Kindling a Fire: Why We’re Re-Thinking Classroom Technology in Middle School

For decades, our school has been known as a pioneer in educational technology. We were the first school in the nation to launch a one-to-one laptop program back in the 1990s. (While today’s students seem to think this was in the ancient past, it was during my time as a student at CCDS.) And our commitment to innovation goes even deeper, reaching back to the 1960s when we were experimenting with mainframes and programming long before it was widely adopted. In modern times, our technological proficiency allowed us to manage the Covid crisis better than many of our peers.

But being a leader in technology doesn’t always mean racing to adopt every new gadget or app. In fact, sometimes it means something harder: slowing down when the world is speeding up.

Two years ago, we became the first school in our area to implement an all-day smartphone ban. Students hand over their phones to their advisors each morning and get them back at the end of the school day. The difference has been profound (and now widely imitated). It confirmed something we had long suspected: that adolescence is not meant to be lived through a screen.

This year, we’ve taken another small step towards smart technology. When school began in August, fifth graders did not receive a school-issued device on day one, as had been the case for a number of years. In fact, for the first quarter, there have been no screens in the classroom at all as they manage their transition to Middle School.

Instead, students have been writing in journals and planners, completing math problems with pencils and paper, and working collaboratively with their peers. In short, we’ve given them time to be fully present – to develop habits of attention, curiosity, and deep thinking before layering in the digital tools that will inevitably shape their education and their lives.

From here, gradually, technology will be phased in. In the second quarter, we’ll introduce laptops into the classroom in small doses, teaching not just the “how” of using a device, but the “why.” We’ll talk about boundaries, distraction, and digital well-being. Students will practice the skills of discernment – learning that a computer is a powerful tool, but only if you are the one in control. Even this will be a slow rollout, because these devices will stay at school and not go home until the second semester.

Along the way, families have been part of the conversation. We have offered training sessions and practical advice for parents who want to create healthy digital ecosystems at home. And we have added tools to support that work, such as new software that allows teachers and parents to monitor device use, shut down the internet when needed, and even flag concerning language that could indicate bullying or self-harm.

Some may wonder why we would pull back when the world is moving forward. The answer is simple: Because human development still runs on the old operating system. The adolescent brain needs quiet, reflection, and real-world interaction to thrive. And attention is like a muscle; it must be trained before it can handle the weight of infinite digital input. If we want our students to use technology creatively, wisely, and ethically, then we must first teach them to be the masters, not the servants, of their devices.

For too long, technology programs have assumed that handing a child a laptop on day one is a sign of progress. But cognitive science and developmental psychology do not always bear this out. Instead, we want our students to first master the habits of focused work before introducing the temptations of 24/7 connectivity.

This is not nostalgia for a pre-digital world. It’s a strategy for a tech-powered, but ultimately human one. Our graduates will enter a future filled with AI, automation, and endless screens. The best preparation for that world is not more tech, sooner; it’s developing the judgment, resilience, and sense of purpose to leverage that technology for good when once made available.

This fall, we will take another small step towards that goal with a return to the fundamentals of learning, paired with a thoughtful, phased approach to digital tools. Who knows – perhaps we’ll learn something from this experiment that can be applied in all our classrooms in the future.

"Kindling a Fire" is a column submitted regularly to Indian Hill Living by Head of School Rob Zimmerman '98. This ran in the October 2025 edition of the publication.