Nathan walks, or tries to walk, down the crowded hallway between classes. His arms are full as he tries to carry his binder, a pencil, notebooks, and a huge and heavy textbook to class. As he stumbles down the hallway, he can’t help but think, what if all of my classes were in a lightweight device?

More than a week has passed since students have begun using the Lenovo Chromebooks and Dell Tablets. They were distributed to 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th graders on September 15th. After exploring and operating the devices, many students have an opinion on the usage of the Chromebooks and tablets.

“My tablet freezes a lot, so I have to restart it often,” Nathan VanZuilen answers when asked what he likes least about the tablets.

“The tablet case ruins sensitivity,” 10th grader, Layne Quam adds.

Ninth graders, Rachel Huseth and Logan Hofstedt, say the thing they like most about the Dell Tablets is always being able to access and work on assignments online. Many teachers use Schoology to assign homework and due dates.

“I like a few things about Schoology, but improved feedback is the most important.  I think students understand comments for improvement better on Schoology than hand written comments. As for the tablets overall, they allow students to write much more naturally.  Instead of waiting to research at a lab, students can research immediately when the information is needed. The blog assignment can’t be done without the tablets because it’s too much research and writing time to do in the lab,” Mr. Vandehoef says.

Due to the one on one initiative plan, grades 8th, 11th, and 12th do not get devices this year, although next year, everybody will have a device, Enrique Ramos, the technology director, says.

Now, the question is, what will life be like when will we be 100% technology at school? Many students would love to walk lightly down the hallway ready for all classes with just a tablet in hand.