Greensburg Daily News, Greensburg, IN

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January 24, 2013

NDES gets 15 iPads

Tess Rowing Contributed photo.

Greensburg — Linda Smith’s second and third grade classes at North Decatur Elementary School (NDES) have raised enough money to purchase 15 iPad tablet computers.

From 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, an open house will be held to thank the parents and businesses who donated money and made purchases in the garage sale held by the elementary school students.

Smith, an educator for 38 years, said her classroom had only three iPads to share among 46 students.

The students enjoy working on the iPads, and the tools have proven to be useful, Smith said. No one has complained about iPads being implemented as a learning tool, said the veteran teacher.

So that the students could all have a chance to work with the iPads, the elementary school students held a garage sale to raise money for the purchases. They raised approximately $1,500.

The goal for the fundraising was $5,000, and the classes were eventually able to raise $5,183.

Of the 15 iPads, three of them are “iPad Minis.” Smith said Decatur County Community Schools have also agreed to purchase 12 more iPads for the classroom, bringing the total to 30, enough for the average number of students in each class..

Smith said the iPads have been used in conjunction with “hands-on” learning. The students have used Prezi, a different kind of PowerPoint, 10Marks, a math program, and Achieve3000, a reading program, and have used the iPads as a research tool.

“The good part of the online program is that they’re differentiated and starts each child on their own level,” said Smith.

Smith has had a huge learning curve with the new technology, she said.

“Times have changed a lot. The world has changed; children are the same, though,” she said in regards to evolving teaching methods. “They have to have hands-on to learn. They have to be motivated to learn.”

Society has changed, and there are higher expectations than there were nearly 40 years ago, but how kids learn remains the same.

Smith said she ordered a copy of “iPad for Educators for Dummies,” so she can keep up with the new technology for her students.

Using the iPads will be trial and error, she said, but this generation of kids needs to know how to use the technology efficiently.



Contact: Tess Rowing 812-663-3111 x7004

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