Growing Number of iPads Wow Crestview Students, Staff

The Apple iPad allows Adam Nidey to captivate his third-graders in ways unheard of just two years ago, and the number of the devices is multiplying in West Des Moines schools.

“It’s just amazing what an iPad can do,” said Nidey, a teacher at West Des Moines’ Crestview Elementary School.

Crestview's Parent Teacher Organization kicked in money for a pilot project, and then settlement money from Iowa's class-action anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft was used to more fully implement the program. The cost per iPad is about $500, Nidey says, for a total of roughly $18,000 spent to date.

Nidey’s 23 students have used the tablet computers to learn words, build sentences, write in other languages and simulate playing instruments.

In the classroom, students work in pairs, while others work in groups tapping away at the screen using an software application, or app, called Word Monkey. The 8- and 9-year-old kids offer unanimous praise of the iPads.

“It shows you how to make some words and words you didn’t even know,” said Dex Wright, 8, of Word Monkey. “It’s super, super fun. We enjoy it.”

Popular, high-tech teaching aid

The hypnotic, flashy graphics and access to unlimited applications make the iPad and iPad 2 motivational, powerful and highly sought-after teaching tools, said Nidey and Crestview Principal John Villotti.

Teachers began using Apple's tablet computers at Crestview for math, but expanded the usage to all core subjects, Nidey says. The school has 36 iPads and hopes to boost the number to 100 by the end of the school year. A district-wide effort is under way to train more teachers and purchase about 250 iPads for use in all grade levels.

Nidey didn’t expect the technology to catch on so quickly.

“They’re digital natives,” Nidey said of his students. “The technology is so engaging that it really helps with behavior management."

Resistance vanishes

Not everyone embraced the idea of using the gadgets in the classroom. Many parents initially expressed skepticism about the iPads and thought their children might view it as a toy, Villotti said. 

“We had naysayers,” he said. “We actually had a resistance, but it flipped so quickly.”

Student Breonna Ganaway videotaped Austin Whitten recently while he read. The two 8-year-olds watched the video playback and discussed his reading fluency. Nidey often emails parents the videos to show student progress.

“It’s really fun,” Ganaway says. “You can do a lot of stuff on there.”

Helping bring the technology to the school of 500 students has been one of the most rewarding experiences of Villotti’s career as an educator, he said.

The tablet computers “are an integral part of what we do on a daily basis,” he says. “It’s pretty amazing.”