Next school year, students and teachers will be getting new iPads which are going to be full sized.

“They’ll be full sized, not the mini’s and they’ll have more memory.” Says librarian Nicole Bortz when asked what’s going to be different next year compared to this year. 

Some students have shared that they do not mind either way because they use their devices so little in class.

Rory Valdespino, a freshman, who uses her iPad “a couple times a week”, claims that she still prefers to use the library’s computer or her own computer at home.

Jacob Pendergast, a junior, claims he hasn’t used it once this whole year. “I’ve maybe charged the thing once” he states. 

Oftentimes, teachers will allow students to use cell phones or ask them to check-out Chromebooks to complete work in class if they don’t have their iPads.

According to Bortz, the old iPads are going back to Apple instead of being sold to the public like many students imagined would happen.

When asked why students were getting new iPads, Bortz’s answer was simple: “The iPads we have now are old, the new iPads will have better visuals.”

From my own personal experience, I’ve used my iPad the school gifted me maybe once this entire school year, not because I’m lazy, but because I have my own laptop. There are many other students who use their own laptops instead of the school iPads. 

After interviewing a couple of students, they all agreed that iPads should be optional for students who will actually use them and those who don’t have their own device.

Having the option for students to get the iPad if they choose would decrease the amount of broken and damaged iPads, which would save the school (and the students) more money over time.

Many students don’t have their own devices, but they use their phones instead. This will be a struggle for those students next year as many classrooms will be hosting “phone hotels”, which are little places that students will be required to put their phones in at the beginning of class according to Mr. Garcia, a government and history teacher at Mead. 

The implementation of phone hotels may cause more students to charge and bring their iPads to class everyday, but only time will tell.

Regardless, students will be getting new iPads next year. Whether or not you use your iPad, your own device, or your phone, you need to be sure to take care of your iPad and it’s charger.