Early into the 2019 school year, all students attending NAHS received their own Chromebooks, which brought about a new age for NAHS as we transfer into a new technologically assisted era in education. This could be the next big step for all students and faculty at NAHS, but are the Chromebooks as useful as everyone thinks they will be? 

As early as the 2018-2019 school year, the faculty began to discuss the idea of students having personal computers. Many teachers and students would agree that Chromebooks provide users with advantages such as getting homework done and ease of access.

Many teachers at NAHS would agree that the Chromebooks have made it easier for them. In fact, a month after Chromebook distribution, the Wingspan conducted a poll regarding the Chromebooks, determining what users thought about them. It was a random sample taken from Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and teachers of the High. 

The initial take from teachers seems positive. 67% of teachers said they believe the Chromebooks would improve the overall academic success of students in the future, while only 13% of teachers disagreed. 21% of people said it was too early to tell.  71% of the teacher surveyed also stated that Chromebooks have made their classes more efficient, while only 8% believe they have made classes less efficient.

Teachers did mention issues, however. 67% of the teachers surveyed admitted that students were more distracted, and 62% saw students forgetting to bring them.

One teacher, who wanted to stay anonymous, even said she felt out off by the new technology. “I barely actually teach anymore.” she said. “More and more things are getting taken over by technology, school is one of those things.” With schools now moving into a completely online curriculum, it could pose a real threat to how teachers are used to teaching their students.

More importantly, how have the Chromebooks impacted the students of Norristown Area High School? The purpose of the Chromebooks is to improve the efficiency of students, and the majority of the students polled would agree that it has. Around 65% of all classes polled said that the Chromebooks have made it a lot easier to get work done both in and out of classes. 

“I wish we had these when I was a freshman,” said Senior Thomas Bellmon. “ It would have made things a lot easier.” Because of how commonly used these Chromebooks are in the High, it is important to note how helpful the Chromebooks have actually been. When asked about classes and what subjects the Chromebooks were most useful in, all grades unanimously agreed that English was the most improved. 

Most English classes now are taught through the Chromebooks. They allow students to cut down on writing time and provide them with grammar tools that traditionally are not available on loose-leaf paper. Students also seem to use thier Chromebooks most in History courses, which was highest with freshman and sophomores. 

In third place came science course, though, according to the Freshmen,n it tied close with their Math courses. Every main subject has been improved one way or another with the use of the Chromebooks. 

Even though it has only been two months, many students and faculty believe that the Chromebooks will pose a significant change to the NAHS curriculum.