BAY VIEW ACADEMY TRAILBLAZES ONE-TO-ONE iPad COMPUTING

East Providence, RI – Bay View Academy is blazing the path of educational iPad computing with a One-to-One iPad program that began this fall in the Middle and Upper Schools. Every student, grades six through eleven, began the 2013-2014 school year with her own 16 GB, WiFi-Only, iPad with retina display. Understanding that each student has a different learning style, the iPad helps Bay View teachers deliver academic content in a variety of new and engaging ways.

Bay View students can now navigate the globe in stunning detail using the National Geographic Atlas app. They follow current events for their political science class with Newsy. They take class notes using Notability, an application that allows teachers to share documents which can be personalized by each student as she adds her own notes. Spanish classes use iMovie to create videos on a particular theme, such as weather forecasts written and produced in Spanish. Math students use the GeoGebra app to construct figures and make observations. The Upper School English courses are tied into iTunes U, thus eliminating the need for textbooks. When students enroll they find an enhanced syllabus that includes not just the titles of the reading assignments, but links to each assignment online. Digital textbooks for all subjects are being tested and explored.

The Academy built the iPad program around a leasing platform to ensure that our students stay present with technological advances and receive new iPads every two-to-three years. Leasing also allows the Academy to customize the iPads to optimize student learning. They are fully loaded with faculty selected, educational apps which are tailored to each student’s schedule in the Upper School and by a student’s grade in the Middle School. Any issues with a student’s iPad can be resolved without disrupting her learning, as the Academy issues loaner iPads when a device needs repairs. Lastly, leasing allows the technology team to set different levels of supervision. For example, Middle School students cannot add their own apps to their iPads however Upper School girls may.

Because leasing plans were limited to two and three year options, members of the class of 2014 were not required to lease an iPad. They are required to bring their own device, be it an iPad, a laptop or another tablet, for daily use in the classroom. Starting in the fall of 2014 all Middle and Upper School students, including seniors, will be using Academy-leased iPads.

The groundwork for this program began in 2011, when the administration began issuing all teachers their own personal iPads. Teachers have undergone multiple professional development sessions on successfully integrating the device across all disciplines. In 2012, the Academy’s wireless network was given a complete upgrade to support added technological demands.

While One-to-One iPad computing is new for the Middle and Upper Schools, neither iPads nor One-to-One computing, are new to Bay View. The Early Childhood program (three through five year olds) has been using iPads since 2011 with a mobile iPad lab. Additionally, One-to-One computing was practiced with great success in the Middle School using netbooks from 2010 to 2013.

The Academy is dedicated to continued research into best practices of technological integration within traditional pedagogy, providing both a well-rounded and progressive education for girls and young women.