We're up to five Acadiana Parishes now with students back in the classrooms. This morning Vermilion Parish students are the latest to go back to school. Vermilion Parish is known for having some of the highest test scores in Acadiana and now administrators are trying to keep their students ahead of the curve in technology.
As students head back to the classroom, administrators in Vermilion Parish have been hard at work all summer long. Their biggest project, investing in more technology for all schools in the district.
This year at Herod Elementary, 3rd and 4th grade classes will have learning pads, where with a simple touch of a button students can follow along with their teacher and access books and other classroom material online.
"Our board has invested $1.9 million not only building up the infrastructure but we are piloting different type of devices. Laptops, Tablet PC's and every student is going to have access to a web program that will give them the interventions or the enrichments that is needed for them to be more successful," said Superintendent Jerome Peuyau.
"I think it's going to be wonderful for students to bring in I-pads and Kindles, I think that will open up their educational opportunities," said Herod Elementary Principal Errin Landry.
Superintendent Peuyau says ultimately, he wants to increase the bandwidth and eventually change policy so students can bring their own laptops and I-pads to class.
Some of our high schools are piloting it but we want to allow it all the way down to the elementary schools. When a student does not understand what is being taught by that teacher, there are videos embedded so they can actually get the success that they need and look at it from a different venue.
"My ultimate goal is to provide each child with the education their deserve, we want to make sure that we're attending to each student individuals needs," said Landry.
Superintendent Peuyau says he's rewarding those teachers that utilize the new technology with more learning pads and computers for their classrooms.
Now the learning pads are protected and don't allow students to surf the web or roam unless access is given by the teacher.