After two years of iPads as the primary device, the USD 497 School Board announced that the two high schools would be returning to updated MacBook Airs in April of 2025. While some students had access to MacBooks through selected extracurricular activities or classes, this will be the first year that students, excluding the senior class of 2026, will use laptops as their primary device.
Senior Pryce Brinkerhoff said that the usage of MacBooks will be a positive change for the student body. Due to Brinkerhoff’s enrollment in Speech and Debate, he’s had consistent access to a MacBook; because of his experience, he said that students will easily adapt to a new device.
“Most kids use laptops at home, and some use them at school. We are very tech-reliant and familiar teenagers, so I think not much of an adjustment will occur,” Brinkerhoff said.
Senior Kara Alexander said she was excited upon hearing of MacBook’s return because she previously enjoyed working with one. Additionally, Alexander said the change will be a well-received change from students because she said she found the MacBooks to be faster than iPads and their keyboards to be less glitchy.
After the switch to iPads, some students chose to purchase a personal laptop for school because they preferred that device style. As the library media specialist, Marisa Hegeman said she supported the change to MacBooks because it helped to avoid a digital divide appearing in classrooms between students of different backgrounds or academic interests.
“It became kind of obvious who could afford such a luxury, or was enrolled in a class that could provide it. So there was a digital divide, because we had students on different devices,” Hegeman said.
Similar to the divide between personal MacBook users and school iPad users, middle school students mainly use iPads, so the usage of MacBooks in high school can be seen as a separation from previous education and a personal upgrade during their education careers. Teacher Sophia Coen said that she believes that a fancier and more expensive device often creates a higher expectation for their work at school.
MacBooks and iPads are entirely different devices, and yet, Coen said she doesn’t anticipate issues during the adjustment period due to students being adaptable. Because students in this day and age have been exposed to technology their whole lives, Coen said, technology becomes intuitive to a certain extent. Similarly, Hegeman said that while this generation of high schoolers has spent a lot of time online, many of them haven’t gotten to learn computer-specific skills yet during their time in school.
“Even kids who have spent the majority of their lives on screens don’t seem to know best practices when it comes to file names, either storage management, or search strategies. So I think there will be a little bit of a learning curve,” Hegeman said.
Hegeman said that because laptops are often the preferred device in college, using them in high school is a good way to build a complete understanding.
“I think MacBooks do prepare you better for college,” Hegeman said. “I think in the long term, if USD 497 can financially support this, it’s a good thing.”
