What Makes an iPad (or any of our new technologies) More Than a $500 Worksheet?
It is clear that iPads are changing the learning landscape in Lewisville ISD. In the words of a 4th grade student “An iPad has everything - a dictionary, educational apps, Safari, notes, iMovie, Garageband and more. It’s a tool for education - if you have access to the Internet or not -It is a tool that will improve our academics.”
Leveraging our technologies as tools for learning is one of our Strategic Design goals. As articulated in our Strategic Design - Goal 2
Engage learners through the use of technological tools to access, create, and share content as well as collaborate with other learners throughout the world.
Are we meeting this goal?
A 7th grade student responds to this question “As a student, I think using iPads for research and school makes learning more interesting and engaging. It makes the lessons you don’t understand easy to learn with all of the educational and interactive apps. If you just used worksheets, the students wouldn’t pay much attention and completely understand the topic. It makes it easier on the teachers, as well. They don’t have to go through the trouble of making and also printing out billions of worksheets for all of their classes. It also reduces the amount of paper wasted, that many students hardly take a second glance at it. It saves trees and the environment by not using paper. Some people might say that the school districts that gave out iPads wasted their money, but I think they made a good decision and used their money wisely to make learning more fun.”
Another student interjects -” You can take pictures, use it as a research device, take notes, do many activities to improve your skills, complete your homework on the device, and many more features. It is very handy, mobile, and fun (plus, your dog won’t eat it as your homework). iPads are very popular, modern, and fun to use. There are many different settings you can use to personalize your device to really make it your own. They also can be very entertaining, because you can do a lot more than just school work. You can play games on your free time, talk with friends, Skype, and with the Kindle app you can even read your books (so you don’t have to carry them around all the time).”
It appears that we are meeting the LISD Strategic Design goal of utilizing technology to access, create, and share content as well as collaborate with other learners throughout the world. Students and teachers alike are energized by this new addition to our toolkit. The movement to place a device in the hand of every student is not a trend - it is the new learning landscape. This change requires a paradigm shift by teachers, students, parents, and the community. As we work collaboratively with all stakeholders on this project, we move closer to closing the gaps in learning and achievement because we can and will provide all of our students with a relevant, quality education allowing our students to compete in today’s global classroom and marketplace.
