The Cullman County School system’s ongoing push to integrate technology into the classroom took another step Thursday, when the school board approved a major purchase of portable computing tablets for the lower elementary grades.

At its March meeting Thursday, the board signed off on the purchase of 770 Apple iPad Air 2 devices at a cost of just over $340,000. The devices will be placed in kindergarten, first grade and second grade classrooms at schools throughout the county system.

The move ensures an iPad-student ratio of 1:7, with six of the devices going to each classroom. Funding for the buy is drawn from marked revenues authorized by the Alabama Ahead Act and raised through the Technology Sales Tax.

Bruce Ellard, the school system’s technology director, said the move to furnish iPads to K-2 students represents another step toward bringing computer-based instruction to county school students at every grade level.

“This has been a slow and methodical process; one that started first with our teachers, to get them comfortable with their instructional devices and materials,” he said. “Once that was in place, then we proceeded to student devices, beginning earlier this year, with grades 6-8, and then grades 3-4. Tonight we reached grades K-2.”

Ellard offered an example of how the devices can be used as teaching tools.

“For the most part, students will use these devices in the classroom by rotating from station to station, where the devices will be at one of those learning stations with an application called Seesaw. Using it with reading, a student can take the device and record themselves reading their book. That allows them to play back their recording and hear themselves as they read, and to catch a lot of their own mistakes.

“It also allows the teacher to later review that work and individually be able to hear every student. In that way, it expands the teacher’s ability to work with students one on one. And, parents are provided access so that they can review the student’s work and make their own comments from home. It really has the capability to engage everyone who’s involved in a child’s education.”

Reading is just one example of how the school system is deploying iPads, Google ChromeBooks, and similar devices for instructional use. The board has already committed to computer-based science and math instruction through its purchase of science “techbooks” for elementary and middle school students, and through an ongoing group license for online-based instruction.