iPads: The New Educational Tool at Fedde Middle School

Guadalupe Trejo, a 7th grader at Fedde Middle School in Hawaiian Gardens, no longer has to worry about misplacing her homework or toting around a ton of school books that would weigh her down. Instead, she completes her school work on her school-issued iPad, a device which the 12-year-old says has made her school work become both fun and efficient.

“I like typing rather than writing,” Trejo said. “It takes longer to do my work when I write it out.”

Last week, Trejo was completing a vocabulary and spelling worksheet her teacher Steve Harris assigned. On the iPad, she was able to type out all of her answers, allowing her to not only complete the work, but also improve her typing as well.

English assignments are not the only subject the iPads are used for. Students also work on their math and science skills by using different applications depending on the subject.

But not all of Fedde's students are granted iPads for their school work. The tablets are only issued to students in the school’s Global Scholar’s Program, a comprehensive honors program that helps students advance their academic skills and encourages them to begin thinking about their options for higher education.

Although this is the program’s pilot year, Judy Park, Fedde's Academic Enrichment Coordinator, said that parents throughout the are already inquiring about how they can get their children into the program.

The admissions process for the Global Scholars Program is rigorous, and so are the demands once students are admitted. In order to be considered for the program students must complete a paper application, a short essay and a face-to-face interview with a teacher -- an admissions process that Park believes “simulates the process of higher education.” 

While Fedde Middle School typically has had a predominately Latino student population, Park said that the Global Scholars Program attracts students from as far as the north end of the ABC Unified School District, and consequently has created a more ethnically diverse student body.

As part of the program, the student scholars are granted use of the iPad to complete their work, a decision that school officials said was made in order to create a greener, more efficient school environment while educating students about technology.

“[The iPads] not only minimize paper, but is also a huge incentive for them to complete assignments,” Park said. “Also, their thoughts are faster than their writing, and typing allows them to articulate more of their thoughts and receive instant feedback.”

However, students aren’t the only ones benefitting from the use of the iPads in the classroom. Harris says that the iPad system has also cut down his prep time.

“Typically, I’ll have to make copies of an assignment, collate them, staple them, and pass them out. Now, they just download it from the server,” he said.

The students that are part of the Global Scholars Program are only a small percentage of the total student population, which means that most students do not use iPads at the school. Park points out that the program does not mean to exclude students; instead, school officials wish to teach them that they must earn such privileges.

“We’re building future leaders, and we need to teach them that with every responsibility they have more responsibility and privileges,” she added.

That’s not to say that Fedde is not otherwise technologically equipped. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, the school has three computer labs filled with Apple computers and each classroom also has five computers.

The funding for this technology comes from both federal and state sources, as well as community donors such as the Moskowitz Foundation, who donated $30,000 to the school.

For the students in the Global Scholar’s Program, technology has helped them become more motivated and enthusiastic about learning, which is arguably one of the most important elements in achieving student success.

“It’s easier and faster,” said Enrique Aceves, 12, a Global Scholar’s student. “We don’t have to use a book and that’s pretty cool.”