TYLER (KYTX) - An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but for students at Cumberland Academy in Tyler, an apple may also mean better grades.
Each student, kindergarten through sixth grade, uses Apple products like MacBooks and iPod Touches, making them the first i-school in Texas. CBS 19's Amanda Roberson explains how the school is taking technology to a whole new level and what it hopes students will learn.
"A-a-a apples and bananas..." First grader Kaitlyn Hardin is busy learning about letters and how to spell. She's relying on her teacher, and her MacBook to make it happen. "I like playing on the computer," Hardin said. "You get to learn, play games while learning and have fun."
"A week into school I put the kids on the computer and immediately they were engaged," added Hardin's teacher, Elizabeth Lightfoot. Lightfoot's first grade class uses some of the schools 243 MacBooks for about an hour each day.
"It has been really fun watching them play the games and interact with the computer," Lightfoot explained.
It's interaction that Lightfoot said is keeping students engaged and learning, no matter their learning level. "One child who's struggling a little bit with ABC's, the computer just meets them there. If I have another child who's reading on a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level, the computer takes the info and meets them there."
Fifth grader Amy Brown said learning changed when Cumberland switched from hard back books to wifi and laptops. "Use a lot less paper and pencils," Brown added.
But Brown said it's easier for her and her peers to learn using computers. "A lot of kids like video games and it's electronic," Brown explained. "So they will be on the computer and focus more."
Cumberland Academy also has 415 iPod Touches on hand that will be distributed to each student. The Touches will be used to do homework and play games to help reinforce what they learn in class.
