Thursday, October 1, 2026
While other teachers are engaged in a never-ending battle to get students to put away their Smartphones and tablets, St. Agnes Cathedral School’s educators will be putting them to good use in future lesson plans. The school recently purchased 50 new Apple iPads with funding raised through the St. Agnes Cathedral School Alumni Association.
A personal computing device, the Ipad was developed as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, game, and web content, as well as hundreds of thousands of downloadable applications. With an incredibly responsive multi-touch screen and a light, thin, portable design, educators view the iPad ass an exciting new technology which is poised to change the landscape for teachers and students alike.
With the devices, students can complete assignments, collaborate with other students (even those in different classes), use science-based “apps,” and go on research scavenger hunts. St. Agnes students will learn physics, earth science, astronomy, chemistry as their classrooms become less reliant on paper. The iPads can also interface with Smart Boards (an interactive whiteboard that uses touch detection for user input) that are now also available in every classroom at St. Agnes.
“We are grateful to the St. Agnes Cathedral School Alumni Association for financing the purchase of the fifty IPad2s”, said Sr. Kathleen Carlin, OP, one of the principals of St. Agnes.
“The prospect of introducing iPad technology to the students and teachers is very exciting,” she added. “The applications are varied, user friendly, and challenging. It will be fun to discover all of the possibilities iPad technology has to offer as we grow with its use.”
“We are very excited about having iPad2s available to our students to engage in 21st century learning activities. We hope to individualize instruction in all subject areas and meet the needs of learners of all abilities,” said the school’s technology coordinator, Rickey Moroney.
It is widely acknowledged that digital media will have a transformative affect on the delivery of educational content. Read about music? No thanks, I’ll follow my auto-advancing sheet music as the audio plays. See a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as I read his “I Have a Dream” speech? I guess that’s fine, but with one tap of my finger, I’m watching it!
Educators believe that the new iPads also allow St. Agnes to remain competitive among the top Long Island schools, allowing for a more integrated learning experience, and encouraging greater student engagement.
