The bulky tablet computer from past years has been switched to newer HP tablets. Along with new laptops, the online education program switched from Blackboard to Schoology. Overall, the reactions from students varied.

“The new laptops are nice, but I kind of miss the old ones. They were a little bit bigger and easier to use,” senior Josh Washington said.

Not only are the tablets new, but they also have a new updated software which has been difficult to use for some students.

“I’ve been having technical difficulties all day. My pen is not working and I am having trouble finding certain documents which I know that I saved,” junior Reagan Reimers said.

This year, the pen is also not connected to the tablet, and even though it is magnetic, there is no designated area to keep it while it’s not in use.

“The first day laptops were distributed I lost my pen because there is no string. Now I keep it in my pencil bag, because there is no other place to put it,” junior Josh Davis said.

Even though much response was negative, some students liked the fact that the pen wasn’t attached to the laptop anymore.

“My pen got stolen from my tablet last year when I wasn’t on it, so I’m happy that I can keep it in my backpack now, where I know it won’t get taken,” Reimers said.

The new online learning program switched as well, from Blackboard to Schoology.

“Schoology is really nice and cool to use. It kind of looks like Facebook and you can interact more with your teachers,” Washington said.

However, a lot of students ended up preferring Blackboard over Schoology in the long run.

“I don’t know why they stopped using Blackboard in the first place, I never had problems submitting my assignments or any problems with it at all.” Reimers said.

Overall, students didn’t have a very hard time getting used to the new tablets and new educational software.

“The new laptops are easy to use and they are way lighter, plus I like Schoology,” Davis said.