Calumet brings iPads to school district, classrooms

This year, at the Calumet, Laurium and Keweenaw Public Schools, things are a little bit different.

Backpacks are a little bit lighter, students aren't asked to leave their technology in their lockers and it's commonplace for students to be providing assistance to the teachers.

That's because more than 1,000 Apple iPads were brought into the district and delivered to every fourth through twelfth grade student, as well as all of their instructors.

The district was the first in the state and one of few in the nation to do it. It's an impressive feat for a district located in one of the most remote areas of the nation.

"It is the future of education," superintendent Darryl Pierce says. "The students will be able, at anytime, to pull things off of the Internet relevant to what they are doing in class."

Wireless internet is provided throughout the district, and the iPads came with applications preloaded. Some of those applications are meant to allow students to skip the textbooks.

"The backpack's been a lot lighter," says Andrew Brusso, a junior in the high school. "Even if we do need the textbook, we can actually just take pictures of pages we need."

The strategy has made studying on the road much easier, which is especially vital for a district that's home to one of the Upper Peninsula's richest sports histories.

"I typed one of my AP composition essays in the middle of a cross country meet," senior Nicole Bonenfant says. "I was able to bring it with me to the meet, helping me be more efficient."

The device caught the attention of many of her competitors at the meet, and CLK officials have been promoting the iPads through ads, attempting to woo additional students.

"We want to ensure our students have unlimited opportunities to learn anytime and anywhere," says Pierce. "The iPad will open the door to new knowledge and makes learning easily accessible as the entire world's information is at their fingertips."

For the teachers it was quite the transition, but they began working with the devices in May.

"I was able to set up some research pages to help the teachers understand," says Mike Roland, who teaches technology classes. "A couple times a day, though, I get an e-mail from a colleague asking me how to do different things."

The teachers aren't just asking Mr. Roland, though.

"My composition teacher has asked me how to fix an app or make something work a couple times," senior Alyssa Dupuis says. "It's funny to have to answer those questions from a teacher."

The iPads are second nature to many students, including Dupuis, who has been using an iPhone or iPod touch for years.

"We can do anything with it," she says. "I can type papers, research, look over notes. I like being really organized, which is nice because I can type up the notes during class and have them with me everywhere."

The youngest of the students must leave their iPads at school, but starting with the fifth graders, the iPads are riding home on the bus and brought right into the home.

"I have three students in the district in my own home," says Roland. "They're using it every day."

Roland says the traffic flow in the school has changed dramatically too, allowing teachers to spend more time teaching than wandering.

"I remember seeing the English classes tromping down to the writing lab so these students could get to computers," he says. "Now these students just open up their iPads and get to work right in the classroom."

The new medium is helping students use modern tools, preparing them for future endeavors in business or higher education.

"It reaches across all of our content areas, from English language arts, to science and math, social studies, as well as elective classes," says high school assistant principal Sean Jacques. "It's all content rich, too."

Some of the teachers have made custom apps, which, Pierce says, allow the classrooms to be more focused on the strict standards Michigan demands.

Through more than a month of school the district hasn't had any major problems with the program, and Pierce said the students have been taking responsibility for the devices. The district is continuing to look forward in their efforts, as Pierce says they're now researching the idea of making all buses WiFi hotspots.

Michael H. Babcock is a graduate of Michigan Technological University who currently works at Portage Health after nearly 2.5 years experience working with The Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton. Michael's passions include technology, social media, hockey and cheese.