Sandburg Elementary School principal Brett Wilfrid has heard the rap on iPads in schools and he says success in using the technology in classrooms lies in careful consideration for how they are used.
The school on Madison’s far east-side has been working over the past three years to put an iPad in the hands of virtually every student between second and fifth grades, as well as each staff member, becoming a leader in adoption of technology in the Madison Metropolitan School District.
We have no doubt that tablets will be the future in education. But simply equipping students with the technology is not enough, the school needs to have a well thought out plan for how they plan to use the devices.
“We want Sandburg to be a place where we pride ourselves on providing 21st century education with all students having access to excellent technology that prepares them for a future in the workplace and teaches them responsibility to use it well,” Wilfrid said in a recent interview.
It’s all about the apps, get those right and there will be good results. It’s also not about one killer app, the best idea is to use a suite of apps, even from different vendors, addressing specific needs. As you move forward so those needs will change, so be flexible in changing the technology, hardware or software.
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