25,000 iPads & iPods - Is Everything Bigger in Texas?

 Check out this posting from THE Journal about the McAllen Independent School District  which is rolling out a huge 1-to-1 initiative.  The district will be providing mobile devices to every single student, teacher, and administrator in their district.  Combining state, federal and private funds and taking a fresh look at how budgets are prioritized, the district is putting their money where their vision is.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/07/11/meet-the-district-rolling-out-25000-ipads-and-ipods.aspx

So Do Digital Texts Save Money or Not?

The problem I have with all of these discussions is they seem to focus exclusively on the financial considerations associated with digital texts.  What about enhancing the learning and educational experience for kids?  What about connecting with kids and engaging them in digital environments in which they thrive outside of the classroom?  Wouldn't that be worth spending a little more?  It's a no brainer that costs associated with digital learning will continue to decrease while quality increases.  Most importantly, educators will continue to develop their capacity to use the technology to enhance student learning.  So what are we waiting for?  Hats off to McAllen Independent School District, Pinellas County Schools, Vail School District, Riverside Unified School District.

Attached is a well written article by Jason Tomassini in Education Week that summarizes the pros and cons of rolling out e-texts in schools.


http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/09/30etextbooks_ep.h31.html?tkn=QSUF%2FJ7xBvV40WxEczEyEvcij6%2F5iab6a397&cmp=ENL-DD-NEWS1

Another Day? Must be time for another iSchool District!

In a state where everything is bigger, McAllen Independent School District in Texas has big plans - an iPad for each of its 27,000 students, one of the biggest undertakings of 1-to-1 mobile computing that I am aware of.  A relatively poor district (67% poverty rate) on the Mexican border with a vision and an ability to connect with folks for support will pay dividends for each of its students.  You can read the story from mysanantonio.com below:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Valley-school-district-makes-a-digital-leap-in-3467776.php#page-2

Things Are Always Bigger In Texas!

Let's hear it for McAllen Independent School District in Texas for what might be the largest deployment of IPads and IPods in the country.  This week they are distributing 6,800 devices with the hopes that every one of its 25,000 K-12 students will have their own device by next year.  Talk about BYOD on steroids.  Assuming they are an affluent district?  Wrong! Two-thirds of their student population is economically disadvantaged.  One thing that is obviously not at a disadvantage in McAllen - visionary leadership.  You can read the piece from ABC news below:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-district-embarks-widespread-ipad-program-15804858#.T00Lt3F9m6E