In an ongoing effort to equip more classrooms with tablets and computers, the Los Angeles Board of Education has green lighted a plan to distribute and integrate iPads in nearly 40 campuses throughout the school district, the Los Angeles Times reports. The deal which was approved allots $115 million for deploying between 40,000 and 70,000 tablets to classrooms for use by students and teachers used especially for spring-scheduled standardized testing.
Board member Monica Garcia said moving quickly was an educational imperative.
“The whole point of this program is to revolutionize instruction,” Garcia said. Low-income students don’t get access “to what is a part of all our worlds today…. I don’t understand how cutting back what’s good is good for kids.”
LA Times also reports the district will pay $768 per device which is relatively higher than what other districts spend, but includes network upgrades to the schools as well as iPad-specific curriculum for the classrooms.
Officials representing the school district appear to be in talks with Apple on discounted tablet pricing for devices used solely for student testing where a curriculum may not be necessary.