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PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — A group of local students is learning practical applications of technology while saving the school money in the process.
Hermiston Junior Academy school board chairman Andrew Engelhart said, as part of a new emphasis on technology this year, students are not only using iPads in the classroom, they are also learning how to repair them.
After members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with which the school is affiliated, raised funds to enhance exposure to technology at the school, Engelhart said he suggested the school purchase iPads with cracked screens to save money and teach the students hands-on skills.
While a new iPad may cost close to $500, Engelhart said, the school procured about 30 of the tablets for $100 to $150 each. With 34 students enrolled in the school for kindergartners through eighth-graders, the goal was to incorporate technology into each of the three classes, he said.
He said students in the fifth- through eighth-grade class have been alternating between iPad repair and other technology classes each Thursday.
"It's a real-life skill," he said. "Once we have the iPads (repaired), then we want to branch out into how we can use the iPads."
Before disassembling the broken tablets, the students check the functionality of the devices to ensure it was worth it to repair the screen. They then heat the glue around the edge of the cracked screens and pry them off before replacing them with a new screen. Some of the students completed the repairs in about an hour Thursday afternoon, and Engelhart said the experience has opened their eyes to possible future jobs.
"The students put technology beyond video games," he said. "They put technology into career ideas."
Seventh-grader Nathan Baltazar said the project was fun and made him consider pursuing a career in a technology field.
"I never really knew what the inside of an iPad looked like. I thought it was cool to see it," he said. "I like working with technology."
Monica Figueroa, a fifth-grader, agreed that seeing the inner workings of the device was interesting. She said she expected to see "a lot of wires and stuff" inside but was surprised to see how "empty" and clutter-free it looked.
Sixth-grader Jeremy Blanco said the other topics in the technology class were fun as well. Last week, representatives from GSH Farms explained how they use technology in agriculture and also donated a Wi-Fi weather station to the school that the students plan to install next week.
"That was fun too," Blanco said. "We want to put that thing in."
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Information from: East Oregonian, http://www.eastoregonian.com
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