Help School Counselors Better Monitor Students Progress

Funded Sep 8, 2013

I sincerely thank you for your generosity in contributing toward the purchase of two iPads for students to use with their school counselors. We have used the technology to help students with their college application process in numerous ways, and it also has made us more mobile and accessible in the school. Most impressively, seeing the appropriate use of technology has inspired our principal to fund a third so that all three school counselors will be able to take advantage of this opportunity to assist students throughout the school.

I can tell you that in my experience alone, I have carried iPad (which is much lighter than a laptop, mind you) with me to lunch duty, and have been able to get answers to students without delaying the process. At lunch duty, students have submitted applications and checked transcript requests. In my office, I have been able to direct students to complete their SAT and ACT exam registration from their seats while also using the integrated camera to take their photos for exam security. I have also used the iPad to utilize Google documents for updating our website, and to help students improve their application essays, plus I have used the integrated camera and Twitter app to document our Panther Prep Day senior activities while the underclassmen were taking the PSAT.

The students, understandably, appreciate the convenience and the "wow" factor. By allowing students to use the tool independently, I am able to facilitate more accurate and thorough follow-through by the students, rather than trusting them to remember and implement my suggestions or recommendations, better ensuring that we are meeting student, department, and schoolwide outcome goals.

I am especially grateful that the timing of this particular donorschoose project was able to get completely funded through pledge matching by Kia Motors and the donorschoose organization. Without their extreme generosity, I expect that I'd still be hundreds of dollars from our goal. Because of it, the iPads have been in use at school daily for six weeks already.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Goldman