Third graders at Andalusia Elementary will use iPads to collaborate, and to blog, among other things, when school resumes next fall.

The program will be in place, thanks to a $5,000 grant from CenturyLink’s Clarke M. Williams Foundation for technology in the classroom, third grade teacher Amber Clark said.

The grant will be used to purchase 10 iPads and a cart to transport the units between classrooms. Clark said she is working to get funding for 10 more iPads, so that there will be a class set.

“The iPads will be used by teachers to enhance instruction through letting students work in groups to collaborate together,” Clark said. “I will oversee this program and be in charge of the upkeep of the iPads.

“The iPads will rotate between six third-grade classrooms on a rotating schedule so that they are in the hands of more students,” Clark said. “All of our classrooms are equipped with AppleTV devices that allow us to wirelessly project what is on the iPad onto the projector for the whole group to see when needed.”

Clark is excited about using the technology, as she currently has one iPad for use in her classroom.

“Students use it individually but it is very hard to share one iPad between 21 students,” she said. “This year I have used my iPad to update my class blog and, on occasion, let students update the blog themselves from it. With the  new iPad grant, I am anxious to let blogging through KidBlog take the place of  some of the traditional journal writing activities.”

Clark expressed her appreciation to Superintendent Ted Watson, Brook Blair, and Principal Patty Taylor, as well as school board member Amy Dugger for their help with the project.