Dear Parents,
While visiting other schools across the country to get ideas for our new building, I saw opportunities students had in these schools to use technology to support their learning. Some of the schools allowed the students to use whatever devices they had, and other schools were uniform in the devices the students were allowed to use. Because of the advances in technology, there are a plethora of devices from which to choose. These choices, while beneficial to the individual students outside of school, make it difficult for teachers to find apps that all students can use to make instruction uniform and beneficial.
I believe that our students need to have these same advantages to use technology to support their learning, along with the instruction given to them in the classroom.
A year and a half ago, we surveyed parents and teachers giving them a choice of the different types of platforms of technology. The majority of both students and parents picked Apple as the platform of choice. Before proceeding with the idea of having all students take advantage of being able to use an Apple iPad to enhance their learning, I wanted to make sure that we could provide an iPad for each classroom. Because of the fundraising efforts of the Walton Foundation and the tremendous support from the community, this plan is coming to fruition and every classroom is being provided an iPad.
This is a very large project in many ways, and while the benefits will most definitely outweigh the challenges, I am aware that we will have challenges to face. However, because we are one of the first schools in the county to implement this program, we will not know what those challenges may be until we are up and running. There may be connectivity problems and problems with the apps we are planning to use, but again, until we begin, we will not know. I mention this only to make you aware that we are going into this endeavor ready to overcome any of the challenges we may encounter to make this program successful.
We have set up parent meetings to answer any questions you may have regarding the implementation of iPads in the classrooms. The dates of these meetings are October 19 and October 21 at 7:30 p.m.
While I am aware of the financial investment parents will need to make to bring this goal to fruition, I believe that there are means to lessen the burden of buying a new iPad for each one of your students. I know there are used iPads on the market that are available for purchase. There will be representatives at the meeting to discuss this option. And, with the holidays quickly approaching, an iPad would be a gift that your student could use not only at Walton, but outside of school and in college. Insurance is available in the event of damage or loss so that your investment is secure, and each iPad comes with an identification number to protect your investment.
I look forward to seeing you at one of these meetings and am excited about all of the advantages this program will give our students.
