iPad Case Study: Shorecrest Preparatory School

As early as 2011, Shorecrest Preparatory School knew integrating cutting edge technology into its curriculum was a high priority. When a seventh grade teacher received a grant to offer iPads in her classroom, Shorecrest’s one-to-one pilot program was born, with the eventual goal of phasing in a full-blown one-to-one initiative over the course of the next three years.

“We wanted our students to have 24/7 access. We wanted to make sure they were using the latest and greatest technology on a day-to-day basis to enhance their learning.” explained Dr. Anna Baralt, Director of Educational Technology at Shorecrest

The pilot program, initially meant to benefit just a few students in one classroom, soon expanded to the entire seventh grade when more and more students asked to bring in their own iPads and tablets. By the end of the pilot year, it was clear that the benefits of having an iPad in the classroom were abundant.

“What we found was that the kids said they had more instant access to information. They were able to do their research better because they didn’t have to wait for a computer in the classroom,” says Dr. Baralt.

Confident that iPads offered the most flexibility and functionality, Shorecrest began taking steps to take their one-to-one initiative school-wide after another year of preparations. Teachers were given an entire year of professional development on iPads to ensure they were prepared to make the most of their new teaching tool. From opportunities to drop in and ask Dr. Baralt questions over the summer, to one-on-one
and school-wide training sessions with Apple specialists, to collaborative training with other area schools at mini-conferences, Shorecrest made sure its teachers were prepared!

Next came the decisions about how the school was going to provide its students with the digital content they needed. “I told the teachers we would not forsake the quality of our materials just because we wanted to be digital. I was not going to force my teachers to go to materials they didn’t think were adequate for their classes just because they had to make digital choices,” says Dr. Baralt.

Keeping this promise was easier said than done. When Baralt approached Shorecrest’s current textbook publisher about its capacity to fulfill her teachers’ textbook requirements, the vendor could only offer the school 30% of the books on its list in eBook formats. When Shorecrest’s CFO learned about the ClassBook.com eBook ordering and fulfillment solution at a conference, the school immediately recognized the value of ClassBook.com’s “one-stop shop” model and contacted the company to get started.

“The minute we found out we were not tied to the smaller number of vendors from the other company—that we could get books from iBooks and Kindle with ClassBook—that was what brought us in,” Baralt says.

With almost a full year under its belt, Shorecrest has no intentions of going back to the old way of doing things. The benefits the school has been able to enjoy through ClassBook.com - as well as the overall benefits of its program as a whole - have far surpassed any growing pains. Baralt cites the number of options ClassBook.com provides as a primary benefit, as well as taking an “individual student approach,” rather than a “family approach” like the school’s previous publisher. “Being able to tie every bookshelf to one child’s own account saved us a lot of confusion,” Baralt says.

As for the program as a whole, Baralt says iPads in the classroom represent how these students are growing up: “There is a change in culture, there is a change in how kids are learning. They are digital natives, not digital immigrants. We felt like we needed to get in and make sure we were meeting the kids where they are learning.”