1-To-1 Learning: Is It Right For Wilmington?

The education landscape is rapidly evolving. Wilmington (hopefully) has a new high school on the way, and with this comes changes in education theory. Some of our neighbors, namely Burlington, have fully embraced the concept of "1-to-1 learning," providing iPads to all 1000+ students in their high school. 

Proponents of 1-to-1 believe that iPads will make information more readily available to students and foster creative problem-solving. Conversely, critics of the movement believe this takes responsibility out of the hands of the teachers - not to mention the possibility for distractions. 

Apple is wholeheartedly pushing for iPads to become a staple of the American classroom. "Students will now experience the most amazing textbooks they’ve ever read," says Apple's website. "No longer limited to a single picture to illustrate the text, now students can flick through a gorgeous photo gallery or dive into an image with interactive captions."

A teacher from BC High recently was published in the Boston Globe Magazine on the subject, saying students may not want a tablet in front of them during the school day. "Many students want to step away from the glow of the LCD portal, said Ron Fletcher. "They welcome a separation between work and play. As the novelty of their devices subsides, some of my students have admitted a preference for pages they can turn, margins they can annotate, even books they can drop."

This doesn't even scratch the surface when it comes to actually acquiring the iPads. Who should pay for these? Is it the school's responsibility to provide them, like textbooks, or should students be responsible for their own? 

What do you think? Are Wilmington students ready to make the leap to digital learning?