iPads need to show proof of success in school
I just read the article regarding the request to fund iPads and other technology improvements in the Upper St. Clair schools. While I am sure no article could provide the compete picture, I am concerned with what the article did not report. I saw nothing concrete to support the funding.
Technology in our schools should improve our kids’ education. That improvement must be measured and demonstrated before continuing to spend tax dollars on expanding and replacing the technology.
The article mentions the pilot program to utilize iPads in the classroom. A pilot program is an experiment. It is a perfect way to try something new without outrageous expenditures and minimizing risk.
To be of any value, a pilot program should have specific theory to prove. My assumption is that the theory was the iPads would improve learning in some way.
If I were on the school board, I would want to see objective proof that the theory was sound before I could agree to extending funding of the program. How did the students with access to iPads fair on standardized tests compared to those without iPads? Were they able to move through the material faster? Did they have greater retention of the material?
My daughter is in a classroom that uses the iPads and I am a huge fan of her teachers. But, when the subject of spending taxpayer dollars is raised, I think hard evidence of the value of any program must be required before spending tax dollars to continue or expand a program.
Glenn Robinson
Upper St. Clair