Wantagh Fifth Graders Provided iPads in Classroom

Twenty one students are getting the opportunity to learn through some of the newest cutting-edge technology.

The Wantagh School District deployed a cart of Apple iPads to a full class of fifth graders earlier this month at Wantagh Elementary School. Each student has their own iPad that they use during lass with their teacher, Traci Weiss. When the students first received the iPads on Nov. 10, they had the chance to take the devices home to utilize for homework assignments.

The Pad initiative at Wantagh Elementary School was made possible through a grant secured by the school's principal, Don Sternberg. Apple iPads connect to the internet wirelessly and are typically sold on the retail market for around $500.

"Our goal was to select one teacher and one class of students who would use the iPads as an integral tool in the instructional process," said Donald Murphy,
Director of Technology for the Wantagh School District. "We decided that the fifth graders are the most able and most mature of the elementary school students and Mrs. Weiss is very tech savvy so she was the natural choice."

Murphy said Weiss researched apps aligned with the curriculum and the students have adjusted well to using the new devices. The students use an app called Edmodo.

“Only my class can see what the other students are saying and doing online and it’s great," said Weiss. "If a student is having trouble with homework they can talk to me online and get the answer right away."

"This is the beginning of the 21st century  classroom," said Murphy. "Now the students can learn outside the classroom. They have almost limitless opportunities.”