Sherwood Students Excited About iPads

The excuse “my dog ate my homework” probably wouldn’t fly for students in Christina Bielunis’ sixth grade English Language Arts class at .

That’s because this group is part of a pilot program which provides them with one-to-one iPads they can use in class as well as at home.

The students use iPads to answer comprehension questions about the chapter book they are reading and email their answers to Bielunis, who responds with her feedback. They are also using the technology to work with a graphic organizer to track how a character in the book is changing.

Students Erin Considine and Roselyn Coghlin both said they love having been able to work with the iPads since last month.

“It makes the subject more interesting,” Erin said. Roselyn said they use the iPads in all subject areas except for art and gym.

“It adds to the level of engagement and interest,” said Sherwood Principal Jane Lizotte, adding that “organizationally, teachers are seeing a big difference.”

The students continue to use paper, pencils and textbooks, Lizotte said, and “they truly are using the iPad as a tool and as another resource” to help them achieve their goals.

According to Jonathan Green, the district’s director of technology, the pilot program at the school includes a team of 53 students and three teachers.

Lizotte said the teachers submitted proposals, with a portion of the proposals having been written by students.

In addition to those 53 iPads, Sherwood also has roughly 30 iPads in the building which are used by students on Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and another 30 for teachers to sign out, according to Lizotte.

The program is district-funded through the technology budget, she said, adding that the plan is for every student to have one when the new Sherwood building opens. Lizotte said she is not yet sure how the technology will be funded in the new building, but that there are several options including the possibility of the students’ parents leasing the equipment.

The technology provides new learning opportunities and is “very much tied to the curriculum, very much tied to instruction,” he said.

There are currently no technology pilot programs at the high school or at Oak Middle School, Green said, but the district would like to pursue some as budgetary opportunities become available.