Kindergarten class gets iPads
BY SUZANNE WERRE
BHG News Service
It used to be when a teacher spied a student sitting in class with earphones on, the earphones would be promptly taken away and put in the teacher’s desk drawer until the end of school. Earphones meant the student was not paying attention, and was listening to music. That’s not the case anymore, at least with the kindergarten students at Underwood. During parts of the school day, the kindergarten students sit at their desks, headphones at the ready, so they can use them when it’s time to read with their new mini iPads.
Once they put the headphones on, there’s silence, as they listen to the story being "read" to them by the iPad. Then slowly but surely there’s a steady hum of little voices as the students read the story back to the iPad.
Sometimes it gets a little loud, said kindergarten teacher Deb LeRoy, but she’s found a way to get the students’ attention even if they all have their headphones on and are reading aloud. She raises her hand and says loudly, "I need your help." Then there’s silence again as the children remove their headphones to listen to their teacher. It works pretty well, she smiled.
The iPads are a new addition to the kindergarten class this year; the children have only been using them for a couple weeks, but they are definitely a hit with the students, and their teacher.
