Imagine students in every class taking notes, reading lessons and writing essays on an iPad. This possibility of all students in the Kirkwood School District using an iPad as a learning tool for the coming school years is one which the Technology Leadership Group (TLG) is considering.
Two years ago 50 teachers were selected to be apart of the TLG to discuss the district’s pressing topics involving technology and resources for professional development. The decision to give all teachers an iPad this year was the first step to shift to mobile learning devices in the classroom.
“It’s really meaningful to us to know that our teachers have experience using software that now feeds directly to new things like iBooks Author, which allows me, as a teacher, to take that content I’ve already created and transition it into something that’s a fully interactive iBook,” Nick Strecker, district technology facilitator, said.
The district’s annual technology purchases are summer operations. In order to allow time for purchase, preparation and procedure, recommendations are submitted to the (Board of Education) by March with workshops outlining the goals. *The money for this project comes solely from the technology fund, which takes 20 cents from every $100 of taxes from Kirkwood taxpayers. This initiative would not require a tax increase because it deducts the $.20 from taxes already being paid.
“It’s a matter of economics and textbooks are expensive, and I think over the long haul it could possibly turn out to be a less expensive venture than the one we’re doing now,” Randy Friedline, director of technology services for KSD, said.
The TLG is looking to use the iPad as the chosen product because of its features that work with online textbooks, or eBooks. The current iPad2 costs $379 each for educational use. Five years ago, the TLG started looking to eventually get rid of the current textbooks with the idea of having classroom books that are more dynamic and can be regularly updated.
“If we put out all the books on one device, it’s very lightweight, easy to carry around, good for the student, and gives the teacher a place where they can develop their own electronic curriculum,” Friedline said.
An iPad’s educational benefit through technology is growing as some teachers have expanded their teaching methods with the iPads this year to learn how to electronically engage their students in their lessons.
“All students with fast internet access would be amazing, and it affords every student to have the opportunity to have access to digital problem solving,” Jill Meyer, Spanish teacher, said.
Some students feel iPads would enhance their quality of learning because of the tools they would provide. The communication with teachers would also become easier.
“It’ll be easier to contact them or turn in work if we’re all on the same page,” Lynn Columbus, junior, said.
iPads in the classroom could also come with a list of problems. The distraction they cause could interfere with the lessons, and teachers would need to spend time building their curriculum with electronics.
“I have developed my curriculum so specifically for [the PC tablets] and there are things that just don’t work on the iPad,” Bob Becker, science teacher, said. “I’m just hoping that they don’t see the iPad as something that will replace our classroom computers because at least in science, that would be a huge setback for me.”
While students enjoy the electronic tools in the classrooms, some students do not find any need for them in certain classes.
“There will be a lot of technological difficulties, and I know in Mr. Mackin’s class we spend a lot of time troubleshooting the computers,” Joe Peters, sophomore, said.
Although this decision is still in its early stages, it is becoming a frequently debated topic because of its importance to students and teachers.
“We’re careful; we don’t want to make missteps that could be costly, and we want to be sure we can get the most from the district’s money for the best technology environment that we could make for the students to learn in,” Friedline said.
