Sacred Hearts to be Maui’s first school to offer iPad-based curriculum

All Sacred Hearts School students will learn with iPads by fall 2014.
LAHAINA – Sacred Hearts School this year has established itself as a leader in the race toward 21st century teaching techniques by training faculty and providing iPads for all children in grades 3-8.
Every student at Sacred Hearts will be learning with an iPad by fall 2014.
The move – part of SHS’ Three-Year Technology Plan – will help the school’s curriculum transition from printed textbooks toward the Internet, apps and digital textbooks.
Students are now able to learn from real-time sources, rather than static textbooks that may have been printed several years ago. Digital textbooks in particular will provide an interactive, multimedia approach to education.
Currently, students in grades 3-6 have access to their iPads during class time, utilizing Internet browsers and apps individually selected by their teacher to support and supplement that grade’s specialized curriculum.
In addition, all seventh- and eighth-graders have been issued iPad Airs for their use both at school and home. By using an Apple ID and iCloud, the student’s work is now accessible on their iPads, iPhones and Mac computers.
Teachers and students are excited with this quantum leap in technology-influenced education.
Bella, a seventh-grader, said that “iPads present a new way of learning that is intriguing and relevant to this generation’s learning style.”
Eighth grade teacher Mary Anna Enriquez thinks the iPads are a perfect fit for Project-Based Learning.
“These devices are transforming me into an innovator and catalyst to assist my students to connect and collaborate with experts and audiences around the world,” she said.
Principal Susan Hendricks commented, “It’s exciting to see our teachers and students learning together as we fully embrace this new technology. We are pushing forward into uncharted territory in education.”
Sacred Hearts School is forward-thinking in its approach to technology. To see the iPads in action, attend Sacred Hearts’ school-wide open house on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. A $500 tuition award will be given to one of the attendees.