Grant adds extra iPads to North classroom

The iPad Air 2 is demonstrated at Apple headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014 in Cupertino, Calif.
The iPad Air 2 is demonstrated at Apple headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014 in Cupertino, Calif.

When Holly Schaefer, kindergarten teacher at North Elementary School in Holts Summit, first heard about the U.S. Cellular teachers grant, she wasn't sure she would get the grant, but decided to give it a try.

Schaefer applied for the grant through DonorsChoose.org and she received two new iPads for her classroom last week from U.S. Cellular.

U.S. Cellular recently awarded more than 1,747 teachers grant money for classroom materials and projects.

All classrooms at North Elementary have five iPads per class for the students to share. North Principal Barb Martin said utilizing technology in the classroom is important to the school district.

"It's integration," Martin said. "That's the way of the 21st century."

The two additional iPads will allow Schaefer's class to work a little faster on lessons using the iPads.

Her kindergarten class has been working on narrative stories for the past three weeks. They wrote and edited their stories, then published them using an app on the iPad.

Schaefer said the iPads keeps kids engaged and motivated.

"One of my struggling writers was the first to publish today," Schaefer said. "He was excited about it."

Because the class had the two additional iPads, Schaefer said they were able to publish everyone's stories in one class period instead of two periods.

She uses a variety of other apps with her class including Letter School, which works on alphabet recognition and letter formation, and Rhyme Time- Focus, which is used to rhyme words at various levels of play.

Schaefer is already thinking about what projects to propose next year if U.S. Cellular does the grant program again.

"It doesn't hurt to try," Schaefer said, talking about applying for grants.