Slowly dragging their feet to the bus, every day kids haul their backpacks to school. When they finally arrive they exhale a sigh of relief after dropping the twenty pound backpack. Cannon Falls students have been using textbooks and are now updating to the newest technology. All 6th and 9th graders received a tablet as a lightweight replacement for textbooks.

Freshman Grace Foster believes, “They are good sometimes, but other times it’s hard in writing classes because you’re just typing instead of writing.” The transition may be difficult at first, but this future was inevitable according to Cannon Falls freshman teacher, Cal Vande Hoef. “ I was just talking with Mrs. Winget and the other freshmen and when I was teaching in  the ‘90s we used to talk about how someday that this would happen. The future is today.” The future is certainly here today as kids raise their hands frantically to get help with the tablets.

Principal Tim Hodges states, “The main idea of putting a tablet into each student’s hand is to help them develop 21st century skills.”  Hodges goes on to explain that this technology will prepare the students for college and eventually careers. When asked why he decided to give the kids tablets, he listed multiple reasons. The first reason is due to limited spending for the tablets. The second reason is that when kids are in 6th and 9th grade they have similar schedules, unlike other grades. Hodges also goes on to say that students can extend their time learning with tablets.

Overall, this will be more convenient for the students. They will be able to type up papers without the stress of breaking pencils and running out of notebook paper. Although it will be handy, students will have to adapt to the updated learning style. As Vandehoef said, we all knew that this update in learning would occur, the question was just when. Now students in 6th and 9th grade are privileged with these tablets and will now be more ready for college than ever. As students make their way to the bus they will have a spring in their step knowing that they have a lightweight learning device in their hands.