Hopkins School Board Learns What iPads Can Bring to Classrooms

The 160 iPads that the Hopkins Education Foundation to the school district certainly have a wow factor that ordinary textbooks don’t. At last week’s school board meeting, though, directors got a hands-on look at the educational possibilities the devices and other technology can bring to the classroom.

Sid Voss—the district’s director of educational technology, media services and information systems—described the many benefits that the latest technology has. Electronic devices give students instant feedback about how they’re doing. Digital textbooks provide the most up-to-date information instead of forcing schools to wait a few years to update traditional textbooks. And open-source or free media offer cost-efficient education tools.

It’s not just about iPads either. Teachers already use Google Docs, presentation program Prezi and other high-tech options unheard of just a few years ago.