Think of the last time you used the school’s computers in class. Was it a fun experience? Did you jump with joy at the lethargic login? Did you get the urge to write a love song about the sluggish internet speeds? Probably not.

The administration of NKHS bought a cart of Chromebooks which arrived at the end of February. According to Dr. Denise Mancieri, in November, the School Committee approved the purchase of a Chromebook cart and in April will hear additional proposals for Chromebooks for teachers and students. This is part of a bigger goal to go one-to-one with students.

The idea behind one-to-one computing in schools is that each student would have his or her own computer with which to do schoolwork. Various school departments around the nation have implemented the one-to-one program with success. However, the program has not yet been approved by the NK School Committee.

Mancieri sees some advantages to the Chromebooks. She thinks that they are inexpensive and a lot easier to carry than textbooks.

Chromebooks are different from laptops in a few crucial ways. A Chromebook runs mostly on Google Chrome although there are hundreds of apps and extentions. Everything from the word processor to the files are a part of Google Chrome. The word processor is Google Docs, and files are kept on the Google Drive. The Chromebook is basically an extension of Google.

Because everything is kept on the Google Cloud, there is no need for actual storage on the device. This is why the Chromebooks are lightweight and inexpensive. A Chromebook is practically only capable of running Google. Because it only has to run Google, it is extremely fast and simple to use.

When the Chromebooks were first proposed, some teachers protested, saying that they had no use for them. Mancieri said that computer labs will not be replaced with Chromebooks. She also said that specific departments, like the PE Department, will have tablets instead of Chromebooks, although the funding is from a separate grant.

Mancieri said that there was a $1.4 million surplus from the 2013-2014 school year. This surplus has to be used on “capital projects,” in other words, projects specifically for the betterment of the school building and facilities. The surplus funding is going toward upping security, a HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) system, and technology.

Last spring, the whole school was set up with WiFi routers. Now, with the promised Chromebooks, the school is becoming more tech-friendly. Technology is becoming increasingly important in students’ personal lives. NKHS is rapidly catching up with the technological world.