This past summer, Junior and Senior Kindergartners were the first to utilize the iPad for academic purposes.

Library Media Technology Specialist, Laurel Taylor, said, “My job is to teach students and faculty how to use technology and other media effectively and ethically.

“I taught Senior Kindergarten in summer school, and it helped my students get one-on-one help with their pre-reading and pre-math skills. The kindergarten apps were able to adapt to varying ability levels as well as provide choice to students who have different learning styles,” Taylor said.

This school year grades 4-6 were required to purchase the iPad, which will serve as a tool for learning about safety, locating reliable sources and copyright information.

According to Systems Manager Alan Lee, “iPad or tablet will not completely replace the laptop or desktop. However, it offers high portability and battery life. It also makes for easy notetaking, diagramming, mind mapping and drawing.”

The iPad has apps that are compatible with software for computer, such as Pages for documentation, Keynote for presentations and Evernote for note-taking.

Junior Corrina Cabantangan said, “The iPad has helped me be more efficient with my class work. It also is portable and easier to handle than a laptop. I think the iPad apps can benefit children in many ways. The iPad has many features that can tend to any need; whether for entertainment, networking or academics.”

The iPad helps students prepare for the future.

Taylor said, “The school board approved the iPads because they wanted to give students a baseline to prepare them for the future as 21st century learners.

“We want to teach the students to be digitally literate and caring in an online community through netiquette (digital etiquette to communicate respectfully online), copyright (how to cite sources and ask permission to borrow sources), online safety (how to participate in a social network and know when to ask for help), accuracy and reliability (knowing how to find quality information online and discern truth, presentation (how to effectively communicate an idea using multimedia) and instruction (how the world is our classroom and using people as resources as well as teaching),” she said.