Using FaceTime to create a virtual classroom

High School math teacher Tammy Swanson explains how having iPads available in the classroom empowered her to help a student in a special situation:

"I have a student in my IM 3 Honors class who, due to a chronic health condition, must miss class frequently. At the beginning of class, this student 'calls' me on FaceTime, just as her peers are walking into my classroom. I set up a stool in the front row, prop up my iPad, and see her there in front of me! Along with her classmates, she checks her homework and has the opportunity to ask me questions. The other day, she participated in an investigation with a group of students in my classroom: I put my iPad on a desk, and she was able to participate as if she were right there.

Without this technology, my student would have to learn on her own and arrange times to meet with me outside of school so that she could try to catch up. With our iPad program, she is able to see and hear my lectures, participate in class discussions and group work, and get her questions answered in real time. This technology keeps her illness from slowing her education: she is on track with her peers and doing well in the course!"