Test next week? There’s an app for that

Next year, a team of seventh-graders at Ocean-side Middle School will have the chance to try out a new technology program, supplementing their textbooks and binders with district-supplied iPads.

The plan was outlined at the Board of Education meeting on Jan. 24. Approximately 130 students, along with their teachers, will be given iPads, and will use them wherever possible during the 2012-13 school year: as textbooks, notebooks and interactive learning aids.

“For the past three years, and perhaps beyond, the Technology Committee of the Oceanside School District has discussed the feasibility of piloting a one-to-one computing model for our students,” said Bob Fenter, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and research. “The idea of a personal learning tool that a student will use for their learning both in school and outside of school is something that, for some, may seem revolutionary. But as many of us know, the idea of putting iPads in the hands of students is one that’s taking place across the country. We believe we need to be part of that, but to do it in a way that’s responsible and will help inform our decision as we move forward.”

Provided that the school district’s budget passes in May, Fenter said, the plan is to provide teachers with the iPads this spring so they will have a few months to learn how to use them in the classroom before students get them in September.

The iPad Initiative, as it is being called, will be listed in the technology infrastructure section of the budget. The cost of the program — which has yet to be finalized, but will most likely exceed $100,000 — will be paid off in installments over five or so years.

“What we have is a series of purchases we make on installment, for which we pay a very low interest rate, that allows us to purchase the materials we need and pay for it over a span of several years,” Fenter explained. “That lessens the impact on the budget. In fact, this pilot is going to be done and won’t have any increase in the budget that we can see at this time.”

Fenter also said that the iPad program will not affect the district’s technology purchases for next year; it will still follow through with its usual technology purchases and upgrades.

The iPad Initiative was conceptualized by the district’s Technology Committee, which is made up of administrators and teachers.

Fenter, using his own iPad, showed off the capabilities of the device at the board meeting. He showed how textbooks on the iPad — which there will be many more of in the coming months and years — are much more interactive. A chapter on insects included interactive diagrams that helped students more easily identify and relate the parts of the body of an insect. It also included a video segment with an expert in the field, giving students access to more information than they would find in a textbook.

Research has shown, Fenter said, that students using iPads, or any new instructional technology, typically perform better in classes and on tests. “All of the research that we’ve seen — and the research has been coming out pretty rapidly — is that the use of iPads has a very positive correlation with student achievement, as demonstrated on test scores,” he said. “Certainly we’ll have to keep a close eye on how students are doing. But [students doing poorly] would be counter to all research I’ve reviewed.”

Part of the initiative also calls for installing a wireless Internet, or Wi-Fi, network at the middle school, which would enable students to use their iPads anywhere in the building (since they need Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet).

Details of the plan are still being worked out. It is unclear at this point who would be responsible for replacing an iPad if a students loses it — the parents or the district. Fenter also said that the district is deciding how much access to give the students to the iPads themselves — whether they should be locked, so students can only install apps that the school gives them, or whether students will be able to use them freely.

“This summer, at the Superintendent Conference Day and during the 2012-13 school year,” said OMS Principal Dr. Allison Glickman-Rogers, “teachers will use their common planning time and preparation time to work collaboratively to create learning experiences that … will go beyond the classroom walls, that will add depth to our curriculum and that will allow our students to practice 21st century skills that will surely assist them in all future academic and professional ventures. And, most importantly, the team of teachers and administrators involved will continuously, throughout the year, assess the effectiveness of this program. We will collect data that will be used for future decisions regarding iPads in Oceanside.”