Why I'm glad we had iPad minis for a year BEFORE having WiFi.

This fall, thanks to the support of our community, our school will have WiFi for the first time. Our students will have a richer learning environment, which is exciting. But it is also a time to stop and consider the following questions:

Why do we have WiFi?
What are the learning goals?

It's possible our students will be better prepared for these opportunities thanks to the work of their teachers in implementing iPad minis last year in classrooms without WiFi. When the minis were introduced to the school,  a blog post was tweeted to parents explaining the goals for the devices. As the year progressed the vision laid out became a reality. Students honed their skills in presenting knowledge creatively using apps such as iMovie, Doceri, and Keynote When the wireless routers come on, and the hot spots go live, the devices will certainly be used for research, but because the school had a year to practice in spots that were cold, the students will see connectivity as a way to collaborate and create, not just consume.