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KEARNS -- Starting Monday, students at Kearns High School will be required to bring their new iPods to class. Every student was given one Friday as the Granite School District kicked off its latest initiative that officials say teaches kids on devices they want to use.
Granite District officials say the students' faces at Kearns High lit up like it was Christmas Day, but the district isn't treating the iPod Touches they gave to students as toys. Spokesman Ben Horsley said they came preloaded with educational applications and lesson plans.
"It's not just about throwing the technology out there and saying, ‘Go for it!'" he said.
Horsley said students can download their music onto the iPod, but all of the applications are controlled by the school for the year. He said they have hundreds of apps that teach subjects from history to economics.
"We'll continue to load [apps] every few weeks and monitor the devices and add new content as time goes on," Horsley said.
The devices cost as much as a textbook, and Horsely said the students can do a lot more with them.
The iPods were paid for by $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The money was awarded because of the district's plan to use the electronic devices. Horsley said the money cannot be used for any other purpose, such as textbooks.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
