Transforming teaching and learning to meet the needs of 21st-century students, the new GISD Ready initiative provides interactive instruction, collaborative classrooms and digital resources. Ready 1:1 also equips every secondary student with a personal iPad. Rolling out this fall, the devices are a direct result of the district’s Strategic Plan and were funded by the GISD Bond 2014 program. More than 17,500 iPads will be distributed to high school students from September-October. Nearly 13,000 will be distributed to middle school students in 2017. While they provide fingertip access to textbooks, educational applications and the internet, the district wants to ensure students can continue their learning outside of the school building. The GISD Ready Wi-Fi Partners program does exactly that.
“We are excited to partner with local businesses interested in providing free Wi-Fi access to our students,” said Chief Technology Officer Laurie Vondersaar. “We hope to create an anytime, anywhere learning environment across our tri-cities.”
With several partners already committed, high school students will be able to see a list of locations on the Ready 1:1 webpage after school starts. Participating businesses also receive a window sticker to display for easy identification.
The district continues to look for additional opportunities throughout the community. Want to become a GISD Ready Wi-Fi Partner? Simply provide free access to district students and fill out a brief online form to be added to the webpage list. For questions, email siogle@garlandisd.net or call 972-487-4962.
Information provided by Garland ISD.