Freshmen through seniors utilize eBackpack every single day. We are all familiar with the drill — the teacher sends out an assignment, the students open the document in Notability or Pages, then they submit it back into the purple folder. This routine is comfortable for most students; however, some teachers have already stopped using eBackpack as it will soon be completely obsolete to the St. Dominic iPad program.

Although students like the familiar aspect of eBackpack, a similar “teacher-student” communication app called Google Classroom has gained popularity among the teachers. Google Classroom allows students to join classes and have group discussions with their peers. It also provides an easy method for students to receive and return homework assignments. Literature teacher Mr. Margadonna explains that Google Classroom is easier to navigate, and that utilizing the app now will have long-term beneficial effects.

“Google Classroom will be more helpful for students because when they enter college, they will need it almost no matter where they go. Learning and adapting to it now will make the transition easier,” said Mr. Margadonna.

Although the transition to Google Classroom is receiving mixed emotions, it has been made clear that all classes next year will not be using eBackpack. While backpacks are officially back, the need for eBackpack is no more.