Our Rating: C+

For high school students, technology is one of the greatest keys to survival. We continuously use the internet as a primary source to acquire information and to communicate with classmates for help. Laptops are greatly needed in classrooms to take valuable notes, work on online assignments and to use websites like Edmodo and Google Classroom. A student will overall find it very hard to go through the year without one. Luckily, our school offers each student a temporary laptop or tablet if needed, allowing students to not be concerned if they do not own one themselves.

Students who decide to take this opportunity were given either an HP laptop or an HP tablet, each accompanied with its corresponding charger. If you were given a tablet, it also came with a detachable keyboard. Both function the same and have their limits. The main purpose of the laptop is for the use of learning and education, and it is not expected to be played with, which is understandable. The school has certain apps and websites blocked off if they are considered to be inappropriate. It is expected for students to use the devices for educational purposes only.

“In my opinion, the school laptops are okay. It is simple and like any other normal laptop. I like how we are able to take it home with us, which is nice,” freshman Valerie Pacheco said.

Some students dislike the school laptops, claiming that they are sometimes slow, unable to connect to the school’s internet when needed and they crash easily when overloaded. There has also been an issue with its screen turning black and flashing, frustrating students when they are completing important assignments. Others argue that although they experience the same issues, the problem may be solved by simply restarting the device.

There is also disappointment when students are not able to access social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram. Overall, the laptops and tablets function correctly when using any Microsoft program and even sites like Youtube. Students are allowed to take it home with them which greatly helps and it is their responsibility for the year to make sure it will not be damaged.

“I’m not a big fan of the school laptops. Mine is very slow sometimes and they are not the best quality, maybe just to get through the school year at least,” sophomore Kaylah Clethen said.

Although the school is able to provide every student with a laptop, there is still a large portion of students who prefer to bring their own devices. Students prefer to bring their own to school even though they know that the school is not responsible for any damage or loss. If a student were to unfortunately crack or shatter any part of their personal laptop, they would have to pay a large amount for the repairs depending on the amount of damage.  

Unlike the school laptops, on a personal laptop you can also download programs that are needed, while the school laptops do not allow downloading at all. High school students who use “GMetrix”, a program used to learn different applications like Photoshop, Powerpoint and Excel, find the school laptops problematic because they do not allow you to download the program. All in all, bringing your own device to school is much easier and a lot more convenient.