More Happy Teacher/Kids News From iBooks In The Classroom

by , 5:30 PM EST, March 25th, 2003

A Muncie, Indiana school has stocked one 5th grade class with iBooks, according to TheStarPress.com, a local newspaper. The school, Burris Laboratory School, has brought in 20 iBooks for Sandra Murray's 5th grade class. Ms. Murray says the program has been a success. According to the article, the students don't take the laptops home, as opposed to the statewide program in Maine that does allow students to take their iBooks home, but the students are allowed to carry their iBooks around their school with them. From the article:

"What's it's making me think a lot more about, is teaching where I'm asking kids a higher level of questions," Murray said.

By using laptops, students work independently, ask questions and research the answers themselves rather than having Murray standing in front of the classroom reciting facts and figures.

"Now, I'm the coach, and that's really what I need to be," Murray said.

For a year, the students in Murray's class can use laptops to access Ball State University's wireless network. Along with Internet access, they have the use of several types of software including HyperStudio and PowerPoint.

There is more information in the full article at TheStarPress.com, including an image of a student using an iBooks who bears passing resemblance to Elijah Wood's version of Frodo Baggins.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Another school happy with their iBooks. We keep waiting to see the reports from all those schools that are rip-roaring happy about their Dell notebooks, but have yet to see any. Perhaps we aren't looking in the right place?

In the meanwhile, Apple's efforts in the classroom have been getting lots of positive mainstream coverage from Maine, to this school in Muncie, and in the Henrico County, Virginia school system (aside from reports that some students were keeping porn on their iBooks in Henrico County in 2001). Most, if not all, of these reports have centered around how pleased teachers have been, which is what happens when you manage your school system's IT needs around what the kids and teachers need, instead of what the bean counters want. There's a lesson here for lots and lots of people.

TheStarPress.com Article