The Superintendent for the Seine River School Division says one of the major benefits of introducing iPads into the classroom is the increased amount of teachers working together.

SRSD Superintendent Mike BorgfjordMike Borgfjord notes this is the first full year where every grade six to eight student in the division has an iPad. He says they've been working with Apple and other school divisions to find different apps and determine ways, not to replace good teaching, but to enhance critical thinking in the classroom. 

"One of the areas, especially in french emersion, where students are doing for example oral reports in French and they capture the video and they can get feedback. There's a lot of interesting ways we can go with the technology. Technology is a tool and we want the tool to be used to enhance thinking."

Borgfjord says teachers throughout the division have been using iPads as well and he adds it has brought their teachers together to work as a team as opposed to individually in their own classroom. 

"Those conversations and sharing among teachers, really, has been the biggest benefit because you get somebody who's really strong and savvy and used it in another way, there's become natural discussion points between teachers and how to better use them (iPads) so I'd say that's probably been the biggest impact."

Borgfjord adds the addition of the iPads in the classroom doesn't replace the teaching but rather compliments the teaching and adds some more interactive components. He says it is a big change but so far they're pleased with the response.