Waltham Schools Exploring Using iPads In Classrooms

The Waltham Public Schools are exploring using iPads in the classroom.

While no final decisions have been made on future use of the wildly popular Apple device, Waltham Public Schools Superintendent Susan Nicholson told Patch last week that she would be “making an informed decision based on data if in fact we see increases in [student learning].”

If the pilot program currently underway is any indication, the program appears to be doing well.

 “I’m definitely seeing progress [in student learning],” said School Committee member Susan Burstein after hearing a presentation on the pilot program. “It’s giving [students] confidence to be able to rely more on themselves.”

The program started in September when 18 students in a Sheltered English Immersion class at started using iPads in the classroom. Since then, students have used the devices to enhance their math and reading skills, among other things, according to the class’s teacher, Jill Gold, who gave the presentation.  

Before starting the program, the students were taught how to take care of and charge them before moving onto academic uses, Gold said.

The iPads have been used in several different ways; in small groups, large groups and pairs. The students have been using various applications (known as apps) to learn subjects such as the weather, instead of the regular paper textbooks and chalkboards.

Students looked at images of various weather conditions as an innovative method to learn meteorology, according to Gold.

The weather example is just one way iPads can be used in the classroom, Gold said.

“The possibilities are absolutely endless,” said Gold. “We might be using it in a writer’s workshop.”

However, for how long it is used its used depends on how it fits into the regular school day, Gold said. Much thought, she said, goes into how they are used.

“It’s not something we use all day long. It’s not just something we use as a toy,” Gold said.

The program’s future depends on several factors, according to Nicholson. The superintendent said the district has to assess data on the impact iPads have on student learning and any budgetary impacts purchasing them would have.