Nueces Canyon Consolidated Independent School District (NCCISD) and Midland Independent School District (MISD) have implemented 1:1 tablet initiatives using the LearnPad tablet solution. Each district’s goal was to supply every student with a tablet and integrate it into their existing curriculum and technology. NCCISD has completed this goal, outfitting all 300 students in the district. MISD supplied its entire sixth grade of 1,600 students with LearnPads as part of a multi-year integration of 1:1.
Ease of implementation was a key factor for MISD when deciding to go with the LearnPad tablet solution. Dennis Haynie, MISD’s Director of Instructional Technology, said, “It’s so easy with the LearnPad. It takes us about an hour to set up five iPads vs.10 minutes to set up five LearnPads.” MISD teachers also use the LearnPads in a “flipped classroom” environment. Teachers create lessons with existing content, include new media, and send the students home with the tablets.
One of their major concerns with this model is security. MISD piloted both iPads and LearnPads, however, for their students, LearnPad is the obvious choice according to Haynie. “The iPad is a consumer device and there is nothing a school district can do that prevents a student from removing the security and downloading games. The LearnPad is a secure tablet that is locked-down and allows teachers to monitor a student’s activity.”
NCCISD chose the LearnPad tablet solution because it would integrate with their existing curriculum.
“All my teachers have been turned loose on the LearnPad with a few days of training this summer," said Louis Webb, Director of Technology for NCCISD. "They are leveraging content off the internet that we’ve never been able to use before. Teachers also have complete control over what the students do. Now that we have the dashboard, they can monitor exactly what’s happening in the classroom.”
The 2013 BETT “Best Digital Device” Award-winning LearnPad Solution includes three key components: LearnPad cloud-based Management Portal, LearnPad tablet, and Content Store. The LearnPad tablet solution is offered at two prices, $399 for a 10.1” Quad Core XD and $299 for a 9.7” Dual Core SD.
