As we neared the beginning of the school year, many people were concerned about the district’s decision to go one-to-one with Chromebooks.

Common concerns included students not turning in assignments on time, or not bringing their Chromebooks to school everyday, and Chromebooks getting in the way of face-to-face discussions.

Now that the school year is in full swing and students and staff have had time to adjust to having Chromebooks, many are discovering that going one-to-one with Chromebooks was a great idea.

As most students know, using Chromebooks in the classroom is not entirely new at Cary-Grove. For the last few years, more and more classrooms have been getting carts of Chromebooks along with Google Classroom signups. The decision to go one-to one was just taking it one step further.

Mrs. Bachta, a spanish teacher, said each student having a Chromebook makes it easier to use them at any time during the lesson. Students can pull them out for five minutes in the beginning, then again for five minutes at the end, without having to worry about if they are plugged in to their cart or if the last class charged them.

She also said that, because students bring their Chromebooks home everyday, it is easier to assign homework without worrying about student who may or may not have access to a computer.

Students have also been psyched about the switch.

“Having a Chromebook is helpful for all my classes because it keeps everything together, and it’s also one less textbook,” freshman Kelsey Kownick said.

Being able to readily access work for any subject through Google Drive has been great for students, as it makes it easier to find assignments when they are all in one place. Having Google Classrooms has, for the most part, made it easier for students to turn in assignments on time.

Another advantage of having Chromebooks is being able to instantly send answers to a teacher using applications like Pear Deck and Socrative.

This is especially helpful in math classes, math teacher Mr. Hawley said, because it allows the teacher to quickly check if students understand a concept. He also said that, with Chromebooks, students have so many resources at their fingertips. If they are struggling with a concept, they have the ability to use these resources to understand it better.

Having Chromebooks not only helps students with their current classes, but as both students and teachers have said, they may also help in the long run.

“Using Chromebooks helps prepare students for our tech-based world,” Mrs. Bachta said. She also said that getting in the habit of caring for a Chromebook, keeping it in good condition, and bringing it to school charged everyday helps students get ready for similar responsibilities once they graduate.

Chromebooks do not always work perfectly. If the internet crashes then there’s not much you can do. But, overall, going one-to-one with Chromebooks has enriched the Cary-Grove experience.