Beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year, Wayland Union Schools will provide every student in grades 7-12 with an iPad Air, replacing the old iPad2, which this year will be used in the elementaries.

School officials, on the school district’s web site, said, “The iPad Air has many improved features that will allow added instructional benefits to teachers and educational benefits to students. The iPad Air has a better processor, better camera and improved battery life.

“The change in Apple’s charger format will decrease damage to charging cables and charging ports on the device. The iPad Air also comes with a free productivity suite that had to be purchased for the iPad 2. The productivity suite includes Apple apps such as Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Garage Band, and iMovie.

“These applications will extend the innovative and creative uses of these devices in instruction.”

All Pine Street Elementary students will have access to an iPad while at school. Teachers at Baker, Dorr, and Steeby Elementary Schools will have classroom sets of iPads that they will be able to use for a variety of purposes.

“Passing these devices to the elementary schools allows the district to expand iPad availability to elementary buildings at a level that will allow teachers to integrate them into instruction in a meaningful way, which most elementary teachers are asking for,” officials said.

Research has shown that iPads (or any technology) will be integrated and used as an instructional support when teachers can count on availability right in their class rather than using a checkout/sharing process.

Increasing access to technology at elementary grades allows teachers and students to take greater advantage of resources the district already has available such as Reflex Math, Explore Learning Gizmos, eBooks, Everyday Math, as well as provides the ability to take standardized tests on mobile devices and will result in less of a disruption to building schedules for assessments such as M-STEP and NWEA.

Students and parents who wish to purchase an insurance policy to cover potential damage fees to the iPad may do so until Oct. 1 at www.wusipadinsurance.com

Wayland Union Schools is able to purchase new iPads in order to renew and expand the iPad program by using in lieu of tax funds from the Gun Lake Casino and by taking advantage of special purchasing programs offered by the 22i Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant.