“It rocks!”
Dalton Baum, Second Grader at Legacy Academy Charter School
Back in the day, when I went to St. Columbkille’s Catholic School, most classes started with instructions from the teacher to “take out your books and turn to page . . .” That’s not happening so much these days. It’s not that kids aren’t book learning anymore, but instead of taking out their textbooks, they’re pulling out their iPads. And not just at big city schools—small town schools are going high tech, too.
In Roy, New Mexico (population 484), students at the K-12 (42 students) are given laptops. That’s where they receive homework assignments, read from online textbooks, follow interactive tutorials, and take quizzes. The school ran into a problem, though, because a lot of kids didn’t have Internet at home so they were coming back to school after hours and trying to catch the WiFi signal outside the building. Not anymore—the Roy school district was recently chosen by the Federal Communications Commission to receive a WiFi station. The signal will span a five-mile radius, which effectively covers everyone living in Roy and anyone passing through. The school is delighted—it’s the only district in the state to get in on the deal—but they’re not stopping with WiFi. Next up: touch tablets for use in the classroom. The tablets will allow the school to download textbooks at a lower cost than buying printed books, and it’ll save the kids from toting a heavy load back and forth in their backpacks. 
Schools in Little Falls, Minnesota (population 7,719), Elizabeth, Colorado (population 1,464), and Tillamook, Oregon (population 4,391) are one step ahead. They’ve already taken the leap and have invested in iPads for their students. In all three districts, school officials say that in the long run online textbooks are cheaper than printed books, they’re easier to update, and their materials are more interactive and interesting for kids. In Elizabeth, the Legacy Academy Charter School is looking at the investment as a way of keeping its doors open. Hoping to reverse declining enrollment, school officials say they are optimistic the high tech approach will have students lining up to learn. Read the Articles:
Tillamook School District to test iPads as replacement for print
