As the Class of 2028 kicks off their first year of high school, so has the batch of new Acer Chromebooks that have been purchased and administered to freshmen by Lincoln Public Schools. Freshmen got the chance to switch from a regular Dell Chromebook laptop to a 2-in-1 Acer Chromebook Spin 511.
The new laptops were purchased as a part of the LPS C.L.A.S.S. (Connected Learning for the Achievement of Students and Staff) technology plan for sixth and ninth graders this year, which was approved by the Lincoln Board of Education on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. The C.L.A.S.S. technology plan aims to improve student learning by embedding technology and engaging experiences throughout all curricular areas across LPS.
“As far as how they work, they’re essentially the exact same device as everybody else has, with the same (Google) Chrome system,” media center secretary Mrs. Michelle Winklepleck said. “It’s just, for the most part, a different cover on the outside.”
As students transition from middle school to high school, they get a new Chromebook. It functions as a normal laptop, but differs from their middle school Chromebooks as they can fold backwards to function as a tablet. Before this year, they were mostly similar, if not the same interface. This year, students transition from brand to brand, which brings a new interface.
“I actually really like the new computers,” freshman Gracie Kathman said. “I feel like they’re more accessible in different ways. A possible con would be that a lot of the buttons are in different places than I’m used to, but I guess it’s not really a problem.”
In 2019, LPS purchased 6,300 Dell Chromebook 5190s that went into effect for sixth and ninth graders for the 2019-2020 school year. Since then, a four-year replacement cycle has been put in place. Some students prefer the Dell Chromebooks since they are familiar, but freshmen have to get used to an entirely new interface.
“I think the current Chromebooks work pretty well,” sophomore Keegan Brester said. “I do think that there could be some improvements in terms of internet connection and how they work as a whole.”
