“Eric M. DeHays has a vision — a vision of every elementary student in the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District holding an iPad,” Paula J. Owen reports for The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. “And, like most visions, he had to start small — kindergarten small.”
“For the next three years, the district is leasing 83 iPads at $20,000 a year. The money is coming from the district’s operating budget, Mr. DeHays said — money from his department previously earmarked for desktop computers,” Owen reports. “Students at the J.R. Briggs Elementary School in Ashburnham and Meeting House School in Westminster are using the iPads.”
Owen reports, “Briggs Principal Andrea J. McGrath said she would like to see more iPads in the school. ‘I think that is what we are heading towards,’ Ms. McGrath said. ‘An iPad in every classroom. It is how some kids are used to learning. Instead of bucking the system, we’re joining the system and creating learning opportunities they are comfortable with. It will never replace the one-on-one personal connection the teachers have with the kids.'”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
“It will never replace the one-on-one personal connection the teachers have with the kids.’”…that’s the truth.
agreed…and coming from a family of lots of teachers, it can/will/should replace non-interactive text books. interacting is how i learned the most in my own classes and friends much older agree with me…and that’s a bit rare.
@botvinnik
It is not being introduced to replace the connection, nor are many credible knowledgeable people suggesting that it will.
It will enhance the one on one connection and increase the teacher’s ability to connec with students individually and collectively.
They obviously left you out sitting in a corner when they were conducting class back in the day.
The Revolution is under way and advancing. It’s good to see that some educators “get it”!
“Lease” is good. Hello, Apple? I’ve got iPads that need replacing…
They are testing ipads in my son’s kindergarten class right now, they have had a touch screen on the wall since he was in preschool.
I’m sold on it. His comprehension has made a noticeable jump since using ‘touch’ interfaces and I expect it to just get better with the ipad.
“…Paula J. Owen reports for The Worcester Telegram & Gazette…”
Yeah, that’s one that I subscribe to.
Big time.
Paid circulation 2010: 66,397
Calculated print and online readership: 385,552
There are no more chalkboards. It is all whiteboards now…..just saying.
depends on the teacher/school
I know of many teachers that switched to whiteboards, but a few “Old School” teachers still like the chalk. my brother in law’s mom was a teacher, she retired 3 years ago… and used Chalk till the day she retired. her friend still teaches there and also uses chalk still.
and if the district can’t afford to switch yet..
I understand that Chalk in the classroom is in the minority, but you still can find it out there.
It will NEVER replace a teacher.
The ipad is just a tool, and nothing more. If folks think this will magically make kids smart or educated, then they r living in Fantasyland.
It’s like saying I bought these $500 pair of Nikes. Now I can run faster. Yeah right.
Of course it won’t but nobody is saying it will. However, it certainly will significantly improve results of teachers’ efforts. Even the best of teachers are constrained by the tools they have and results greatly depend on the quality of those tools.
Children in Sudan (and elsewhere in undeveloped world) attend school in mud huts, sit on the ground, with teacher using nothing but a wooden stick (as a pointer; not discipline device). Nobody can tell me that the same teacher would have the same results with the same group of children if (s)he were given a proper classroom with desks, smart board, iPads and the necessary software.
Different people learn effectively different ways. Technology has a critical role in education, as it allows for teaching subject in various different ways, engaging all senses and presenting material in different manner. Do not underestimate the importance of those “$500 Nikes”.
Very solid points, Predrag. Besides, Ethiopia and Kenya have many Boston Marathon winners and I doubt they did it barefoot.
“Different people learn effectively different ways”
so true.
for me, the teacher was almost always boring.. Yes I understood 2+2=4… when they had to spend 20 minutes explaining it to the few that didn’t understand… (2+2 or any other problem) I tuned out and didn’t care anymore. I learned faster/better on my own, or at the PC.
some could, some couldn’t. but If we all had an iPad back then… I can guarantee you i’d have learned more.
With my Mother, she can’t learn something… if you tell her. She needs it visual.
some learn by hearing it, others need to do it. and others need it shown to them (visual)
the iPad can combine all 3.
every way to learn something in one device, at the same time. Combined with an instructor. Perfect.
I remember learning “LOGO” back in school… 99% of the class had zero clue what the teacher was saying, plop us in front of one of the 3 Computers… and BOOM.
I think the education aspect of iPad was in the front of Steve Jobs’ mind as he introduced the device saying it was the most important thing he’d done.
Last year, I tried out one of the many Montessori apps for iPad with children of different ages, 3, 4, and 6. Three different senses are engaged. The experience of observing the children intensely interact with counting bars, etc., was a revelation to me, and even a Professor of English Literature that tried it herself had the same kind of light in her eyes as the children had. A little uncanny…
“Preventing conflicts is the work of politics; establishing peace is the work of education.” – Maria Montessori
A really neat idea and potentially good use of the tool. The unfortunate part is that this highlights the inequity in our school funding model.