iPad pilot program discussion

Lauren Frederick

Westervelt, E. (2013, October 25) Rolling out an iPad pilot program, with eyes wide open, MindShift. Retrieved from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/10/rolling-out-an-ipad-pilot-program-with-eyes-wide-open 

This article was sent to the class via Dr. Loertscher, and he asked the question "What would you do if a roll out were imminent in your school?" I have a few thoughts on the article and then I will answer the question.

There were a few pieces of this story that I found to be forward-thinking, and beneficial to the growth of technology in the schools. I think it's great that this school district wants to supply their students with iPads. It will give the students who dont have access to them on a normal basis the opportunity to learn on them, and be on an even playing field when it comes to technology in the classroom. I think that there are likely a lot of great learning tools that can be provided using the iPad, and syncing it to the Common Core Standards would be great. 

I tend to agree with the geometry teacher and the librarian however, and think that many students will think that the iPads are toys, and treat them like they do their text books. This seems like a lot of money to allot to iPads, especially if they are going to be sent home with the kids. Maybe, if the 7th and 8th graders also had them locked up at night this might be a program better equipped for a school district. Especially since the article mentioned that much of this community doesn't even have access to the internet at home, the benefit is lost and the digital divide remains. I like the idea of contracts being signed for the internet behavior, and a similar one should be signed to allow for proper care of the iPads.

I think that if a roll out were imminent in my school (even though currently I am not working in a school or even a library), I would do my best to make sure that it went off smoothly. The librarian claims that there is no procedure for this roll out, and thats part of her worry. As a librarian, I would make myself a part of the process. The article states "And it’s not clear how the district will integrate the curriculum with its ambitious tablet plan. Coachella Valley wants to make the iPads a central part of efforts to meet new Common Core state standards for math and English, and there are new Common Core apps coming out regularly. But the head librarian of Desert Mirage High School, Rebecca Flannigan, wonders which ones the district will use, how well it will work and how it will all be integrated into coherent plan." This would be a great opportunity for me to do research on Common Core apps and communicate to the teachers and district which apps have the best ratings, success, could be best used in the classroom, etc. I would try and become one of the "technology experts" in the room and do my part to make the roll out as smooth as possible. I'd also see what I could do about opening the library up for access to the internet, and suggest additional places that the students could use working internet if they don't have it already. I do think that the most important part is just being part of the conversation.