Is the district going to deploy more iPads to classrooms?

When is the district going to deploy for iPads?

Q1. Last year, the district had an opportunity for teachers to apply to get 3 iPads in their room… Does this district have plans to buy more iPads this school year (spring 2013)?
A1. The district does not have any plans to purchase additional iPads this spring (2013).  We are not ruling out future deployments – but for this spring we know there will no additional rounds/deployments provided by the district.

Q2. How many iPads were deployed by the district?
A2. Jan 2012, the district purchased 300 ipads and deployed them to 100 classrooms.

Q3. Schools were allowed to purchase iPads on their own, correct? Is this still true?
A3. Yes, schools were allowed to purchased iPads on their own  – this is still accurate.

Q4. How many iPads are in the district now?  
A4. In Jan 2013, district-wide there is over 1,000 iPads.  This means that buildings, parents groups and others purchased an additional 700 iPads over the last year, at a cost of $280,000.

Q5. Why are we not proceeding??  Wasn’t the iPad roll out successful?
A5.  The roll out during 2012 was successful for many classrooms, but not all. In general, we are seeing that the iPads fit naturally into  K-6 classrooms that utilize small group rotations with students.  With only 3 iPads available, it was much harder to utilize the iPad in classrooms that did not use small group work / rotations. In addition, some content areas had a harder time finding appropriate apps.

Q6. When will district decide if/when its will proceed with buying more?  
A6.  We are not purchasing any additional iPads during the winter/spring of 2013.  We are waiting until the K-6 reading adoption selection is finalized, which is expected to be March/April 2013.  After that time, we will have a better idea of what resources are needed to support the new curriculum adoption.  At that same time, we can review what is needed at secondary level as well.

Q7. I was asked by some parents…   If the district proceeds with purchasing more iPads – will each school be assured an equal amount of iPads?
A7.  Based on the information from question 4, I believe that district technology will need to play the role of “equilizer”  which means each school will NOT receive the same amount from the district.  Instead, we will need to fill in the areas where devices are needed to bring everyone to a standard level.

NEW! Assignment submission via Infinite Campus

Today, I spent some time checking out the assignment submission feature that’s now available in our current version of Infinite Campus (v. E1226.2).  For those who want the full details, here’s the official documentation from Infinite Campus on both  Student Assignment Submission  & Student Work Product

From the teacher view…

Step 1) Enable File Submission

When adding an assignment, select ENABLE STUDENT SUBMISSION, then select either EDITOR  (allowing kids to type in their own responses) or FILE ATTACHMENTS (which allows students to submit actual Office, PDF, or picture files)

Step 2) Attach Resources to the Assignment

After entering assignment information (such as Description, References, etc), click on ATTACH RESOURCES.  This allows you to post documents with the assignment, this could include Office files, pdf files, or even pictures.  It could be used to share the grading rubrics, example projects, lists of web sites/resources.

Step 3) How students submit files

Students then visit the Campus portal, click on the assignment –  and there’s now an option for students either type in an answer and/or attach files (depending on the options that the teacher has selected)

Step 4) Files can be submitted until assignment is marked by teacher as TURNED IN

Students have the ability to upload new versions of the documents until the teacher marks them as TURNED IN.  Once marked as TURNED IN, then the files/answers can not be edited.

Step 5)Teachers can view student submitted work

For the teacher to view and grade the student work…   Open the specific assignment and on the right side of the screen (as seen below), you should see a date/time when the files were submitted, you can also click on this link to show you more details.

Step 6) Teachers can grade and provide feedback on the submitted work

On the next screen, the teacher can..  A) open and review the student work  B) provide feedback that will be directly available to the student (typed in ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK area   and  C) Assign a grade directly into the grade book.