By Ray Hershel
(SPRINGFIELD, Mass.) (WGGB)– A pilot program in Springfield schools is proving to be a big hit.
One group of students at the Liberty Elementary School is using iPads in the classroom.
They’ve been using the iPads here since September says teacher Melissa Zeitz, “The kids love it, they ask to go on the iPad,” says Zeitz.
Does the iPad have an advantage over a traditional textbook? Zeitz says yes, “It allows them to differentiate the instructions, so that each child is getting what they need, so if I have a student who’s a little lower in multiplication, they might use one app, where someone else can excel on a different app, or right now the kids are making Geometry videos they can take their books, talk into them and they re-teaching themselves the vocabulary,” says Zeitz.
Students like Jean Perez say they’re not only having fun but they’re learning. Math is one example, “Division and fractions and learning about triangles,” says Perez.
Math is only one of the subjects where kids are being helped by the iPad according to third grader Xavien Cabrera,” You could type into the iPad, I have a project on a book called Tarantulas versus Scorpions and I’m doing a story,” says Cabrera.
Liberty School Principal Jennifer Montano sees a future for iPads in the classroom,” The sooner the better, the technology has been fantastic, it’s great to have it right now for this small group of students at Liberty School, but I’d like to see that expand,” says Montano.
Is the iPad so popular and instructive that someday it could replace the traditional textbook?
That’s still too early to say according to Azell Cavaan, Springfield School Spokesperson,” As a nation, as a culture we’re moving toward technology and in some cases that’s taking the place of old textbooks and old books but to say 100 percent completely, I would not say that,” says Cavaan.
In the meantime students are enjoying their newest educational tool.
