West Essex Implements Pilot IPad Program; Teachers Volunteer to Use IPads to Help Improve Education

As part of a special pilot program, teachers in the West Essex Regional School District were invited to participate in an IPad Pilot Program.

Fifty-seven West Essex teachers volunteered to partipate and are using the Ipads across all disciplines in both schools, according to West Essex Technology Coordinator Debra Martin.

 "A goal of the pilot program is to evaluate how the use of iPad technology as a teaching-learning tool affects student achievement," she said. "The teachers are being asked to become comfortable with the functionality of iPads as well as to evaluate and assess the potential impact of iPads in the classroom. 

"Through a review of the wealth of both content specific and general education apps, the teachers will develop detailed and engaging lesson plans," Martin said. "Once the teachers have become familiar with the iPad capabilities as a learning tool, class sets of iPads will be made available to further examine the impact of 1:1 technology in the classroom."

 West Essex Middle School Teacher Justin Schwindel said his experience with the IPad pilot program is a very positive one. "There are so many great apps that have both helped me supplement my instruction and become a more productive educator," he said. "I truly believe this a great educational tool and one that can assist both teachers and students across all disciplines.

I’ve been able to do everything from showing students satellite images via Google Earth to assisting with research with the numerous databases available online. It’s also made the every day administrative tasks like taking attendance and grading much less time consuming."