Talk about an Apple for the teacher…
The Sidney Central School District — located in Sidney, New York — has implemented a new 1-to-1 iPad Initiative for the 2013-14 school year, providing every child in the 7th through 12th grade with an iPad to work on.
iPads will be used in conjunction with learning management system, Schoology.
Both students and parents were asked to sign permission slips, which outline the expectations and policies for acceptable use.
According to a press release, teacher training on the new system has been ongoing for the past three years, and instruction will help move teaching to a more 21st century paradigm.
“In the past, when drawing atom structures, we’d use chalk and a chalkboard or a whiteboard,” says Mackenzie DeCocker, a seventh-grade Physics teacher. “It would take a tremendous amount of time. With the iPad, we learned to draw atoms in about five minutes.”
iPads provide other advantages too — such as the possibility of instant marking and feedback on quizzes.
“It’s great,” says one student. “It’s been a lot easier for me to get my notes for class. You don’t have to use a pen and paper.”
The school district used bulk pricing and educational aid to offset the cost of the iPads. The cost of one iPad is about the equivalent of five or six textbooks — although they can, of course, be used for far more varied applications.
Source: The Daily Star
