Imagine a classroom without books, notepads or even pencils. A strange concept but that's what's Garces Memorial High School students may soon experience as the school gets set to give each one of its students an iPad.
Garces plans to roll out the new iPads next year. The school believes they're one of the first districts to try something like this in the area.
"It's to give our students not just in the traditional mode of a classroom lecture," said Guy Dees, teacher at Garces Memorial High School.
Right now Garces classrooms are filled with textbooks and worksheets but next year their will be one tool to replace all that the iPad.
Every one of Garces' 600 students will get an iPad to use at school and at home until they graduate.
"They'll be able to do everything on the iPad from their bookwork to their assignments to doing their creative projects," said Dees. "All of that will actually be able to be done on the iPad in the classrooms."
Even the pages of textbooks will all be on the iPad, a big cost saver to the school.
"Some of the traditional textbooks brand new will range from $100 to $150 and most of the iBook textbooks will be around $15 a piece," said Dees.
The idea came about this year and with a one hundred thousand dollar investment the school made it possible.
"Boy I think it is going to open up opportunities here that are unparalleled here in Bakersfield," said John Fanucchi, President of Garces Memorial High School.
There are only about 15 iPads on the campus used by teachers but soon these students will have them too.
"It's a different alternative to using books so it might keep me more interested," said Haley Witt, junior at Garces Memorial High School.
"I think it will provide more opportunities for us," said Alex Rodriguez, a junior at Garces Memorial High School.
"Ultimately the idea is to better engage and better prepare our students for the future," said Dees.
Students will be charged a technology fee to use the iPads, but they don't know what that may be yet.
That will be one of many things the school will discuss with parents at a meeting Tuesday night at Garces.
