Kirkwood Teachers to Get iPads

Teachers in the Kirkwood School District will receive iPads this summer as part of a $575,273 technology purchase approved Monday night by the Kirkwood School Board.

School officials will assess the usefulness of iPads in the classroom during the upcoming school year and determine whether students should receive the tablets if the District proceeds with a one-to-one mobile technology initiative.

“We try not to capture the latest and greatest toy out there. The iPad has a proven track record behind it,” Director of Technology Services Randy Friedline said. "The experience gained from teachers will have a big effect on technology purchases in the future.”

Money for the iPads comes from a dedicated technology fund that voters approved in 1993.

“We want to make sure we remember the support of the community,” Kirkwood School Board President Scott Stream said.

The purchase also funds new MacBooks for teachers that will replace classroom desktops, batteries for re-used laptops and new computers in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) lab where students design and create objects with CAD. 

Instructors from speaking as residents and taxpayers encouraged board members to approve the purchase during the public comment section of the meeting. An iPad cart was introduced to the school's kindergarten classrooms earlier this year through a technology grant.

Robinson kindergarten teacher Rochelle Weidinger said having time for teachers to familiarize themselves with iPads is key before they are placed in the hands of students. The period allows instructors to discover how to engage students with the device, according to Weidinger.

When teachers receive the iPads this summer, they will participate in a 90-minute training session with further training opportunities offered throughout the year. Principals will evaluate how teachers use the device in their classrooms and how they might put the device to use if it was given to every student.

“The administration hopes to see students highly engaged in learning,” Raker said. “We hope this is going to equate to higher engagement.”

The District will purchase 352 teacher laptops, 275 teacher iPads and 25 PLTW computers with money approved by the board Monday night.