iPads Distributed To Students in NS
This fall under the direction of Elliot Kaye, the Director of Technology, the North Shore School District began distributing iPads to students in the 6th Grade, 9th Grade Experience (NGE), 10th Grade, and the Special Education Classes at Glenwood Landing Elementary.
Mr. Kaye said, “The benefits of the iPad Program at North Shore have been aligned with a number of district-wide technology goals including: 1) To enrich instructional experiences by enabling more authentic access to relevant information that is instantaneous and socially engaging, 2) To supplement the traditional Professional Learning Environment (PLE) model of instruction with emerging Virtual Learning Environment (VLE's) through the use of content from iTunesU and the App Store, 3) To promote an eventual district-wide 1:1 model of personal computing inside and outside of the classroom, and 4) To transition towards a greener and more cost-efficient paperless environment through the increasing adoption of ebooks.”

Since the iPad introduction Mr. Kaye stated, “We've witnessed a lot of creativity and enthusiasm from both students and faculty during our guided hands-on distributions in our schools. The students have been naturally excited to be able to experiment with the variety of apps and the gesture-based interface of the iPad in tasks such as note-taking, document annotations and sharing, and exploration of the internet.”

 Joseph Saulle, a tenth grader, said “I love using my iPad in class because it helps me focus more and makes learning fun.”

The technology department worked in collaboration with the high school English and NGE teachers as well as many parents to roll out student iPads at both North Shore High School and North Shore Middle School. Members of the technology department led small, highly individualized breakout sessions where instructional strategies in proper iPad care and usage were communicated. Almost 600 iPads were distributed as part of the pilot program. Additionally, Mr. Kaye added, “We made it a priority to deliver to the parents of all 6th and 10th grade children a comprehensive overview of the iPad program prior to any distributions of the iPad. This served to answer many critical questions related to how we are administering the program, how the students will be expected to use the iPads in and out of classrooms, and how teachers and administrators will be working to enhance instructional activities in all areas of curriculum development.” An iPad Policy Handbook is available for download at http://www.northshoreschools.org/11aug/HS_iPad_Handbook.pdf  in the High School section of the North Shore website at www.northshoreschools.org.

Superintendent Dr. Edward Melnick said, “Our iPads will be programmed with educational software so that students will be able to follow the curriculum and lesson plans in the classroom, utilize electronic textbooks, engage in videoconferences, and email their teachers homework.”  Dr. Melnick added, “We started slow to make sure these devices are properly integrated into our existing curriculum, wide range of academic programs, and quality instruction.  Teachers have been trained by Apple specialists to make learning more interactive, motivating, and efficient.” 

School officials chose iPads over laptop computers because laptops are heavier to carry, more costly, and do not provide the wide range of educational applications.   iPads enable teachers to modify lessons based upon the learning styles and individual needs of their students.  Dr. Melnick said, “This technology better prepares our students for the future since it is being used more readily in higher education and the corporate world.” The iPads have been funded through a Federal IDEA Grant and with money in the district’s budget.  Many textbooks are now available online providing additional savings to the district.  The use of iPads will save money as the cost for textbooks, paper, and copying will decrease substantially.

Neighboring districts including Roslyn and Mineola have been very successful piloting similar programs.  Dr. Melnick concluded by saying, “We hope that more and more of our students will be able to experience utilizing iPads in the future.  Our goal is to continue to advance technologically so that our students can be well prepared to compete within our global economy.”

When asked, “How do you like your new iPads?” many sixth graders said, “They are awesome!”

Article and photos by Shelly Newman Copy assistance from HS Senior Caitlin Blunnie