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District 67 PTA donates money for iPads
The District 67 PTA donated $23,000 for the purchase of iPads for the classroom. A user in this file photo uses the device to learn to spell words. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
Updated: August 13, 2012 7:01AM
MORTON GROVE — Students at Golf Middle School and Hynes School will be able to use iPads in class next school year thanks to a donation from the Golf Elementary School District 67 PTA.
The organization has donated $23,000 to the district to be used to purchase enough of the tablets to outfit a full classroom at each school.
“We’re really grateful for it,” Superintendent Jamie Reilly said. “We’re really anxious to get them.”
Reilly said the money should be sufficient to buy between 20 and 25 iPads for each school, enough so that each student in a class can have access to one.
Reilly said some teachers had a chance to try out the devices in their classes last year thanks to a parent who was able, on a temporary basis, to provide enough from his place of work so that each student in a class could use one.
Reilly said teachers found that students took to them quickly.
In addition, Reilly said, many students have iPads or similar devices that they use at home.
“When they come to school they don’t have that access,” she said.
There is no specific curriculum planned for the tablets, but Reilly said teachers who want to try them out will be able to access a range of educational apps for use in their classrooms.
Also, she said, students will be able to use them in ways similar to what they have done with netbooks the district owns, for research on the Internet.
“They will continue to use them as they’ve used the netbooks,” Reilly said.
She said the district also will provide some type of training for teachers interested in using the iPads in class.
“We’ll definitely look for opportunities to provide professional development,” she said.
Reilly said the donations from the PTA are particularly beneficial because the cash-strapped district has not had the money to upgrade its technology equipment.
“We don’t have any money to allocate for technology such as this,” Reilly said. “This is great. It really helps.”
