Why has Hackley School decided on the iPad as the choice for students?
Why has only the ninth grade been selected to start this initiative?
How often will my child be using the iPad in class?
Will curriculum/classroom instruction be changing because of the introduction of the iPad?
May students opt out of using the iPad altogether?
Is the iPad program going to expand?
Why has Hackley School decided on the iPad as the choice for students?
In our view, the iPad provides the flexibility to both support and enhance learning, while maintaining the student-teacher relationship that is central to Hackley’s identity and our academic excellence. The daily presence of mobile devices creates a more flexible learning environment, allowing students access to a powerful technology tool wherever and whenever needed for learning. Through years of focused professional development and extensive classroom use, faculty have identified the iPad as a unique and powerful learning tool. As reported to us by our students through two comprehensive student technology surveys, iPads also support what current Upper School students identified as their most important learning needs and objectives (accessing learning materials, note taking, writing, academic research, annotating e-texts, and creating presentations). Our school website, commonly referred to as Hackley Online, has an excellent interface with iPads. In addition, the iPad is highly portable, has a very quick startup time, and has a longer battery life than most laptops. Electroni texts, when available, will be incorporated across our curriculum. These digital texts not only provide learning tools not available with a regular, “analog” text, but should also help to reduce backpack weight. With the wealth of apps available, we are continually exploring new instructional tools that will support the learning most important for our students.
Why has only the ninth grade been selected to start this initiative?
By rolling out iPads one Upper School grade at a time, we aim to take an incremental and agile approach. By piloting one grade each year, we can focus on a smaller group of students and teachers to ensure that they have the support they need to be most successful. We know that this grade has already become quite adept with iPads in the classroom during their Middle School years.
How often will my child be using the iPad in class?
You child will be required to have their iPad with them each day. Our message to the 9th grade teachers is clear: employ the iPads in your classes when doing so will enhance student learning. Although your child will be required to have their iPad with them each day, your sons and daughters should not expect to use their iPad all day long in every class that they take. Hackley remains as committed as ever to the idea that excellent teaching takes many forms and that the personal interactions between teacher and student remain the hallmark of student learning at Hackley. In the end, teacher-student relationships remain central and the iPad will be an exciting and powerful tool available to our talented and dedicated teachers.
Will curriculum/classroom instruction be changing because of the introduction of the iPad?
The iPad is one of the many tools a teacher can access and use to enhance instruction. We would expect that there will be changes to pedagogy when the use of the iPad provides new and deeper learning opportunities for students. We also expect that some of the more traditional pedagogical approaches would remain as they may also be the most effective approach for the lesson of the day.
May students opt out of using the iPad altogether?
No. Every student will be expected to have their iPad available for classes each day.
Is the iPad program going to expand?
Our current plan includes issuing iPads to each subsequent ninth grade class. As a result, ultimately, all students in grades 9-12 will be carrying an iPad for learning.