Along with other schools across America, Skyline has upgraded its technology with new iPads.
Students at Skyline from fifth to 12th grade can now enjoy learning with these tablets. About 300 iPads are being used.
Last year, superintendent Mike Sanders organized a team of teachers, building administrators and board members to review technology. The technology coordinator went to several school districts that had iPads in their schools. The administration came to the conclusion that iPads would work the best for students.
“We believe students need to be technology savvy to be competitive in today’s work force,” Sanders said. “We also believe adding this equipment to our student’s world will allow more collaboration in the world beyond our school walls.”
Right now the school’s biggest expansion is to improve the speed with the wireless connection.
When using an iPad, students are logged onto their Apple ID. Some students have felt like their privacy has been invaded because they had to turn in information about some of their personal accounts, specifically the Apple ID. School officials can see the apps that students have downloaded.
“The purpose, from my perspective, is to give them paid apps for free. I just keep track of the iPads,” technology director Kim Ghumm said. “I’m not going to take the time out of my day to snoop and see what everyone’s doing.”
If an iPad is lost or stolen, Ghumm can wipe out all personal information on the iPad. However, she can only see what students download on the school iPad, not on personal devices.
Middle and high school students are allowed to take their iPads home for homework and other academic reasons, but fifth and sixth grade can’t just yet.
“It would be smarter to just give them to the high school instead of elementary and middle school, because of their maturity level,” junior Shandis Myers said.
There are more than 8 million iPads sold around the world. According to AllThingsD, over the past year, 3 million iPads have been sold in the U.S. for academic purposes and more than 4.5 million iPads have been sold in America.
“I like them a lot, but their durability kinda scares me,” junior Landon Lee said.
Even though iPads bring students an advanced way to learn and finish homework, could they be considered as an interference with studying? The pros of having an iPad are that they are less expensive, they weigh less than textbooks and information is never out-of-date. However, these tablets have current glitches and can be a distraction to students who enjoy playing games.
“I don’t like it when the iPads aren’t working, like when the WiFi crashes or apps don’t load,” Myers said. “But it’s nice to always have a computer with you.”
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