To continue incorporating technology into the classroom, District 95 decided to distribute approximately 2,200 iPads to the middle school and high school students.

The iPad pickup session for the 2014-2015 school year started on August 4 and will continue until August 21. All students in grades seventh through tenth are will be given an iPad and some eleventh and twelfth graders will receive them based on select classes.

“They decided to distribute the iPads to all seventh [through] tenth grades because the distribution would be fair across the middle schools and high schools [this year],” Melissa Gray, District systems engineer, said. “In the future, we plan to distribute iPads to all the sixth through twelfth graders depending on the budget.”

The [superintendents] piloted several tablets and decided the iPads would be the best for the students, Gray said.

According to the Mobile Technology Learning Initiative on District 95’s website, iPads will assist students during the learning process in many ways, including: using the video camera, audio recorders, and multimedia apps to acquire information; demonstrate skills beyond paper and pencil; communicate in a variety of ways; and publish their learning.

Along with the iPad support, the district has purchased a learning management system, called Canvas, for teachers and students to use and make the effort to become “paperless,” yet provide access to course content 24/7, according to the Mobile Technology Learning Initiative on the District 95’s website.