This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Staff writer

This summer some St. Francis District 15 students are getting a hands-on experience with new technology.

About 35 targeted services students are using the district’s new iPads to improve their social studies, reading and math skills while attending summer school, Superintendent Ed Saxton said.

The district purchased 105 iPads this spring to enhance the learning experience. The iPads are a great tool to use in the classroom, he said.

Before introducing them to the summer school program, two classroom pilot projects were conducted this spring.

Students in high school English teacher Susan Bayer’s and middle school social studies teacher Darin Bourasa’s classes were the first to explore the possibilities.

Bayer’s first class with the iPad got the students excited.

When her 11th grade night owls in her 7:25 a.m. class saw the iPads, “their eyes lit up,” Bayer said.

“They had a wide awake attitude and were excited when I said it would be a ‘pencil free’ day,” she said.

The students enjoyed exploring what they could do with the iPad and wanted to stay after class to finish their work because of the iPad, she said.

“The iPad project was exciting and the students and I learned together as we created projects on an application called PAGES. The lessons I designed for my students were called ‘visual reports,’” said Bayer.

“In some of the classes, we researched and created a visual report on a 20th century poet of each student’s choosing.”  

With their research done, the students wrote their own poetry on the iPads and had to create a poster using only the iPad.

A second class researched Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” on their iPads before they planned their visual reports, according to Bayer.  

“In this pilot, my classes were ‘pencil-free’ for four days,” Bayer said. “Daily language workouts were completed on the iPad and we also tried various app(lication)s and online programs such as WordWarp (kind of an electronic Scrabble) and StudyBlue, where students create their own study aids online, such as electronic flashcards; they can then share what they create online with other students, no matter what the time or location.

“It’s an entirely new way of thinking and studying when we move away from paper, pen and even printouts. Right now, each student can go to the online textbooks, so often there is no need for a book. They have everything they need on their iPads.”

While most students appreciated the opportunity to work on something that is state-of-the-art, others were hesitant to try something new.

Bayer encouraged those students to explore more.

“We didn’t want them to be discouraged by something so new and we didn’t want them to be overwhelmed with the new technology,” she said.

The majority of the students cannot wait to try it again and they felt good about what they learned, Bayer said.

Bayer had a little longer to experiment.

A week before introducing the iPads to her students, Bayer worked with the district’s information technology personnel to find applications that would be beneficial to her students.

“I went into this (week-long) pilot knowing very little about integrating the iPad as an educational tool in the classroom and with my students’ help and their own discoveries, I learned lot,” she said. “My students were incredibly innovative when allowed to fly with technology and it has been an adventure and a privilege for me to experience something like this in my classroom.”

It was exhilarating work with the iPad, Bayer said.

Bayer can see the future benefits to using the iPads.

“Any book you want will be online,” she said.

Textbooks are already online. The district could save money because it will not have to buy books, according to Bayer.

Students will not have to wait for library books to become available to do their work because it be accessed by the iPad, she said.

The iPad even has features that appeal to beginning readers.

The quality of the print work can be enlarged and the graphics are interactive so the young readers more involved, Bayer said.  

“I think it’s an innovation that will change how things are done in the classroom and it can help students succeed in school and as life,” she said.

Bourasa’s sixth-graders used the iPads to explore Minnesota history.

The students used the iPads to research the state’s history and create a photo slideshow using photos they found online, Bourasa said.

Saxton also challenged the sixth-graders to make a slideshow on the iPad about the school district.

“The kids were so excited,” Bourasa said. “They knew automatically know to use the applications.”

Because the iPad uses applications, it is a good learning tool for all types of learners, he said.

Students thrived on the iPad with the hands-on learning, Bourasa said.

“The kids were excited to come to class (during their week with the iPads,)” he said.

While the iPads bring new excitement in the classroom, Bourasa can also see practical advantages.

They are smaller than the school’s old laptop computers, they are easier to carry around and the batteries stay charged for 10 hours, he said.

Eventually, he would like to see all of the district’s laptop computers replaced with iPads.

Technology becomes outdated after five years and the technology used in middle school is older than that, Bourasa said.

If the middle school were to upgrade its 30 laptop computers, it would cost more money than the iPads, which cost $499 each, he said.

“Investing in this new technology is less expensive and it will take the students further in the understanding and context,” Bourasa said.

Visual learners will be able to understand more with the iPad, he said.

“The kids were disappointed when the project ended,” Bourasa said. “They wanted to continue using them.”

The iPads will also help the teachers.

Apple Systems provides several free educator applications, including science and science experiment, Bourasa said.

“They go beyond the textbook,” he said.

Although school is out now, the iPads are still in use.

This summer the iPads are being used for targeted service programs, Kids Connection and an August summer community education class, Tech Time, said Saxton.

There are also 135 teachers exploring the iPad curriculum options this summer.

The district will be holding two, three-week training session for the teachers, according to Saxton.



Tammy Sakry is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it