Each student enrolled in Southmoreland High School received Chromebooks on March 16. The discussion about getting Chromebooks was going on for months before they were delivered and distributed, and students were eager to finally receive them.
“The Chromebooks are going to be very beneficial,” said junior Kim Weinman.
Students now have the opportunity to type essays and do research throughout the entire day without having to go to computer labs or go through the hassle of finding what teacher has laptops in their room to borrow.
All chromebooks are monitored by faculty, and teachers can always know what is being done on them at certain times while hoping to be used for the intended educational purpose.
Every student and their family has the option to purchase insurance for their chromebooks. While the insurance is not mandatory, many staff members have recommended getting it because of how easily a device can be dropped or ruined like a regular school book.
Many students feel more organized and less stressed already because they can keep almost everything they need on their Chromebooks. Teachers and students can now access a google classroom where the work and materials for class and homework is on for students. Instead of students carrying around stacks of books and binders, they now only have to carry one book that holds most of their work for each class.
“I don’t have to worry about losing papers now,” said junior Alexei Belzer.
The Chromebooks make it convenient for everybody but can only be accessed while on wifi whether you’re at school or home. Some students who could take advantage of having a chromebook still may not be able to get their work done due to the fact that they don’t have Internet access at home. The hopes for many students is to try and change that in the future so that everybody has an equal opportunity for use of the books.
For freshman, the idea of Chromebooks is nothing new because they received their Chromebooks while in middle school last year.
“I’m glad we got Chromebooks again this year because last year we didn’t use them much and now they’re coming in handy,” said freshman Erika Sherbondy.
As time goes on and into following years, the use of Chromebooks will continue to be beneficial to teachers and students.