With the introduction of laptops in the senior high next year, technology will change many standard tools of education, most namely, textbooks. Only a few classes in each department will shift entirely to online textbooks, but teachers are optimistic that more will make the change in the future.

The Social Studies department has already made the switch in the US History class, but no decision has been made about extending the online aspect of textbooks for any other classes. “Each teacher makes their own decision,” said social studies teacher Mrs. Megan Kern.

The Religion department is expecting to get full online textbooks for the incoming freshmen. A classroom set will be purchased for in class activities, while the online text will be used for homework, said head of the Religion department, Ms. Becca Walsh. No other course is expected to use the digital versions of any books.

Depending on the budget, the Math department will have online text books for several of the courses. All of the geometry classes and the Algebra 2 classes will have textbooks online, and all of the current geometry texts will be replaced with a new set to be used in class. The addition of online texts is not expected to change the class structure, but the math department is looking for ways to integrate technology into learning. “We want to figure out how we can make [the laptops] integral, not just a glorified text book,” said Mr. Dan Bowler, head of the Math department.

Science textbooks already have online counterparts, but with the new laptops, department head, Mr. Bob Lions, does not expect to make a complete switch to these. But after the new editions of the current books are released in May, the Science department will examine the possibility of buying a new set and the option of using online textbooks.