In August, if you had asked me how I felt about the high school converting towards a Google school, I would have been furious. I hated the idea of a school where we would all have Chromebooks for class.

But, as LHS has progressively been getting closer to being a Google School , my opinion has changed.

I like using the Chromebooks in Anatomy or in the Writing Center. It’s useful to have a cloud storage drive for accessing all my documents. Sure, it may not be at the same level as the professional tier that Microsoft Word is on, but we don’t need a lot of those features to be successful in a school environment.

For example, if the internet were to crash, students wouldn’t be able to access their documents, or anything, on Google Drive.

But the good side of it is how it’s accessible anywhere, provided that the user has access to internet.

Also, students can collaborate with each other in real time, no matter how far apart. This makes class presentations tremendously easier.

For example, in the Anatomy classes with Mr. Plotke, the students answer questions on webquests using Google Docs. By sharing the document, each student can see what the other types, suggestions left, and can even comment all without disrupting what is written below.

The idea was formed and put into action by Mrs. Hitchcock and Mr. Mondrella. Mrs. Hitchcock loves the idea of the Chromebooks. She says, “I have been dreaming of us becoming a Google School for years. Having access to all files from anywhere is so helpful for both teachers and students.”

She goes on to say that, “We are always looking for new ways to improve student learning.  With the world being filled with technology and the ability to have so much valuable information at your fingertips, it makes sense to provide this opportunity for all students all of the time.”

A lot of students consider the idea of Chromebooks as foreign and strange. Students and Chromebook will  have a ration of  one to one in 2017-2018.

To Mrs. Hitchcock, “the most important benefit of being one toone is that it will open up new and meaningful learning opportunities for our students and help prepare students for our rapidly changing world.”

Some students think there are a lot of drawbacks and very few benefits. Such as the fact that the chromebooks only run with internet. Other students prefer using Word or sticking with paper.

Personally I don’t think Chromebooks are the best option but taking steps to being more tech savvy as a school is a necessity. Times are changing and so are we.

But Mrs. Hitchcock says, “I don’t see that there are any drawbacks.  There are some technical and financial hurdles that need to be dealt with, but the benefits to the students far outweigh any drawbacks.”

My view on the Chromebooks is somewhere in the middle. I love that everything is easily accessible and while I don’t love Google Drive, it has its bright moments.

But being a one to one school is something I won’t be witnessing here at LHS and I’m okay with that. I’m not sure if I would want to use a Chromebook all school year- I have my own laptop, one I like too much to betray.

While my opinion is up for debate, the underclassmen will be the ones to learn -come 2017.