Blake Middle School is pleased to present the iPad Pilot Initiative. The focus of the iPad pilot is to provide tools and resources to the 21st Century Learner. Excellence in education requires that technology is seamlessly integrated throughout the educational program. Increasing access to technology is essential for that future, and one of the learning tools is the iPad. The individual use of iPads is a way to empower students to maximize their full potential and to prepare them for college and the workplace. Learning results from the continuous dynamic interaction among students, educators, parents and the extended community. Technology transforms the teacher from a director of learning to a facilitator of learning. Effective teaching and learning with iPads integrates technology into the curriculum anytime, anywhere. The procedures, information and agreements within this document apply to all iPads used. Teachers may set additional requirements for use in their classroom.

A significant element of our Administrative Technology Team's recent work, in conjunction with the increased implementation of technology in our schools, has been the exploration of a uniform, school-wide platform for mobile devices in the classrooms. We are committed to taking the time to make thoughtful, informed decisions and the district survey that was administered this past winter was part of this process. In many school districts, the iPad has become a preferred educational tool for a wide variety of reasons: flexibility, portability, and engagement, to name a few. Along these lines, Blake Middle School has an opportunity this academic year to explore the potential benefit of these devices by having one cluster of students and teachers participate in a yearlong pilot program during the 2012-2013 academic year. We believe that a pilot study will allow our teachers and staff to thoughtfully implement and review the effectiveness of the iPads, while assessing their feasibility and impact on a small scale before any full-scale changes are in place. Feedback from this pilot program will be a critical factor in both the school and district's future implementation and direction we will take with technology. For the process of establishing the pilot cluster, teams of teachers put forth proposals to be considered for the program, and the Stars cluster in the 8th grade has been designated as our pilot cluster. It is important to keep in mind that teachers and students on this cluster will be following the same curriculum frameworks and will be following the same common core Blake curriculum as their peers in the other clusters. To assure and maintain classroom consistency and device management, and stay true to the guiding principles of our pilot program, we are currently not permitting other students to bring their mobile devices into Blake Middle School. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to sharing our findings and developments throughout the year.

Throughout the year we plan on providing additional resources on this webpage for both students and parents.