Mamaroneck Students Given iPads for Classwork, Homework

Imagine you are a high-school student and you can carry multiple books, all your notes and a computer around with you all the time.

Ninth-grade students at Mamaroneck High School are doing just that because each one of them has an iPad this year.

It's part of the 1:1 computing initiative in the district, said Superintendent Robert Shaps.

He said it was an outgrowth of a two-year pilot program that provide iPads to all eighth-grade students in the Regents earth science class.

"We are looking to provide students with resources to use when they leave school, moving away from the traditional time boundaries of learning," Shaps wrote on his blog, "believing that what happens from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. is connected to teaching and learning happening from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m."

A recent class of ninth-grade algebra students, lead by teacher Taryn Delaney, worked on plotting a graph that reflected the movements of people.

Delaney guided the students through the process, reminding them to read the problem at least three times and telling them how to make the lines and drag objects.

If the students made a mistake or wanted to change something, it was simple enough to start over—without erasers or another piece of graph paper.

Delaney was thrilled to integrate the technology into her classroom.

"It expands the time I have with them," she said.

Also, Delaney said, it was like each student had their own computer lab all the time.

She said there is the potential for the students to get more out of their learning experience.

"I can communicate to them individually," Delaney said, "and access all of them at the same time."

Jalen Nash, 14, thought having an iPad was a good idea, because they have access to apps and student email.

"And it's better for us to do our homework," he said.

Nash said he uses the tablet in other classes to take notes.

"You can underline things," he said. "It's a smart idea for us."

Emmett Fay, 14, said having the iPad was "really cool.

"It gets me in the mood to do math," he said, adding that he uses it in his Spanish class as well to do crosswords and watch videos.