It might have been just another start of the school year, but things were definitely different. What was the big change? One word: Chromebooks.

     A week before the school year had started, students picked up their own individual Chromebooks from the school to take home and familiarize themselves with the new technology. With the teachers attending summer training programs over the summer, the Chromebooks are slated to be a vital part of classroom learning.

     “I think using the Chromebooks is a good thing because it saves paper and you can do you work anywhere instead of having to keep up with physical copies of an assignment,” freshman Evan Grisham said. “I think there are going to be plenty of pros and cons because you have kids that don’t use technology that much and don’t know how to use everything efficiently, and then you have those that use the computers to their full capacities and are able to get their work done faster.”

     For some students, leaving summer behind was a challenge in itself even without the technology chances as they are now having to readjust to their school schedules. The days of waking up at 10:00 am and staying on Tumblr till 3 in the morning are long gone.

     “I hated getting up in the morning,” freshman Steven Millar said. “It’s a big adjustment for me to go to bed early enough to want to get ready in the morning.”

     Adding new technology to nearly every classroom in the school all at once will offer some challenges for students and staff, but the outcome will give students an edge with their technology knowledge.

     “I think once students understand the technology better, they will be able to be more efficient in their work,” senior Haylee Brewer said. “Working on the Chromebooks will expose students to the latest technology and help them enrich their tech skills in the long run.”