Putnam City Schools voters to decide on bond issue to buy iPads

If the bond is approved, the first phase could be implemented as early as June. The first phase would call for the purchase of several thousand more iPads to bring the ratio to one for every four students in the district.

Phase two would call for the purchase of more iPads to bring the ratio down to one for every 2.5 students. Phase three would bring that ratio down to one for every 1.9 students.

Superintendent Paul Hurst said the iPads can help teachers personalize education through different applications in reading, writing and math.

“They help students engage,” Hurst said. “We have the ability to expand content for kids and teachers to connect with one another. The kids are collaborating and solving problems through the use of technology.”

District instructional technologist Charri Stratton said iPads are currently being used in prekindergarten classes through high school. They were first distributed in 2011.

“There are a lot of great applications for kids as young as pre-K,” She said. “They have writing apps to help teach kids how to write and work on their letters. They have spelling apps and when a student spells something correctly they are rewarding. If they’re off it tells them what they need to work on.”