iPads, tablets required for West Van high school students

West Vancouver Secondary School is phasing in mobile devices for its high school students, becoming the first school in the district to require iPads or similar tablet computers in the classroom.

The tablets will be requested for students in Grade 8 and 9 and encouraged for those in Grade 10, according to the school district when school starts in September.

West Vancouver Secondary is the first of three high schools in the district that will require students to use mobile tablets this September. Sentinel High School is expected to announce its plan soon, followed by Rockridge Secondary.

Steve Rauh, the principal of West Vancouver Secondary says he understands that not all families will be able to afford to send each of their child into classes with a mobile devices.

But he says the school has made provisions to help those families who can't buy tablets.

"I'm anticipating certainly that there will be families that we will support and I've set aside some money to purchase devices that we will loan them for the year."

District officials say more than 90 per cent of students in the elementary schools already have a device and access technology in classrooms.

Tracey Dignum, who has three children going to school in the district, says after seeing how her youngest son uses a device in class, her concerns about internet safety have been met.

"Can I trust it will be safe? Can I trust that he won't be gaming or doing inappropriate things on the internet? So I've had the luxury of seeing that it does work," says Dignum.