Changes in technology have occurred at a rapid pace since the opening of West Springfield High School... from 8-Track tapes to iPods, technology has changed the ways West Springfield students live and learn.

1970's

In the decade of all things "groovy," modern technology was advancing at lightning speed. Typewriters that could backspace were all the rage and so was the newly released Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, the very first video game console that allowed you to play several different games from the comfort of your own home. Although not necessarily used by students yet, email’s big break was soon to come with its release in 1971. Last but certainly not least, the pocket calculator. This handy little tool made mental math old news while student’ test scores began to skyrocket.

1980's

Audio cassettes were becoming very popular and later on in the decade, compact discs (CDs) were introduced. One of the first personal computers, dubbed the IBM 5150, was released on August 12, 1981, and students and families gawked and at the new technology. Video Cassette Recorders, more commonly known as VCR’s were the more affordable version of the 70’s Betamax model. These machines became widely used in schools and homes and made it possible for families to own copies of studio blockbuster movies on VHS tapes. The mobile phone, DynaTAC 8000x, was released by Motorola in 1983 with the dimensions of a tissue box and weighed in at just under 800 grams (approximately the same as two large Apple iPads).

1990's

TI-83 calculators were heavily used in schools and were a very useful tool in trigonometry and calculus classrooms, but some students found ways to use them for entertainment purposes by hacking games into the machines or by writing love letters on the screen. Address books were commonly used by students to keep their friends' phone numbers and home addresses organized. Sony Walkmans, introduced in the late 80’s, surged in popularity in the 1990s, and were usually paired with big and bulky headphones. They were replaced by their compact disc playing counterparts, the Diskman.

2000's

The first decade of the new century saw a tremendous rise in internet use as dial-up modems gave way to broadband. Boombox radios were still popular in the early part of the decade, and could be seen propped on the shoulder of a student blaring tunes at a school car wash. Motorola Flip cellular phones were common until the invention of the slide phone, which was quickly surpassed by the iPhone, a truly groundbreaking device in the tech realm that brought all the features of a phone, a television, and an MP3 player together along with the power of the internet. The social media revolution began with a website called MySpace, but the rise of Facebook a short time later led to its demise. Mixed CD’s were still quite popular early and the decade and students would often make a special mix CD to give to a guy or girl they were interested. The Walkman and Diskman gave way to MP3 players, in particular the iPod. Disposable film cameras were perfect for teenagers who wanted to take a few photos and not pay gobs of money for film processing, but the advent of digital photography would soon change the way we captured our world.