Worli school swaps textbooks for Ipads

At DY Patil International School in Worli, the new unspoken motto could well be - I think, therefore Ipad.

At DY Patil International School in Worli, the new unspoken motto could well be - I think, therefore Ipad.

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Even before the computer tablet arrives on Indian shores, the school has introduced the Ipad to classrooms; designing lessons around the device and having students use it in class.

"We don't believe in textbooks; our curriculum subscribes to enquiry and research based learning, and we believe that technology plays an important role," said Tasneem Kasim, primary years' programme co-coordinator at the school. "Also, there are different kinds of learners - this helps those who learn visually or aurally."

The school acquired five Ipads, bought from the US, a month ago, and has begun using them since, dividing students into groups and giving them exercises to do or applications to use.

"We can play games, we can see things, we can touch it and hear it," said Saniya Jaffer (8), a Class 3 student and a big fan of the new learning tool at school. "You don't need to write down things any more, it's faster and easier to type."

While Class 8 students have been engrossed in quizzes designed on Shakespeare's Macbeth, Class 2 and 3 students have watched videos on water, attempted mathematical quizzes and done solar system research on the Ipad.

The school doesn't charge students for using the tablet, and plans to buy more, once the device officially launches in India.

"Of course the cost is huge and there's a risk of damage, but it's a risk we are willing to take," said Husein Burhani, an academic director at the school. "There is so much reading material online and so many resources, it's amazing. We are still at the tip of the iceberg."

For the students, the novelty and excitement of a multimedia classroom is thrilling. "Earlier we were just reading from books, this way is more fun," said Priyanka Shah (9), a Class 4 student. "Plus you don't have to waste paper or keep turning the pages."