To Laptop or Not to Laptop?

Do you remember when we all had to lug around those stacks of heavy textbooks? I know I sure do. I also remember how excited we were when we found out we were getting school issued iPads. That was a great day! The iPads not only freed us from carrying so many books, but they enabled us to go digital with our notes, calendars, and homework assignments. Fast forward to today – I am sitting at my desk writing an article on one of the new school laptops. I find the new laptops easier to use and more productive than the iPads. For example, it’s a lot easier to navigate back and forth between web sites. Junior Quaid Foshee said, “On the laptops, typing is easier and faster. Editing and annotating is easier.”

Although I love the new laptop, there are a couple of things I miss about the iPad. I used my school iPad a lot to take photos of assignments from the board. When I asked Senior Eric Vanburgun, he said, “The iPads connected better with Google Drive and I didn’t have to worry as much about breaking it.”  Also, it was easier to carry the iPad in the hallway, so you can do your work that is due at the beginning of class. The worst problem I had with the iPad was printing. The air printer would not connect with the iPad, so I had to wait until someone else was done with the computer to print something. 

I asked a few people if they prefer using iPads or laptops for school, and almost everyone I asked said that they like the laptop better. Senior Kyle McCraine said,  “Well, I like laptops better because it is easier to type long papers and it also has a longer battery life.”  Senior Bry Drobish said, “I’m more productive when I’m doing my school work and I also get my work done faster”. We are very fortunate to have up-to-date technology to use at our school. I think overall the laptops were a good decision.