Mobile devices such as iPads are paving the way as the mode of delivering classroom instruction.

When third- and fourth-grade students in Cheryl Barber’s class at Helena Flats Montessori School write stories about plants, they’re not using pencil and paper, but rather iPads to take photos and type text.

“They’re making a virtual book of plants using the app ‘StoryKit,’” Barber said. “We will hook the iPads up to the Smartboard and then they can present it to the whole class.”

Earlier in the day, Barber taught students about plant structure and types.

Nine-year-old Jenna Oilar held an iPad up to a bamboo plant. At the touch of the screen she takes a photo. With her index finger and thumb she then resizes it to fit a page in her group’s book. Underneath the photo she typed in text.

“We’re doing roots, leaves and stems. We take a picture of them, say what we have taken a picture of, and we have to have a full sentence,” Oilar said.

Students access numerous free apps, uploaded by their teacher, to supplement learning. The apps offer a wide array of educational games suitable for differentiated learning.

“We can upload our spelling words and there are five levels,” Barber said about one spelling app. “Each kid practices their own set of words.”

To teach fluency, Barber plans to have students record themselves reading.

An eClicker app also allows students to respond to questions on their tablets and the teacher can modify instruction based on how many students get a problem right or wrong.

There are also advantages in using tablets with students who have disabilities or are learning a second language. Students can enlarge text, change fonts, translate text to a different language or use audio to read text.

“I would say the iPad is a real game-changer for education,” Barber said.

Barber and fellow third- and fourth-grade teacher Julie Fiske each have 15 iPads for their classrooms purchased through a $2,000 “Unsung Heroes” grant awarded to Barber and a $2,500 grant from TeleTech in Kalispell.

The school matched both grant amounts.

Using mobile technology isn’t new to Barber’s classroom. Before the iPads, her students used laptops and the iPad Touch. The apps don’t feel like work to students who are learning to count money, tell time, solve math problems and spell as they play and get immediate feedback if they are doing a problem incorrectly.

“It beats doing worksheets. Apps are a lot more engaging” Barber said.  Most of her students agreed. “They get immediate feedback instead of doing a whole page of math problems and finding out later it’s wrong.”

A potential drawback to using quick-paced apps and having that immediate feedback is decreasing attention spans. Currently, Barber limits iPad use to a half-hour in the morning and about 40 minutes in the afternoon every day.

Rather than traditional flash cards, Alex Puhl, 8, enjoys playing the app “Math Ninja” where he fights a robotic army by solving math problems that pop up on the screen.

“Spelling City” is 9-year-old Triston Nolan’s favorite. Nolan said using the iPads makes him look forward to school.

Students can only access apps loaded by their teacher. The iPads also show a user’s history — when a student started or stopped a program. Student scores are emailed directly to Barber, which she finds a big plus.

Is third grade too early to introduce so much technology?

Barber doesn’t think so.

Keyboarding used to be introduced in fourth grade, but with a technology component to the Montana Common Core Standards and tests being implemented over the next few years, students have a head start.

“By 2015, third grade is expected to type a story all in one setting,” Barber said.

What hasn’t changed is that teachers still teach required curriculum. There still are pencils at desks, notebook paper, and yes, teacher lectures and worksheets to fill out by hand.

Bigfork Middle School eighth-graders did just that in Cynthia Wilondek’s social studies class on Sept. 7, but they are researching information online using iPads to fill out a worksheet about the 2012 London Olympics.

Missing from students’ desks are textbooks, which are accessed online. There still are shelves of books in Wilondek’s classroom: two sets of “World Book,” encyclopedias, dictionaries, desk atlases, among others, but most of this information is accessed online.

Instead of issuing textbooks, Wilondek assigned students iPad numbers. Each student retrieved an iPad from a charging cart to use during class.

Bigfork School District purchased 20 iPads last November that are kept in Wilondek’s room. This is in addition to the six iPads each kindergarten classroom has access to.

Before starting the assignment, Wilondek went through instructions on how to access a list of online links she uploaded to the district website and reminded students to “please stay on task.”

Wilondek will check out particular websites for assignment, but she also will teach students how to discern credible sources online when doing independent research.

“This is what they will be using in their real-world lives. We have to teach responsibility, smart choices and research skills,” Wilondek said. “It’s a tool not meant to replace teaching.”

In case the Internet ever goes down, there are five hard copies of the social studies textbook. There is also the option of using apps that are independent of the Internet.

“Always have a plan B,” Wilondek said.

Occasional software glitches can be a challenge. One of them happened during class. After Wilondek attempted to troubleshoot the problem, she sent the student to an information technology staff member — a critical piece of the 21st century classroom.

“You have to be flexible,” Wilondek said. She walked around the classroom answering questions and monitoring work.

Cameron Pancoast, 13, traced his index finger across his iPad. A map of London’s Olympic venues slid across the screen under his fingertip.

“It’s easier to find stuff than in the textbook,” Pancoast said. “You can find more information that you would need a bunch of textbooks for.”

Wilondek said the students are connected to a larger world outside the classroom and implementing technology that reflects that is invaluable.

“Textbooks don’t reflect the changing world,” Wilondek said. “When the Arab Spring happened we showed a region change, the turmoil [online]. Kids are learning about it as it’s happening. It’s amazing.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.