money goes into the repair and maintenance of these devices. He further added, “I kindly request that students refrain from applying stickers or attempting any form of customization” to ensure when Chromebooks are returned, they are in a suitable condition for redistribution the following school year.
In conclusion, the district took our backgrounds away as a result of misuse. While this can be frustrating, it serves as a reminder that the abuse of our privileges will result in those privileges being revoked. Further, be mindful about how you treat your Chromebook, because a lot of work and money goes into making sure you have one.
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