Notre Dame Academy Starts One-to-One iPad Program September 24
Notre Dame Academy (NDA) will kick off its one-to-one iPad technology program with a speaker both for parents and the students. Richard Guerry, founder and director for the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication (IROC2) and author of the book Public and Permanent: The Golden Rule of the 21st Century, will speak on the topic of public and permanent at 9:15 a.m. before the young women receive their iPads on September 24 from 10:40 – 11:15 a.m. NDA parents will hear him speak on September 23 at 7 p.m., a mandatory meeting for all parents before their daughter receives her new iPad.
IROC2 desires to construct a global digital community free of negative and sometimes irreversible consequences resulting from poor digital judgment. The Institute strives to achieve this goal by demonstrating that all digital actions are public and permanent.
The faculty and students are excited to put the new iPads to work. Faculty members have had their iPads since February and have been involved in numerous workshops and seminars to acquaint them with the educational tool as well as exploring apps.
Social Studies faculty member Matt McEwen created his own U.S. History book available for free on iTunes. The book is filled with interactive lessons he has created. There are audio podcasts, interactive videos, interactive pictures, hands-on classroom activities and so much more.
He is excited to show students how to use the book he developed to create study outlines, flash cards, and use the interactive quizzes to test themselves over the material. Realizing that each student learns differently his whole book is audio as well as his lessons, so students can listen anywhere while doing anything – running, biking, or just sitting back and relaxing.
Environmental Science teacher Steve Coppens is excited at the prospect to go paperless. He has developed a web site that students to excess class assignments. All homework will be done and turned in digitally. All tests are scanned into his iPad enabling him to immediately access data as to student understanding of the material. According to Mr. Coppens iPads will make it easier for the student, “No more lost homework. The student and the teacher always have a copy of the student’s work.”
High school girls will be able to carry their iPads everywhere and will keep their devices when they graduate. Seventh and eighth graders will have their iPads also 24 hours a day, however, they will turn them in at the end of 8th grade. NDA will have 785 iPads as well as 70 laptops and 90 desktops for student/faculty use.