With these essential questions guiding the training, teachers were immersed into the "care and feeding" of their iPad, but more importantly how to increase student engagement to produce better academic knowledge and skill acquisition. After a continental breakfast and a lively discussion of our hopes and fears with technology, the staff embarked on an intense set of interactive training opportunities to replace, amplify, and then transform their teaching practices. 

Mr. Ralston encouraged all to try innovative practices, and really try to master just 3-4 applications. Rather than dabble in hundreds and drown, locate ones that can directly apply to your discipline and master those. This is how we spent the rest of the day. When done, Mr. Ralston cited studies that show a 35% improvement in student learning when traditional instructional strategies are blended with emerging technologies. St. Francis has a rich tradition of academic success amongst its students, but with the potential of this large of an increase, we are well on our way to significantly increase that success and raise the bar of academic excellence to an all-new level for St. Francis and our local schools.

• iMovie, which will allow students to film, edit, and create movies for classroom presentations
• GoodReader, which will allow students to closeread on PDFs and take notes more effectively;
• SAT Math Prep 800, which will allow students to prepare for the PSAT and SAT within their math classes as well as on their own; and
• Puffin Web Browser, which will allow students to access certain websites and educational resources that utilize Flash (which is not currently available on iPads).

All eyes were on the sky for Friday's majestic sight as Endeavour flew low to the ground to wow Central Coast sky watchers. Shark students monitored the space shuttles flight path for updates on fly-by times, and when notified by Mr. Cmaylo and Mr. Bare, the classrooms emptied and students poured out with iPads in tow. Although students pointed at a variety of flying objects in the sky, from seagulls to helicopters, no one caught a solid glimpse of the shuttle. However, many were able to follow the shuttle's path back in class on their iPads and Apple TVs. 

The shuttle took off Friday morning and made a few laps over Sacramento as spectators jammed rooftop buildings and streets around the State Capitol building for a glimpse. The shuttle also gave Los Angeles lots of love by flying over landmarks including the Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood Sign and Disneyland before it ended its 5-hour flyover in la-la-land. NASA's shuttle fleet, which retired last year after three decades of flight, was assembled near Edwards Air Force Base 100 miles north of Los Angeles. 

The youngest shuttle, Endeavour replaced Challenger, which blew up during liftoff in 1986. NASA lost another shuttle, Columbia, in 2003 when it disintegrated during re-entry. During 25 missions, Endeavour spent 299 days in space and orbited Earth nearly 4,700 times, racking up 123 million miles. Under White House orders to explore beyond low-Earth orbit, NASA is hitching rides on Russian rockets to the orbiting laboratory until private companies can provide regular service. Endeavour will remain at an airport hangar for several weeks as crews ready the shuttle for its own road trip. Unlike Atlantis, it will creep through city streets to the California Science Center near downtown until it retires at a Los Angeles museum. Read more: Link