Out of all the grades in the Watertown Public School System — preschoolers to 12th-graders — the eighth-graders of Watertown Middle School are the first students to get their own computers to carry with them from class to class, and it started this school year: 2015-2016.

    The eighth-graders have received Dell Chromebooks. The computer is based off Google for easy access to Google-based websites, such as Gmail and Google Docs, which is where most school work is done. 

   For now, the eighth-graders cannot take the computers home, and they are charged overnight at school.

    The middle school has “A” day” and “B” day schedules. An “A” day is a regular schedule — first period, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh. “B” days are a little bit different — seventh, sixth, third, fourth, fifth, second, and, finally, first. Because of this weird schedule, the students get their Chromebooks from their first-period classes and proceed to carry them around throughout the day, only to be locked in lockers when they are not being carried. Then, in their seventh-period class, they will put their computers in the cart and charge them. The next morning, the same thing repeats.

    The Watertown School Department was thinking about giving Chromebooks to a specific grade for a while, but they had a couple reasons to give it to the eighth grade.

    First, the eighth-grade teachers already use a great amount of technology in their teaching. Because not every student had a personal computer, it was pretty hard to work with, lugging a computer cart around from class to class.

    Also, the administration knew the eighth-grade class this year would be very responsible with the Chromebooks, and very appreciative at the same time.

    The real question is, What do the eighth-graders think of them? After all, they’re the ones that are using the computers!

    Delanie Dunn said, “I like them. They’re easy to use and faster than writing on paper, which helps because I’m a slow writer.”

    Susie Howard agreed. She said she likes, them, too, although they are annoying sometimes.

    All in all, the Chromebooks seem like they’re working and they are a good fit for the eighth-graders.

–Nov. 19, 2015–