Burks Kindergartners Get Access To New iPads To Assist With Phonics

Burks Elementary students will soon have access to cutting edge technology thanks to the school’s assistant principal.

Diana Cook participated in a national panel on literacy. She met representatives from a firm that wanted to help students with practice on phonics. Diana Wood is Putnam County’s Elementary Instructional Supervisor. She said kindergarteners in the after-school program will be using new iPads to learn.

“It’s just a great opportunity for our kindergartners to have extra practice,” Wood said. “And they’re being very careful to start this program after they have been taught those sounds and the letters. And so it’ll just kind of mesh seamlessly with our curriculum.”

Wood said the program can help students in the 21st Century Program with phonics practice and phonological awareness. The iPads can be used with other educational games as well.

The Putnam County School Board approved the gift from the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund Thursday night.

“Those are gifted to them, so they can use them in future years,” Wood said. “And I guess it’s yet to be seen on how this program will grow, but we certainly would love for other schools to have that opportunity as well.”

According to its website, The Advanced Education Research & Development Fund works with educators, researchers and developers to focus resources on learning challenges. The fund, in particular, focuses on those challenges that impact Black and Latino students as well as students in poverty.