5/16/12 – Buffalo, NY — St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute announced on Tuesday that it will provide each freshman with an iPad at the beginning of the next academic year. The announcement was made during a meeting with the incoming Class of 2016 and their parents.
“We’re pleased to announce this next step of our One-to-One Program,” said St. Joe’s President Robert T. Scott, AFSC, at the meeting. “These tools provide countless benefits, including making the classroom more interactive and assisting kids of every skillset in the learning process. Reaching more students is at the core of our mission.”
This initiative is the second step toward the independent Catholic school’s One-to-One Program, which has already outfitted teachers with iPads in January. The One-to-One Program will eventually supply the entire high school with the same technology. The iPads will be leased to students during their time at St. Joe’s through a program with Apple. If the student graduates from the high school in four years, the device is his to keep. The only cost to parents is a fee that includes the iPad cover, insurance and maintenance. But according to the school’s administration, the benefits of the device will outweigh the cost.
“With this technology, parents will spend less money on soft cover textbooks and other supplies,” said President Scott. “Plus, with the ever-increasing number of applications available on iPads, the potential to learn will skyrocket.”
The decision to phase into the initiative was unanimously approved by the St. Joe’s Board of Trustees in early May, following an 18-month study by the Board’s Technology Committee in cooperation with several faculty members. The school also announced the hiring of an educational technology integration specialist, Steven Koniarczyk, who will work with teaching faculty to ensure the best possible use of all technology in the classroom. Koniarczyk was previously the school’s library media specialist.
“This One-to-One Program is essential in preparing our students for the future,” said Koniarczyk. “Students will leave our school with the skills necessary to be leaders in tomorrow’s technology-driven world.”