By Siddarth Kannan ’14 and Kevin Lin ’15, Staff Writers 

Newark Academy is quickly and quietly expanding its use of technology to enhance the learning experience, both in the library and in the classrooms.  The Academy’s classrooms are already outfitted with smart boards and everyone checks out MacBooks in the library with frequency.  Still, Newark Academy is trying to further its technological pursuits through the integration of e-books, e-readers, and the Apple iPad into everyday use.  These devices, with their portability, multiple capabilities, and convenience are working to enhance the overall learning experience of the Newark Academy student.

The library is in the progress of modernizing itself by incorporating many innovative forms of  technology.   According to Mr. Mallalieu, the Academy’s head librarian, the library has purchased six Amazon Kindles, three iPads, and one Kindle Fire.  In fact, students are allowed to check out the Kindles in the library.  However, Mr. Mallalieu noted that so far, no student has ventured to check out these new Kindles. This lack of student activity reveals the problem of low student awareness, or possibly low student interest. Zach Gross ’14 summed up both of these problems, saying, “I didn’t even know that you could check them out, nor do I think that people go to the library to actually read.”  While most students do spend their time in the library doing work, they can still take the Kindles home.  Unlike the MacBooks, which must remain on school protperty, the Kindles can be taken home for up to three weeks, just like a book. Once students realize all that they can do with these Kindles, the number of checkouts will surely increase.

Furthermore, Mr. Mallalieu unveiled plans for a future online database where students would be able to download e-books from a school server onto their own devices, be it a smartphone, laptop, kindle, or other e-reader.  The effect will be that a student at home, working on a research paper will now be able to log on to a server online where they could download e-books to use as sources.  This 21st century innovation will be a universal phenomenon inside the school.

The e-reader is finding its place in classrooms as well.  There are three “pilot study” classes where textbooks have taken the form of e-readers. One of these “pilot” classes is the IB Philosophy course, taught by Dr. DiBianca, Upper School Principal.  He noted that his class was a good candidate for trying out e-readers because his students have had to buy upwards of 15 books in the past.  His new form of conducting class has been a success, and he believes that the Kindle has three major advantages: “Cost, its cheaper than buying ten or twenty books, it has massive amounts of storage, we can go back to something that we read three months ago and everyone will have it at their fingertips, and its a lot lighter than carrying a bunch of books around.”  Dr. DiBianca also noted that the Kindle has both highlighting and note-taking capabilities, so one does not lose that by switching from books. With these test classes taking place, it is highly probable that other teachers will be making the switch in coming years.  Newark Academy students can now dream about eliminating the inconvenience of lagging books around and in their place traveling with the slim and lightweight kindle.

 The Apple iPad is another tablet complete with e-reading capabilities that has been integrated into teaching styles at Newark Academy.  These devices are available exclusively by a certain group of teachers known as the iPad Committee, whose goal is to maximize the use of the device in their respective classes.  One member of the Committee, Mr. Gertler, pointed out that the iPad was at first distributed to very few teachers, but this number has grown over the years.  “There was a handful of iPad 1’s purchased not long after their release.  They were given to only a handful of teachers who would meet every week and discuss their new discoveries about the device. Last February, after the iPad 2 came out, the same original teachers received the new iPads along with a few others.  Essentially, the Committee had grown larger.”  The iPad’s role as a teaching aid in the classroom is quickly expanding and with the committee working on uses for the device, students may expect to see iPads taking a prominent place in Newark Academy Classrooms.

We have all played Angry Birds and we have all studied for tests.  Both of these activities can be done on the iPad, which speaks to its multitasking capability.

The iPad can fit many different functions from allowing students to study for tests and also can take the form of  a video game player. It really is a crossover device in terms of fitting into both educational and recreational purposes.  Mr. Gertler added that he teaches with his iPad daily, using its abilities to plan, access information, and display movies and pictures.  Mr. Gertler testifies to taking  advantage of the iPad’s gaming abilities as well.  He is currently ranked around 1500th among Angry Birds players worldwide, exemplifying the crossover nature of the product.  These tablets and their extraordinary mobility are accessible to faculty, one section of Mr. Hawks AP/IB Euro class, and Mr. Kessler’s IB Physics class.  As put by Mr. Gertler, “The iPads will never replace the laptops.  This is not a consumption device; this is a conveyance device.  What this means is that when I bring my iPad into the classroom, the information on it is actually coming from my computer in my office, not from my iPad.  We currently do not offer iPads for students mainly because of this reason.”

Newark Academy is steadily advancing towards the next generation of teaching.  As Mr. Scott puts it, “With technology constantly being used in our world, the Kindles allow students to fit in to the “i” generation (referring to Apple products).  It has allowed our older kids to use technology on the go and to appreciate it.”  Kindles and iPads have been integrated into the classrooms in a relatively seamless nature.  Student awareness of the Kindles has been low, but as students begin to realize their potential, their use will surely go up.  As for future plans, students can look forward to a comprehensive database of e-books online that will change the way scholarly research is conducted throughout the community. Students and Faculty should also prepare themselves for the entrance of iPads and Kindles into regular classroom life as testing as been successful and the future for innovative technology at the Academy looks as bright as can be.