Immaculate Heart of Mary Students Receive iPads Through Pilot Program

All eighth grade students and their teachers at have received brand new iPad2 as part of a pilot program to test a new educational application called Net Texts.

Net Texts is a new program that allows teachers to combine educational resources on the Internet with more conventional teaching materials thus creating a customized, hands-on learning curriculum. Teachers are permitted to design their courses as long as they cover the required curriculum set forth from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. 

“It is the hope that these learning tools will replace the traditional and often very heavy classroom text books,” said Bob Baldonado, the school's assistant principal.

The Net Texts Program, iPads, software, computer apps, charging cart, and Mac desktop computer are courtesy of The Speedwell Foundation, the Shelter Hill Foundation and George and Mike Messner, two Immaculate Heart of Mary alumni. Messner approached the school a year ago to see if there was any interest in piloting this program and teachers jumped at the opportunity. They received their devices in January and were soon trained. 

Students collected their iPads this summer at a student-parent meeting at which the ground rules were firmly established. 

“Some of the applications have been disabled, but otherwise the students are free to use them as needed for their classes," Baldonado said.

The school plans to keep track of the program's cost savings due reduced textbook, copy paper and toner expenses, Principal James Lee said.