As schools throughout the country migrate from the rapidly-antiquating textbooks, chalkboards, and other teaching tools, the Eastern Pulaski School Corporation is following the same path, but Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman said his corporation is going about it a bit different.
Klitzman explained that the corporation will be slowly phasing in the new technology, as opposed to dropping new technology on the heads of teachers and students at the beginning of the school year. He said they will be systematically adding new devices throughout the year, and they’ve already started this school year with iPads in the hands of 7th graders working in science. On top of that, Klitzman noted they also have several handheld devices that go beyond iPads, such as notebooks, netbooks, and other devices, in several advanced high school classes.
Klitzman said the school board approved the continuation of the project, and they plan to outfit the rest of the 7th grade class to use iPads, not just in science, but in all their other classes as well. Further, Klitzman said they also approved the purchase of iPads for their 8th grade teachers to allow them to start getting familiar with the devices. He said the students will retain their iPads each year, and teachers will need to acclimate themselves to the new technology.
“We feel this is a good way to go to recognize the learning curve that’s going to take place to use this in an academic setting. This is a learning tool and we’re going to do it to help with student learning,” Klitzman explained. “So there’s that learning curve of using this instead of the chalkboard necessarily, instead of the textbooks, and so we’re going to do it in infusion in a gradual manner, and this is our next step. Everyone is appreciative of the support and help that our school board has given us to get us going in this direction.”
The school will continue to incorporate the new devices progressively until all the high school and middle school classes have the devices, which he said should be within a three-year period.
