Schoolchildren join the iPad revolution (From Southend Standard)

Schoolchildren join the iPad revolution

2:00pm Thursday 31st May 2012 in Echo News

IT’S NORMALLY the pupils giving their teacher an apple – but at North Crescent Primary School in Wickford, the tables have been turned.

Youngsters at the school have been given their own Apple iPads to help them learn.

Headteacher Lisa Wright said the £13,000 spent on 32 iPads was an investment that was already paying off when it comes to youngsters improving their education.

The handheld devices are being used at the school as a teaching tool in everything from maths to music.

Children as young as four are taking part in the touchscreen trial lessons, which could be rolled out to the rest of the school in the future.

Mrs Wright said: “Year 4 children have been using them in maths classes, and Reception children have been playing some maths and phonics games.

“Year 1 pupils have also had them in their religious education lessons and older children have used them as an aid for topics such as logging onto the internet to learn about the Titanic.

“We bought the iPads because they are so flexible and versatile.

“We have a lovely outdoor space here, and the children can take them outside and even use them to take photographs.”

Mrs Wright, who stresses the iPads are only being used as an aid to conventional learning and not as a replacement, added: “We want learning to be fun for the children and the iPads are in use all the time.

“When you walk around the school there’s a child or group somewhere using the iPads, which is what I want to see.”

Funding for the equipment came from the school’s own budget.

North Crescent isn’t the only one getting in on the computer tablet phenomenon. Earlier this year it was revealed all 750 pupils at the new £8.7million De La Salle school in Basildon will be given touch-screen computer to use in lessons.

Basildon Hospital is also trialling a scheme where nurses use iPads as part of their bedside health checklist routine for patients.