allenresidentforyears
newbie
Posts: 4
Reg: 10-08-13
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11-22-13 01:26 PM - Post#164622
Does anyone know when (or if) Allen is going to issue ipads to the students like other area school districts?
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Al C
enthusiast
Posts: 5931
Loc: McKinney/Allen, TX
Reg: 02-16-01
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11-25-13 03:05 PM - Post#164641
In response to allenresidentforyears
If they ever do, let's hope they do it the right way and not like they did in Los Angeles.
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Don4
enthusiast
Posts: 529
Loc: Allen 1993
Reg: 04-11-06
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11-25-13 03:16 PM - Post#164642
In response to allenresidentforyears
Do our students need iPads?
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V-Girl
enthusiast
Posts: 2889
Loc: Allen, TX, US
Reg: 07-12-01
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11-25-13 08:43 PM - Post#164646
In response to Don4
Do our students need iPads?
I was wondering the same thing. We homeschool so my kids wouldn't be getting one from school anyway, but each child does have a tablet of some sort. They are mostly used for entertainment and the dictionary app. We just bought each of our daughters (8th and 9th grades) their own laptops though because that is the tech toy we found they needed more. They prefer to have an actual book if they have to read a long book, they need to be able to write papers, watch their math lesson, listen to CDs for music history, etc.
I'm curious to know what the iPads are being used for in schools.
Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it. 
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Lisatexmom
enthusiast
Posts: 854
Reg: 01-19-05
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11-26-13 12:28 PM - Post#164648
In response to V-Girl
I heard they were going to do this when my son was back in middle school, he graduated last year.
Probably the stadium took the funds for the Ipads?
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starrlac
enthusiast
Posts: 793
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 11-03-00
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11-26-13 01:03 PM - Post#164649
In response to Lisatexmom
That's ridiculous...the stadium can't take money away from classroom instruction. The stadium was built with bond money. If anything, it's now providing money to the general fund which could be used for iPads! I wish people would at least educate themselves about how things are funded in the school district before jumping to the conclusion that it's all the fault of the stadium. I love our Apple products as much as the next person, including our iPad, but I don't know that it would be used enough to justify the expense of every child in the district having one. Our PTA bought several iPads for our elementary school, at least one per classroom, and I think that's great! The teachers are learning how to integrate them into their instruction. But for now, I think it would be a huge expense that couldn't be justified. With 20,000 students, even a lower end iPad at $499 would be nearly $1 million. Then again, the stadium added $1 million to the general fund last year, so maybe:).
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brian0527
enthusiast
Posts: 225
Loc: Allen,Tx,USA
Reg: 03-15-01
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11-26-13 01:42 PM - Post#164650
In response to starrlac
With 20,000 students, even a lower end iPad at $499 would be nearly $1 million. Then again, the stadium added $1 million to the general fund last year, so maybe:).
I'm not saying something to be ugly, just to emphasize the point you were trying to make on the cost correctly. 20,000 x $499 would be $9,980,000.00. Even assume say just 6,000 HS kids x $499 = $2,994,000.00
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starrlac
enthusiast
Posts: 793
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 11-03-00
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11-26-13 01:51 PM - Post#164651
In response to brian0527
Oops, you're right! I didn't look at the number very closely...it's almost $10 million!!
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rtinallentx
enthusiast
Posts: 454
Loc: Allen, TX, USA
Reg: 04-08-03
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11-26-13 09:47 PM - Post#164655
In response to starrlac
I've heard of some districts using tablet devices as replacements for text books. That's the only way that I could see justifying buying one for each kid. I don't know what AISD spends annually on books, but I would assume it's somewhere in the 7 figure range.
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Tough 75002
enthusiast
Posts: 745
Reg: 11-17-04
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11-27-13 10:21 AM - Post#164660
In response to starrlac
My high schooler does not need an Ipad. He needs the school district to use some of that $10M to hire more teachers. More face time with the teachers would be far more beneficial to the students.
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vrs
enthusiast
Posts: 2861
Loc: Allen, Texas
Reg: 04-20-00
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11-27-13 12:44 PM - Post#164664
In response to Tough 75002
I have no knowledge of any specific plans so this is just general arm-waving....
A technology purchase like iPads could indeed be made from capital dollars. They would not be for all students, most likely a phased rollout starting at the high school. So if we like 10 million for K-12, then 3.0 million is closer to the mark for 9-12.
The iPads would most likely replace textbooks and laptops as used for online reference. So they would partially pay for themselves in savings on books. If you replace 5 textbooks with one iPad you can break even. For the one year out of (5? 8?) that new textbooks are purchased. You probably won't have multiple students using the same iPad for several years.
I have an iPad that I inherited from my Mom. It does not in any way shape or form replace my laptop. I have used electronic textbooks and I am not a fan. But that was a number of years ago so perhaps they are better now and I am, after all, getting old. I do love my kindle so it is not as if e-reading in any of itself is the issue.
If we are handing out technlogy, I personally would rather see it in the form of a PC with excel and word etc. in addition to surfing and e-reading.
 
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