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Twelve of 26 iPads stolen from Hillview Middle School have gone back to class, according to Principal Mike Melton.
Mr. Melton announced in a newsletter on Sept. 20 that the adult suspect in the Sept. 9 burglary — 20-year-old Jaime Loya Maldanado, of Menlo Park — cooperated with police, leading to the return of the equipment.
“We plan on having 26 fully functional iPads back in the hands of our students within the next couple of weeks,” Mr. Melton’s announcment said. He also praised the cooperation between the Menlo Park and Atherton police departments and the school district.
Menlo Park police ask that anyone who comes across an iPad bearing a “San Mateo County School District” logo call 330-6300 to turn it in.
Mr. Maldanado remains in custody on $50,000 bail. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing for Sept. 29; the case includes charges of theft from the German-American International School and Laurel Elementary School as well as the $16,000 worth of iPads stolen from Hillview.
Already on probation for possession of stolen property in Santa Clara County, he also faces charges for somehow acquiring 10 laptops stolen from the Palo Alto Unified School District, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Great news! I’m glad to read this. Perhaps now they can take better measures to protect their electronic treasures.
Hmmmm,
In the test program this year, each student takes an iPads home and uses them at school, so Hillview is not the primary “home” for the iPads. The iPads were taken just a day or so before they were to be distributed to the students who either buy insurance or self-insure for any damage or loss.
That’ll be interesting to see how well that all goes. They’re great gadgets, but that’s a lotta responsibility!
Explain this to me:
What does using an iPad do to advance technology literacy?
For that matter, what do smart boards do to advance technology literacy above and beyond what a teacher can transfer using an LCD projector and prepared presentations for the same?
Somewhere along the way, we have confused education with entertainment. Yeah, “learning should be fun”. It should also constitute learning.
It’s ridiculous to think that using an iPad translates into a greater understanding of technology than teaching some basic programming exercises.
Getting comfortable with technology is as much a logic exercise as it is looking at glowing screens.
Great use of our money PTO, MPAEF, district. We won’t be giving ever again.
Dear “Explain this to me”,
Many moons ago, teachers used a slate and chalk to teach their students. And I’m sure someone just like you moaned and complained when the teachers wanted to use the new technology known as an “LCD projector.”
Do you see the lesson there?
My fifth grader tells me most teachers us the “smart boards” as overhead projectors, although a minority do use their costly functionality. He also says they require a fair amount of effort to keep focused or adjusted. I think a lot of these things are “sold” to us by vendors without training or implentation to curriculum needs and support. Maintenance and repair on all these things is very costly as they are in an industrial environment.
I’d like to hear from teachers on what they think these technologies contribute.