2016 Education

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Page 14 2016 EDUCATION MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY March 1, 2016
Teachers can also facilitate
a more engaging learning
experience at an individualized
pace with the use of technology,
according the information
on the Mount Pulaski Grade
School website. In addition,
with students using iPads and
teachers using the MacBook
Air, “this incorporation of
technology will work in tandem
more efficiently to align
transformed teaching styles and
methods to the diverse ways in
which students learn.”
Newton continued to rave
about the iPads and their many
features, “We have a lot of
things going on right now where
kids are making their own
videos and making their own
movie presentations with the
iPads. They use keynote, pages,
all these apps from Apple.
We work with Apple and the
teachers all have a math book
that works with the iPads. In
Science classes, all the textbooks
are on the iPad.” Indeed the
world is at the fingertips of these
students.
Newton emphasized the
importance the iPad plays at
Mount Pulaski Grade School.
“The big thing is the kids have
more access to information.
They always have information.
Before they would have to go to
the computer lab and they would
all get their half hour in the lab.
Now, they all have it at all times.
So if they are doing a research
project, every class can be doing
something at the same time. The
information that they all have in
their hands now is unbelievable.
They all have the internet right
there in their hands. They can
look up anything.”
However, Technology
Coordinator Heather Fricke does
monitor what the kids can look
up, says Newton.
“In education, YouTube is where
you can look up anything on
there and somebody is teaching
it somewhere. If you didn’t
understand it here, you can go
home, you can download it and
watch somebody else teach it;
some [that are] experts in the
field who might give you a
different viewpoint on it. Some
kids are taking advantage of
that,” Newton said. He also
looks for that to evolve even
more as kids grow and adapt to
the new technology.
Apps
Students also use the many
apps readily available to their
advantage. Newton explained,
“All the kids have apps on the
iPads and the teachers let the
kids download educational
apps.”
The kids can also download
three apps for their own
entertainment, to have fun, says
Newton. “One added bonus of
the iPad for me is during down
time, like when the kids come
in early in the morning and sit
in the bleachers, well those little
kids have all got them out doing
racing games and even math
games. They do math games on
them and they do not even know
they are doing math games.
There is not near as much
disruption in the morning. Also
when there is indoor recess some
kids will play on their iPads.”
Again, everybody wins.
Electronic homework
According to Newton, there is
also an app called eBackpack
where teachers can give
assignments, the students do the
assignment and send it back to
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