Amidst a cell phone ban leaving many students without personal devices in classrooms, chemistry teacher and Steel Hawks advisor Joel Heitman acquired iPads free-of-charge for his AP Chemistry class to use this school year.

Through DonorsChoose, a platform where educators can post classroom initiatives for public donations, Mr. Heitman was able to secure funding for the project. These iPads come fully equipped with a case, Apple Pencil stylus, and screen protectors.

The iPads are assigned for the individual use of AP Chemistry students, but currently cannot be taken home or transported around in school. They are returned promptly after class.

Within the first five minutes of the band, the students collect their iPads from the charging cart and sign into their devices. Their primary notes are housed on Notability, an app that Mr. Heitman was able to secure annual subscriptions for. 

With the hopes of incentivizing collaboration, Mr. Heitman has integrated a system where all students link their notes to a shared classroom Google Sheet. This allows students to get up to speed quickly if they are absent as these notes are accessible anywhere. Not only that, but sharing notes can provide new perspectives. “[A student can see] everything that a classmate did for that day and their point of view of the material, along with being able to see thoughts of other classmates,” Mr. Heitman said.

Senior Vidhi Patel praised the ability to add diagrams into her notes. “In the past, I used to never draw pictures,” she said. “I used to just write the words and it worked, but it wasn’t always the best. But now with an iPad, I can take photos, and it’s just a game changer.”

Senior Nolan Sukhra said, “It’s just a lot easier to conform my notes to how I like it.”

Mr. Heitman said Notability’s flashcard-generating feature, which can help students create study material, is particularly useful.

In integrating iPads into the classroom, Mr. Heitman said he hopes to enhance the learning environment. “It is my goal to have students work towards being able to collaborate on their notes, and daily class activities more seamlessly.”

Nolan said, “As we’re going into a new age of digital media, I think it’s important that we have access to these kinds of things.”