BROOKINGS – Kindergarteners at Medary Elementary School will soon reap the benefits of $9,000 in grant money and their own hard work, gaining new iPads and a pizza party, respectively.
Medary Elementary kindergarten teacher Lara Langelett first wrote a grant request to TransCanada and Altrusa back in January, and she received word on the results back at the start of March.
TransCanada awarded $8,800 in grant money to Langelett and Altrusa, $200. Now that she has the money from the groups, she’s going to put the money toward the requested use: purchasing iPads.
Medary does have 30 iPads already that are shared among the school’s classes. Not only does that stretch them thin among the entire school population, but the iPads they have are running into software compatibility issues with the apps that Langelett incorporates into her teaching.
With the money from TransCanada alone, she’ll be able to buy 26 new iPads to share among the school’s four kindergartner classes and the one junior kindergarten class.
Giving these five classes their own iPads separate from the rest of the school should allow them to better manage apps on the machines. And they do utilize a variety of unique apps in class, Langelett said.
One of them is Osmo, which is not only an app, but an add-on item that hooks up to the iPad. It includes a variety of puzzle-solving games, including putting individual blocks together to form different shapes, such as the outline of an animal, with physical blocks in front of the iPad. Propped up by a stand, the app uses the iPad’s camera to check the student’s work.
This is one of the learning apps that ran into compatibility issues with the older iPads available.
Langelett also makes use of Epic!, which is a digital library with access to 25,000 books. Through the app, teachers can keep track of how much their students have read, and Langelett claims a high number for her students: 1,300 books.
Technology such as this allows students to work at their own pace and progress independently of their peers. Langelett added that students are more engaged in their learning when using these tech teaching tools, and the students are learning and excited about learning.
Langelett’s kindergarten class is involved in the Imagine Learning Company’s reading program. The company outlines some goals based on how much they used the app for classes to meet, with the promise of a pizza party to any classes that reach that goal.
Langelett’s kindergartners used the app about double the amount of time stipulated. This surprised Langelett because of how many days they’ve missed due to snow.
“We’re the only ones in the state of South Dakota who are getting this $50 pizza party, and there are about 20 others in the nation that are also receiving it,” Langelett said. “I’m so proud of my students and their hard work.”
They have yet to set a time for the pizza party and they still have to determine where they’ll purchase the pizza. In a way, it’s an exercise in patience for the kids, too, who frequently ask Langelett when the party will be held.
Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.
Register photo: Above, Medary Elementary School kindergarteners Jack Baszler (foreground) and Judah Cross (background) work together on an iPad learning app called Osmo. With this app, they piece together blocks into the pattern shown on the screen, with the app using the iPad’s built-in camera to confirm they’ve done it correctly. Newer iterations of iPads are needed to run apps like this, and thanks to a grant, new iPads will be purchased by Lara Langelett for Medary’s kindergarten and junior kindergarten classes.
Courtesy photos: Below, Superintendent Klint Willert, TransCanada representative Amy Vertin, Medary kindergarten teacher Lara Langelett, Medary Principal Jessica Enderson and kindergarten students celebrate a donation to help purchase new iPads for the school’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes.
Below, Medary kindergarten teacher Lara Langelett, Altrusa representative Victoria Larson, Medary Principal Jessica Enderson and Medary kindergartners celebrate an Altrusa donation to help purchase new iPads for the school’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes.
