Stillwater teacher Susan O'Malley hopes iPads will improve students' reading skills

From The Troy Record (TroyRecord.com):

STILLWATER — In the midst of a tight budget crunch, the Stillwater school district has tapped into private funds to support bringing the latest technology into the classroom for some of its youngest students.

Each of the district’s first grade classrooms is being outfitted with five Apple iPads. The devices will not only allow teachers to tap into a host of computer related educational tools, but also have the capacity to be updated as more resources become available.

The use of the iPads in the classroom, the brainchild of first grade teacher Susan O'Malley, is expected to spark the youngsters to explore learning in ways never before thought possible. “Providing a cluster of iPads to each of our classrooms will enable us to expose more kids to the technology,” O'Malley said. “We anticipate that each of our students get to use the iPad once or twice a day.”

O'Malley obtained the iPads after her grant proposal titled “Love of Learning Through iPads” was approved by the locally-based Stillwater Educational Foundation, a group comprised of community residents who raise funds for innovative educational programming in the Stillwater school district.

The plan for using the iPads includes a focus on improving the literacy and reading skills of first graders. Stillwater's first grade curriculum already includes the Daily Five Literacy Program, which tackles literacy from several different directions including writing, listening, word work, reading to oneself and reading to a partner.

Literacy has long been considered a crucial skill which must be mastered if students are to be successful over the long haul and the Stillwater district has made it a central focus of its curriculum throughout all grade levels. The use of iPads will make it possible for the young readers to take advantage of hands-on technology. O'Malley has expressed some hope that the latest devices will help motivate those children who are struggling to learn important concepts. She also believes the new touch screen iPads may have the effect of encouraging independent learning.

“I'm so thankful to the Educational Foundation,” O'Malley said. “They truly go above and beyond to support student achievement, dependent on our needs. If this program is successful at the first grade level, there is potential is could grow.”

By Jamie D. Gilkey
Special to The Record