The Pulaski County Special School District is not the first district in the nation or state to move toward equipping every student with a computer, but it is doing it now, starting with four schools this year and expanding to all others by 2015-16.
The distribution of some 2,900 iPad tablets at Harris Elementary in McAlmont, Daisy Bates Elementary in the southeast part of the district, Maumelle Middle School and Sylvan Hills High in Sherwood started in October and will finish up after the holiday break, said Will Reid, the district's chief technology officer.
The distribution is just one step in a process that began more than a year ago as district leaders talked about how to refresh the current stock of classroom and laboratory computers across the 17,000-student district.
"You can't get a lot done with four computers in a classroom with 25 kids," Reid said. "We felt that if we were going to go through and start upgrading and purchasing computers, wouldn't we be better off looking at an alternative? How could we reach more students with the same amount of money?"
Research about the use of instructional technology nationwide convinced district leaders that the time was at hand for providing each student with a computing device.
"It was never a matter of if we were going to have a one-to-one program," Reid said about a targeted ratio of students to devices. "It was a matter of when we were going to have a one-to-one."
Students already use their own or family-owned tablets, laptops and desktop computers on a daily basis, and there is no reason for limiting student use of technology in school to four computers per classroom, he said.
"We are doing them a disservice at that point," said Reid, pointing out that technology and curriculum are becoming more intertwined.
One has to look no further to see that than the online state exams that will be administered this spring in most Arkansas school districts, including Pulaski County Special and its four schools piloting the one-to-one use of the tablets.
Lisa Byrum, the mother of a Maumelle Middle School student and an instructional specialist at a district elementary school, said both she and her daughter are very pleased about the iPads that have been assigned but are not yet in use at the middle school.
"She is super excited about it," Byrum said about her seventh-grader. "And the potential for her to have an iPad in her hands all the time and using it is so exciting for me. Everything is moving toward technology. As adults, we are immersed in it, and I think the earlier you start with it, the better."
Byrum said she looks forward to her daughter and others using technology for more than playing games.
"I want her to use it for something purposeful," Byrum said. "I want students to use technology to help themselves, not just to entertain themselves."
In the past few years, the Pulaski County Special district has upgraded its bandwidth and wireless infrastructure and explored a variety of tablets and laptops. The Apple-produced iPad tablets were selected for use in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Each kind of device has advantages and disadvantages, Reid said.
The iPads -- which will cost the district about $429 each -- were ultimately selected because of the large array of educational programs or "apps" already created for the devices. Additionally, the resale value of the devices is a benefit that will enable the district to get about a third of the cost back from Apple when the district needs to purchase new devices, he said.
The iPads also can be more portable than other devices and are easily used to take photos and video.
Other districts -- including the neighboring Little Rock School District -- favor tablets for the youngest elementary pupils and laptops for older students, who do more writing and typing.
Reid said the district will monitor the effectiveness of the tablets at the secondary schools, but he pointed out that the iPads have a digital keyboard or can be connected to keyboards if that becomes necessary. Many students will continue to have access to the laptops and desktops they currently use, in addition to the iPads, he added.
The tablets are being equipped with security systems to aid in finding lost or stolen devices. To date, one tablet has been lost, and it was recovered, Reid said. Two were broken and were repaired.
The district is not charging parents for any damage during the pilot phase
Content filters that are designed to work both in school and away from school are loaded onto the tablets. The filters are used to block student access to social media or to age-inappropriate material.
The 2,900 devices for students and teachers at the the four pilot schools cost $1.5 million, Reid said.
That money is coming from district operating funds, from funds generated by tax mills earmarked for technology and from state categorical funding provided to districts based on the percentage of their students whose family income qualifies them for free- and reduced-price school meals.
An additional 5,800 tablets will be purchased this summer and 7,800 more will be purchased for use in the 2016-17 school year. That will equip all the schools in the district, excluding the schools in the new Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District that is to continue to operate under the direction of the Pulaski County Special district for up to two years.
Reid predicted that the district will ultimately break even or save money by using the tablets. That will come in part from a savings in copying costs and the costs of traditional textbooks, which have not yet been eliminated. There also will be fewer needs for projectors and electronic whiteboards in classrooms.
Principals and faculty at the four pilot schools have been preparing for the tablets since last school year.
"When you are talking about ramping up the staff for iPads, it's not just about the hardware and software," Reid said. "They have to be able to understand how the device may or may not be used by students in good ways and bad ways.
"It changes everything," he added. "It opens up so many possibilities, but like anything else, you've got to be careful."
Some of the first lessons the students are getting about the iPads include the requirements for their charging and care, and how to be a good digital citizen and not use them to bully others.
The district's technology and curriculum leaders have worked closely to prepare teachers for the tablets. Reid said they are prepared to some degree now, but it is anticipated that it will take about three years to make a complete adjustment.
Laura Bednar, the district's deputy superintendent and chief academic officer, said textbook companies are being progressive and interested in helping the district make the transition to using the tablets as a part of instruction.
"That's encouraging," she said, "because we are building this airplane while we are flying it."
She said the district has encountered some glitches with the pilot project but has always been able to get advice and help from other educators and districts that have gone through the transition and have had success.
Bednar said district educators, including herself, are just beginning to realize the vast resources that will be available to teachers and to students through the technology.
"I don't think any of us can really fathom how much is available at our fingertips," she said.
"We know it is going to be best for our students," she added.
Metro on 12/27/2014