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Pleasant Grove academy becomes an iSchool

Posted at 7:54 PM, Apr 01, 2012
and last updated 2012-04-02 12:04:22-04

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah -- Liahona Preparatory Academy in Pleasant Grove is going high tech.

The LDS-based pre-K through 12th grade academy will become an iSchool, where iPads will be provided for every student and integrated into lessons.

"We are going to bring iPads to every student," said Kolleen De Graff, principal at Liahona Prep. "This is just another tool like a pencil like a calculator to increase learning."

De Graff says that the program will require a lot of training for both teachers and students, but the effort will pay off.

"You can hit every single learning style and every sense except smell," said De Graff. "The kids are going to be so excited to find out the things they can do."

Tom Pitcher, the founder of iSchools, says that there are already six schools across the country, but Liahona Prep is the first school in Utah to take advantage of the new education style.

"Students can connect in ways they couldn't before," said Pitcher. "If you are an accelerated student in second grade you can connect to a fourth grader without ever leaving your classroom."

Jenny Free, who has eight kids at Liahona Prep, is excited to see the new technology.

"Finally the electronics can not just be a toy but an educational tool," Free said.

The iSchool program and a tuition increase at Liahona Prep will help fund the new technology.