The daring initiative of distributing close to 500 Chromebooks to select students in September has had time to be tested.  The overall impact of this technology has been positive.

Students who did obtain Chromebooks feel that having it  is useful and a great tool for using in class.  “It is good to have one in school. I can do all my homework in school and turn it in virtually,”  said Arshia Lodhi. “Instead of researching on my cellphone I can use my Chromebook,” continued Lodhi.

Other students like Melissa Ravelo feel that a Chromebook is a good resource. It has internet connection and more students prefer typing than writing their notes in a notebook.

Although having a Chromebook is good for many things it can also be an interference with schoolwork. Rachel Cook, a sophomore agree that it can be a distraction especially  with the tons of websites that are accessible.

Having a Chromebook is a lot of responsibility. According to Ms. Korten over 50 Chromebooks have been reported damaged. Students tend to take care of it since it’s not really theirs but the school’s property.

Although a Chromebook is not a  necessity many students are attached to it and would like to continue using it after high school. Melissa Ravelo, a Senior at Curtis loves using her Chromebook and would like to use it in college.

Chromebooks can make high school experience feel more professional. However, some of the almost 900 student who did not get a book  feel left out.  The first 500 Chromebooks were given to sophomores juniors and seniors in the IB and SIS program and also students taking college level math, foreign language and science classes.  According to Ms. Korten these students were selected because they were doing college level work.

Some students feel that the selection process was biased. “I feel as though it’s unfair I would want one because I would use it for journalism and it makes it easier for teachers to share the lessons instead of copying everything down,” said Selena Stafford.

Students who are not in IB or SIS but are taking AP classes were promised Chromebooks but have not yet received them.  Athena McGowan who takes AP Literature and Government was not issued a Chromebook even though she was required to have one. “I’m just confused as to why I don’t have one. I wish I could have one because my teacher uses Google classroom in my AP class and I don’t have a Chromebook to be able to use it,” she said.

Not only students but also teachers considers this issue. Mr. Basso, a social studies teacher said, “I think they feel left out.” Nevertheless, he allows students who do have a Chromebook to use it in his class. Most teachers including Mr. Basso and Mr. Williams have no problem with allowing students to use their Chromebooks.

The school is still undecided on which students are going to receive Chromebooks next year. Mr. Gambardella stated that their decision is based on the school’s budget.