Since last month, an iPad has largely replaced my Macbook Air.

And there’s a real possibility of that switch being permanent for all high school students if current discussions among district officials become policy next year. That would be the wrong call.

I received my iPad as part of a pilot program in Rachelle Christie’s fifth-hour English class. I didn’t have to, but I took one for the team and used my iPad throughout my classes. I was not impressed.

Most of us are familiar with the iPads from middle school, but I have to admit that these are a step up. They come with a case that has a stand, keyboard, trackpad and a Logitech Crayon. Even though this is better, they still have their own problems.

To start, the keyboard is awkwardly sized and squishy, which caused me to fat-finger the keys a lot. The trackpad was slightly finicky at times, but it wasn’t too horrible. 

My biggest issue is probably with the Logitech Crayon. It is the shape of a carpenter pencil, which makes it very uncomfortable to hold and use. Unlike the Apple pencil, it does not charge when connected to the iPad. You must plug your lightning cable directly into the pencil itself, and while it charges, you cannot use it.

My main concern with them is the undeniable fact that students are going to lose these. Teenagers lose things all the time, so what makes the district think that they’re going to keep track of this sad excuse of a stylus? When kids start losing their Crayons, the district is going to start losing money.

Moving on from the physical features of the iPads, the way the iPads are set up is awful. I can’t go on certain sites on the iPad that I can go on with my laptop, even if they’re connected to the same wifi. Lots of apps aren’t approved for the iPads that we would need, and getting apps approved is bound to become an endless, annoying cycle.

Adobe programs, which are used in film, graphic design and journalism classes, don’t work well or just don’t work at all on iPads, so the district will have to come up with alternative devices for those classrooms.

Sure, laptops are expensive, and the district isn’t exactly in tip-top financial shape at the moment, but it’s important that students have laptops. The change would most likely cause outrage among the student body and rightfully so.

Now that the pilot is over and my iPad is turned in, I hope to never see it again.