Collegedale Academy has gained a new upgrade: iPads. Suddenly, the world – at least the world approved as “right and pure” by CA’s server – is at our fingertips, right at school. Both students and teachers are learning to adapt to the iPads, and from the perspective of students, the tablets seem to generally be regarded as a positive addition to CA.

Many students remark on the fluid accessibility the iPads provide. Sophomore Emmalina Pleshka says, “The iPads help me do my work more efficiently. I can quickly go from my textbooks to my notes, and homework gets done quickly.”

Senior Andrew Suekert agrees: “It’s a lot easier for me to keep track of what I’m supposed to do as well as to know when exactly my assignments are due. I have yet to discover a real negative to the iPads, academically.”

Students are also benefitting from the iPads physically. Senior Savannah Elliot says, “From my dad’s point of view, it’s a lot better on our backs. He’s a chiropractor.”

Collegedale Academy students now walk around with a smaller load than before, and forgetting notebooks and textbooks seems to be less of a problem for them.

However, the new iPads have yet to be a replacement for every academic activity. Junior David Barrios says, “I find the iPads to be more useful for receiving information rather than performing tasks. Having all textbooks and assignments in the same place are infinitely easier than the old system. However, if I’m trying to do a math problem, I prefer to use paper because it gives me the freedom to write conjectures on the side and generally organize things in a more comfortable format.”

As Collegedale Academy students become acclimated to an iPad-based method of doing school work, most of the doubts expressed at the end of last year seem to be expunged, replaced with positive responses to the devices.

An article examining how teachers are dealing with iPads will be posted next week.