Plum School Board members are exploring the possibility of providing an iPad for each student.
The board is considering starting its own “1:1 Initiative,” a national education program to advance technology.
“The merging of technology and education is here,” board member Michele Gallagher said during last week's education committee meeting, at which a representative of Apple Education demonstrated features of iPads.
To help them get a better idea of where to go with the 1:1 initiative, district officials are preparing to send a survey to parents asking about technology usage and Internet access in the home.
A survey of students last year revealed that 98 percent of those who answered have Internet and wireless access at home.
“We need a good survey on this (from parents),” said Gallagher.
“I would like to see this go home and on a website,” board member Michelle Stepnick said. “I want people to be engaged with this.”
Stepnick also volunteered to record a message that would be sent in robocalls to parents.
“I want as many answers back as we can get,” Stepnick said. “We are (potentially) spending a lot of money on this.”
Gallagher said she sees the potential 1:1 initiative as a way to advance education through technology.
Students currently are permitted to bring their own computing devices to school. The district has a policy governing the use of devices.
District technology director Chris Burkey said about 1,200 devices are on the network each day.
Some of the devices students use and bring to school include PC and Mac laptops, netbooks, smartphones, iPads, iPods, Droids, MP3 players, PDAs and eReaders (Nook, Kindle).
Students are permitted to access solely the district's Internet content, which is filtered. They use their devices to do work including research and writing papers.
Gallagher said she wants more information on the Apple iPads. She said a cost for a 1:1 initiative has not been determined.
Board President Sal Colella is eager to proceed with developing a 1:1 initiative.
“We have to give our children a competitive advantage, and we have to use technology to do that,” Colella said. “When you give them a device like an iPad, it inspires them.”
Karen Zapf is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-871-2367 or kzapf@tribweb.com.
