Change the Future of Special Education? There’s an App for That

Walk into the third grade classroom at and you’ll see every student sliding their little fingers across an iPad, Apple's popular tablet computer.

They learn fractions through brightly colored, jungle themed pie charts. They study the periodic table of elements in an interactive, visually rich interface. They ask their iPads how to spell and define words. They practice cursive writing through a tracing app and follow along in their Mr. Popper's Penguins books as their iPads read the text aloud.

It’s all part of Westmark’s iPad pilot program. The private 3rd- through 12th-grade school in Encino, which serves students with “learning differences” such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and comprehension difficulties, is using the new technology to cater to students’ educational needs.

Jamie and Annabel Montgomery, who are members of the school’s board of directors, donated seven iPads for the small third-grade class of five students and one teacher.

Some might think it’s an extravagance, but third-grade teacher Karla Rivera, who has been teaching at Westmark for two years, said the touch-screen tablet is a priceless investment.

“I think that if we don’t use this kind of technology, we’re doing a disservice to the children," Rivera said. "This is what they’re growing up with. This is what they’re using. They are learning how to do research in a different way. They are learning how to work in a different way. So we need to teach them the skills to meet those needs.”

When Apple representatives came to Westmark last spring to show faculty how the tablet could transform the way teachers teach and students learn, Rivera immediately embraced the technology. Because of her enthusiasm, she was charged with creating the school’s iPad pilot program this school year.

Rivera sifted through thousands of educational apps to find ones that would work best for her third-grade class and curriculum. She customized each student’s tablet with different apps to enhance their individualized education plans.

The 26-year-old teacher has also found ways to combine the iPads with her classroom SMART Board, an interactive whiteboard with touch-screen capabilities. She said her students spend three-and-a-half hours a week on the iPad.

The technology has seized the attention of Westmark’s youngest students, roping them into lessons every day. It's been instrumental in helping Rivera give both her high achievers and slower learners the attention they need.

“We’re dealing with students who often come in kind of down and out about school, who have kind of gone down a difficult path," said Keri Borzello, Westmark’s director of marketing and public relations. "And to be able to hop on an iPad and be doing something that their former classmates in former schools haven’t been able to tap into yet is really a source of pride for them. I’ve seen the motivation level skyrocket.”

With the endless variety of educational applications available for download, each student can work at his own pace. For some, an application with phonics is what they need. For others, maybe it’s four-digit addition.

The program has proven so successful that, at a fundraiser in April, Westmark families donated enough money to purchase 152 iPads, which cost about $500 apiece. Westmark hopes to provide iPads to all of its estimated 210 students next year.

“With an expected increase in enrollment for next year, we have more iPads to raise, but with the enthusiasm being what it is, we are optimistic,” said Borzello. “Westmark hopes to become the first all iPad school in Los Angeles."

Rivera said the iPads do not totally replace worksheets or other traditional classroom tools, such as pen and paper and dictionaries. Rather, they serve to reinforce classroom learning and concepts.

“The headmaster of our school, Muir Meredith, gave a really good analogy to me. He said, ‘What do you do if you’re in a wheelchair to make things easier for you? You build a ramp,'" Rivera said. "This is not a crutch; it’s definitely a ramp. It’s assistive technology. The students don’t depend on it or rely on it, but it certainly helps strengthen concepts and skills.”