Maine school district to provide iPad 2’s for all kindergartners

Youngsters in Auburn, Maine may soon be using iPad 2’s in their early years of learning. The district has just spent over $200,000 on 285 of the latest Apple tablets. The committee that governs the schools in the Maine, Auburn district, voted in favor of using iPad’s to assist children with their early years of education.

The $200,000 cost for the iPad’s also includes insurance, educational software and other training costs. The program will begin as a pilot in May, with a full rollout at the start of the next school year. The rollout will eventually cover all six elementary schools in the small community.

The idea started when teachers used their own iPad’s with educational software installed. They noticed significant improvements while using the iPad as a learning tool with children whom had previously had trouble learning the alphabet. They see the device as a more appropriate computing experience for the age group in question and results seem to back this up.

Have any of our readers seen iPad’s being used in other schools? Do you use your own iPad to assist with your children’s learning? Let us know in the comments!

[Electronista]

chrisoldroyd

UK editor at iMore, mobile technology lover and air conditioning design engineer.