SHARON SPRINGS, N.Y. - Students returning for the school year on Thursday in Sharon Springs will have more than teachers and homework waiting for them.
All 150 middle and high school students in the Sharon Springs Central School District will be issued an iPad 3 tablet with a wireless internet connection.
Seniors will receive the iPads Thursday morning, while the rest of the students will receive the tablet by mid-September. In addition, a 32 unit iPad Lab will be available for elementary students and staff.
Faculty and staff will kick off the iPad initiative on Thursday evening in the auditorium of the school. School officials will meet with parents and students to discuss the program and discuss their responsibilities.
Superintendent/Principal Patterson Green and Business Manager Anthony DiPace will overview the initiative, along with Senator James Seward who secured $40,000 toward the initiative.
The school district says while Sharon Springs has a strong technology program, the iPad initiative propels students and staff squarely into the 21st century, and makes sense for educational, economic, and social reasons.
"This comes down to an equity issue," said Superintendent Green. "How can we expect our students to achieve to the fullest potential and compete in college and the work place if they can't take advantage of the technology, research tools, and opportunities and possibilities of the Internet available to them?"
Green says the students will use the iPads to explore the internet as a research tool, both at home and at school. He says text books will be used in digital e-text version, which allows for more interactive use and a lighter book bag load.
He says the tablets will be loaded with software for writing, presentations and collaboration efforts that will offer long-term benefits to students such as preparing students for college and jobs in the work place that require technological skills, intensify efforts to go paperless, and save on text book and computer repair costs. "It is our responsibility as educators to prepare our students for that information rich, technologically complex and rapidly changing world."
"These tools have the power to transform our classrooms," said Mr. Green. "We all know that there are many more benefits with this initiative, but if this were all that we accomplished, it would be worth it alone for our students and for our community."
The district has purchased insurance for the devices that will limit student/parent financial responsibility for unintentional damage. Students and parents are required to agree to the District Acceptable Use Policy prior to being issued an iPad.
The district says that he only recurring cost will be the Internet access provided through Verizon Wireless. The total annual cost is approximately $13,860.
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