Students engage in ‘Limitless Learning’

Juniata County SD has embarked on a new style of educating students using technology — Limitless Learning. It’s not a new curriculum or textbooks, but a new way of learning that encourages students to solve problems, collaborate and engage in rigorous learning.

Each student in kindergarten through grade 12 was supplied with an iPad this year in an effort to provide a more personalized education that accommodates each child’s learning style. The tablets were equipped with software applications used as teaching tools that give immediate feedback to teachers on student learning. T

he district’s educators had many opportunities for formal training on the technology in the first half of the year and were asked to choose at least one iPad application to implement in their classrooms. In addition to these apps, teachers were able to use the tools in other ways such as recording themselves teaching material so that students who need extra review in or outside of the classroom could access it via the iPads. Students also could use applications to review and share learned materials creatively, building retention and collaboration. “The technology will never replace a teacher, but the technology has given a great avenue for teachers to connect and engage student learning,” said Juniata County Superintendent Keith Yarger.

The initiative also built equity districtwide because every student in the district now had an iPad with the learning applications, which they could take home. District administrators tracked and documented progress through the use of digital surveys of both staff and students given at many points throughout the year. Yarger also says that the district plans an analysis to see if the new learning style has affected high-stakes test scores for individual students. To learn more about the program and watch videos about the first year of implementation, see the Limitless Learning page on the district’s website: http://www.jcsdk12.org/limitless-learning/.