Notre Dame College Prep Adopts a 1:1 iPad Program for 2013-2014 Academic Year

(Niles, IL - 12/12/12) Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, Illinois will implement the use of the Apple iPad for students in the Classes of 2015, 2016, and 2017 and teachers at the beginning of the 2013-2014 academic year. In preparation, all teachers have received the device in preparation for including it in their classrooms starting in August, 2013. They will receive ongoing professional development and training.

“As a college preparatory high school, we prepare our students for success in college and beyond,” said Dan Tully ’94, principal, Notre Dame College Prep (NDCP). “The iPads will provide opportunities for our students to be more productive digital citizens as they enter a global environment that assumes technology skills, and requires creativity and collaboration.”

NDCP’s technology committee worked with its academic team to conduct a thorough search and concluded that the Apple iPad device offers the best option in terms of software and hardware. The iPad is easy to use, provides a wide-range of apps to allow  students robust visual, audio and sensory learning opportunities. Currently, more than one million iPads are in use in high school and colleges throughout the United States.

Notre Dame College Prep has been working toward the goal of fully implementing electronic devices in the classroom. Many of the school’s teachers and students use a variety of technological innovations with positive results and it has made the necessary infrastructure adjustments necessary to support a more wide-spread program.

“We have taken a measured approach so our students and teachers can derive the best academic benefits while using the latest technology,” Tully added. "We view the iPad program as a means of fulfilling our mission to provide an excellent college preparatory education and ensuring our students have the skills they need to succeed in today’s and tomorrow’s technology-dependent society.”

The price of the iPad will be offset by savings in reduced textbook, calculator and other supply costs over a student’s NDCP career. Currently, textbooks can cost $400 or more per year per student. Apple has agreements with the four largest textbook publishers in the United States and iPad textbook apps cost $14.99 each, a significant savings over a traditional textbook. In addition to serving as a computer device, the iPad has a built-in calculator, two cameras for video and photography, an audio recorder, microphone and a video player. The iPad with apps will be available through NDCP beginning early in the spring semester in 2013 at a $20 saving and with no sales tax required.

Notre Dame College Prep will require students in the Classes of 2015, 2016 and 2017 to have an iPad with a minimum of 16GB of memory. Notre Dame recommends a device without 3G or cellular service (any device which as this feature must have it turned off while on campus). Any iPad 2 or iPad 3rd or 4th generation is acceptable. The iPad 1 is not acceptable to use at school.

Located on 28-acres in Niles, Notre Dame College Prep provides young men with educations in faith, scholarship and service. Our challenging curriculum meets the individual needs of a diverse student body, and more than 98 percent of students go on to college.With 15 interscholastic sports and more than 30 clubs, activities and intramurals, our 800 students, from Chicago’s northwest side and northwest and north suburbs, achieve well-balanced educations.

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