FAIRMONT PREPARATORY ACADEMY, ANAHEIM, CA
NOVEMBER 2013
THE BIG CHANGE
After a yearlong training session, teachers and
staff feel prepared and hopeful that iPads will
integrate a better homogenous education. The
PrepTEC team assures that the iPads are a
door into a new world and a new process of
teaching students.
By Dante Dahabreh
Ever wondered
why everyone
on campus is
using iPads? It
all comes from
a massive, new
program called
the Prep Technology-Enhanced Curriculum. All
students of Fairmont Preparatory Academy are
enjoying a transition into a more technological
oriented teaching environment that includes
using Apple iPads in the classroom setting.
This is all could not be made without the
PrepTEC team who investigated what
technology can lead to the best tool for
education and teaching a new generation of
students. After speaking with the PrepTEC
Team, we discovered why iPads were chosen
as the medium for this technology revamp at
school. After a pilot study that was conducted
over two months in different classrooms at
Fairmont Prep, Apple’s iPad received
overwhelmingly positive response as opposed
to Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy, and Nook. So
we wondered as students of this school why
does technology seem to be the prime
medium for improvement of the education. As
the PrepTEC Team explained to us, “We want
Fairmont to be on the forefront of academics.
Statistics show that teenagers spend ten hours
a week on their various electronic device, so
instead of eschewing it we embraced it.” It was
simple a move to go “21st Century.” This big
change at campus will stimulate students to
interact with the knowledge must more
personally.
It all began in Late August of this school year,
student orientation. Students filled out
emergency cards and filled out their personal
information to receive class schedules, but
everyone was excited to see how each teacher
was going to integrate the iPads into the
teaching curriculum. All students were
instructed to download certain applications
that would be used in the upcoming school
year such as Evernote, Explain Everything, and
iAnnotate. Students were also instructed to
download the ITunes U application where
Fairmont had developed a course for students
and teachers about to how to use the iPad and
what various apps will be needed in the school
year. Periodic training sessions for students
and staff will commence in the school year at
specific dates which can all be found on
Fairmont’s main website under the calendar
page. There is a Prep Plus iPad class on
Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30 for those who
need to learn what apps are beneficial for
classes. If anyone has any questions please
email [email protected] for
more information!