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Students and teachers at Susquenita High School use iPads as part of their daily learning experience.
(Rachel Bunn | rbunn@pennlive.com)
In Kyla Falzarano's classroom, some kids show her their homework on notebook paper, while others hold up their iPads.
In Kathy Kisner's classroom, students are typing on their iPads, developing characters a final creative writing project.
And in Kathy Becker's anatomy classroom, an app on student's iPads provides an alternative from the heavy books where students are looking up information about bones for a quiz.
What started as an experiment in 2013 has now become a fully-integrated learning program in the Susquenita School District in Perry County.
It's been so successful, it was named an Apple Distinguished Program that recognizes programs worldwide that have seen success in "best practices" outlined by Apple.
It's not a new idea for schools to integrate technology into their classrooms.
Lower Dauphin, South Middleton and East Pennsboro Area school districts launched 1:1 programs this fall, which provided laptops for high school, and in East Pennsboro's case, middle school. The Carlisle Area School District launched it's program in 2013, the same time as Susquenita.
At other schools, students are allowed to bring their own devices to use in the classroom.
Many are moving to a school-provided technology program, which allows teachers to fully integrate technology without worrying about what kind of technology -- phone, tablet, Mac or PC -- a student has.
In a district like Susquenita, where nearly 40 percent of students are on free or reduced lunch, it becomes even more important.
Mark Maldet, director of curriculum and instruction for the school district, said that there are kids in the high school that don't have access to the Internet at home.
"We all are champions of all students, but especially those kids that need a little help," Maldet said.
It's part of the reason Susquenita chose iPads over laptops -- with iPads many apps and functions are built in and don't require Internet access to use.
But even with some students lacking full access at home, Maldet said the move to iPads was one of the few things he's seen as a educator that got full support from parents and the community.
Superintendent Kent Smith worked at another school district that used iPads too, and knew that teachers could use apps, interactive textbooks and even develop their own textbooks more easily on the tablets.
"At this point they have seen and realized the things that we shared with them could happen, would happen, have taken place," Smith said.
Teachers are working now to develop Susquenita-specific textbooks. Regular training is provided to teachers to provide support and help them understand how the iPads could be used as a teaching tool.
"When you talk about helping kids be ready for the 21st century and moving out of the high school and talk about jobs, college this is how we're helping them," Smith said.
Kathy Kisner said she's used the iPads in her English classes to help students understands scenes by using a comic strip creator and having students create movie trailers so they understand effect.
"This has allowed a lot of ideas to come forth," Kisner said. "Instead of the standard, old school test, which you never use in real life, I can see if you understand."