Jr. Caroline Sisson begins the 2016-2017 school year brimming with excitement; just like every other student at West Ottawa, she is now equipped with a new Chromebook. But for Sisson, and other AP students, there is one downside to the new school year… they still have to use textbooks.

There are many benefits to using Chromebooks. Chromebooks will make academics easier because information, assignments, and grades will be much more accessible. As Instructor Christopher Norton said, “With Chromebooks, communication should be seamless.” But despite having Chromebooks, the weight of backpacks will not change. Many AP classes will still use textbooks.

The use of textbooks varies within each class, which will still be true when we get Chromebooks. For example, in Instructor Kristine Jernigan’s AP Calculus AB class, students really only need the textbook for homework, so they will be able to leave textbooks at home. But in Instructor McNitt’s AP Psychology class, currently and in the future, students use the textbooks nearly every day both in class and at home. McNitt said, “Chromebooks will not affect the use of textbooks at all.”

Instructor Teresa McCrumb pointed out that the textbooks for regular classes are written for the common core-they don’t have as specific of standards as the AP textbooks do, so it’s easier to stop using those textbooks. “I’m not sure exactly how Chromebooks will affect the usage of textbooks in my AP World History class, but we will probably still use them,” McCrumb said.

Textbooks are a great supplementary tool of learning. There’s no doubt that the Chromebooks will foster new excitement for learning; they will be a great way to communicate better. But if you’re an AP student, expect to still use textbooks.