Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or steven.matthews@coxinc.com
MONROE — The days of running off 50-page packets at the copier machine are over for one social studies teacher.
Chad Allen, a teacher at Monroe High School, has had the benefit of 30 iPads at his disposal for his two senior Advanced Placement government classes.
Back in August, the Middletown Community Foundation awarded Monroe Local Schools with an $18,000 grant for technology, which was used to purchase the iPads and a cart.
“Time,” Allen said of one advantage. “I’m not making copies of stuff. I can forward things to them, like websites. There’s no lost books. They’re not having to take a book all over the place. The quizzes have automatic grading, so there’s instant gratification. We’re not spending any money on paper, so the school is saving a ton of money.”
Allen has a total of 35 AP government students (27 in one class, eight in the other), and they use the “Government in America” online textbook on the iPads, which are not taken home by the students.
The students are able to take quizzes, check email and access the Internet in class to help them with assignments, as well as complete classwork remotely and email it to Allen.
“It’s all right there at our fingertips,” said senior Doug Flick, who has set up a Facebook page for the class to generate discussion. “We can take notes, watch PowerPoints, and if we need to look up something, we can look it up really fast. They’re always ready to go. The entire class loves it.”
Allen said he hopes other classes at the high school will take advantage of the iPads because students are on the cutting edge of technology.
“The kids seem to really like it,” Allen said. “They’re used to the iPhones and everything else. They’re the ones showing me how to do this stuff and what all the apps are on here. The kids are definitely up on that.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or s
teven.
matthews@cox
inc
.com.
About the Author