iPads For Every Student

BOONEVILLE , Miss. (WCBI) – A community college in our area becomes the first in the nation to offer iPads to every student.

That announcement was made today and WCBI’s Allie Martin has more on how the initiative will impact students and faculty.

Lectures in Carlena Benjamin’s anatomy and physiology class are seen by students during their own time.

Benjamin videos herself in front of a green screen, then puts the lecture together with her iPad. Her students are also using iPads to make a stop motion movie showing how light travels through the human eye.

For Benjamin, the iPads have revolutionized the way she teaches.

“Instead of me standing in front of them and lecturing like we did 20 years ago, even 5 years ago, now my students are getting that information at home, coming to class and we are engaging with that content,”Benjamin said.

The iPad Initiative has been in the works for about four years at NEMCC. President Ricky Ford says it’s all about getting information and course materials to students in a timely manner, and preparing them for the workforce.

“The more information we can put in front of a student, the better student we will have at the end of the day, and by using technology, every job that’s available today, whether it be middle skilled, or higher ed, whatever it might be, technology is required in those jobs. so this puts our students on the forefront when they go out and they are going to be able to get those first jobs,” Dr. Ford said.

Of course most of the students are familiar with the technology, it is used in high school. One of the biggest advantages with the iPad initiative is the cost factor. Students can save a lot of money.

“On the textbooks, Northeast is able to give us links to textbooks, which cost us little to nothing, I’ve only spent six dollars on textbooks since I came to Northeast,” said Student Kelli DeVaughn.

“You don’t have to carry a backpack if you just have iPad, can carry it in your hand but it cuts down on cost of books being anywhere from 200 to 500 dollars apiece, ” said Student Austin Carmack.

The iPad initiative will be in place by August. Students who want to use their own iPads can do so.

NEMCC was able to work with Apple’s Educational Support System as the iPad initiative was developed.

Each iPad costs about $340 .

Students get to keep them when they graduate.