Mariners Christian School using iPads as teaching tools

The eighth-graders of Mariners Christian School say they once carried five or six binders to school each day, one for every class. But a new technological solution is quickly lightening the load in their backpacks.

This year, the Costa Mesa school is launching its 1:1 iPad program, an arrangement that assigns students from sixth through eighth grade their own iPad. Teachers in these grades also receive a device.

Mariners was able to attain funds for the iPads thanks to parent, alumni and community donations made within the school’s STEM 2.0 Initiative. The school has almost 500 iPads on-site.

Although last week was the first time the students had the devices in the classroom, the school had been working on assembling the program for several years already.

Over two years ago, Mariners’ Digital Learning Coach Andrew Rahm paid visits to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Orange Lutheran High School in Orange and other campuses in the Tustin Unified School District to observe their student iPad programs.

Knowing Mariners was looking to implement the same technology in their classrooms, Rahm paid close attention to how their classrooms were using the devices.

In 2013, he began training Mariners’ sixth- through eighth-grade teachers on how to use the iPads’ educational apps.

“We had so many development days take place after school during that time, and the teachers picked it up really fast,” Rahm said.

Currently, the classes are using apps such as Schoology, Notability, Adobe Voice and Google Docs. The apps help students create presentations, look up grades, see a list of assignments, record class notes and contact their teachers if they have questions outside of class.

A week before the students first received their iPads, Mariners held morning and evening parent training meetings so families could better understand the devices.

“We know a concern for families is security and making sure their student is using appropriate content on their devices, which is why we have a content filter system and a curated app list for the iPads,” Mariners director of network and infrastructure Eric Choi said.

Parents even learned how to log into Schoology to check on their students’ grades and see whether or not they’re completing their assignments.

Teachers discussed concepts of digital citizenship in the classroom, such as avoiding social media and cyber bullying, once students got the iPads in their hands.

“We want them to use their device responsibly but we also want them to know that the way they treat each other online should be no different than how they would treat each other in person,” Mariners Head of School Troy Moore said. “We’ll continue to have those citizenship lessons throughout the year.”

In Brian Jones’ eighth-grade social studies class, students use the iPads to review for tests. In class, a review question is presented on the iPad and students must submit their answers through their devices. After submissions come in, the correct answer is revealed to the whole class.

“The iPad plays dramatic music and the students get all worked up when they have to answer the questions right,” Jones said. “It’s a game for them, but they’re still learning.”

Tammi Thurston’s eighth-grade English class uses the iPads to organize their notes. When looking at certain writing prompts, the students must jot down ideas that either refute or support the prompt’s argument. Their devices open a program where they can sort these ideas into different columns.

“It helps that all the assignments and notes I need are in one place,” eighth-grade student Ava Mowery said. “Of course, we can’t download Netflix or go on social media but it’s easy to follow those rules since the school can see what we’re doing online. Being watched on the iPads is not a bad thing. It’s just a way to help us stay on-task.”

While the iPads are being used in the classroom, teachers said they still have students use pencil and paper for certain assignments.

The school plans to expand the 1:1 iPad program to upper elementary grades at Mariners for the 2016-17 year.