Minnesota School Buys Hundreds of iPads for Students and Staff

From NUJournal.com:

It seemed Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) High School students couldn’t get enough of the new iPad computers Thursday in Principal Jeff Bertrang’s office.

One student played the piano with a shortened keyboard on her iPad.

Another student read a book on his iPad.

Another student listened to Spanish words.

Bertrang pointed out how definitions of words could be found on the iPad.

The iPad – a wireless, touch screen, tablet-sized computer – was released in early April by Apple Inc.

The school district allocated $267,748 to its technology fund to become what is believed to be the first school in the country to have the devices at a cost of $479 each.

The money will be used to buy 320 iPads with extended, two-year warranties for students and staff, create Wi-Fi (wireless) infrastructure including routers and access points plus professional development (staff training).