The Cowichan Valley School District on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia is getting Apple iPads with free data plans from Rogers.
Rogers and Apple are working with the school district to “ensure learners and families have the educational tools they need to thrive during these challenging times.”
The iPads purchased by the Cowichan Valley School District will come with three months of free cellular data, while Apple will be providing support with free books, apps and videos to support students, teachers and parents learning from home.
“Our work with Rogers and Apple has allowed us to continue to engage our learners in meaningful educational opportunities,” said Candace Spilsbury, Chair of the Board of Education for the Cowichan Valley School District, in a statement. “Even though in-class instruction is suspended these tools allow us to still work hard to prepare our learners for a world they will create.”
One family from the Cowichan Valley School District said the loaner iPad has allowed for online learning apps for math, others such as spell city, epic ready and more, while making it easy to connect to Zoom video calls with teachers and classmates. “It has been our lifesaver having it as it’s expanded our whole learning world in our house,” said the family.
“Rogers is committed to finding ways to close the digital divide and help provide critical support for B.C. students and families who need it the most,” said Rick Sellers, President of the B.C. Region, Rogers Communications, in a statement. “We are pleased to be working alongside the Cowichan School District and Apple to help meet the educational needs of families and to provide affordable remote learning solutions such as iPads that are secure, easy to deploy and easy to use so that no student is left behind while schools are closed.”
The iPads will be returned to schools when in-class instruction resumes in June, while the three free months of data will allow learners to continue throughout the summer.
Previously, Apple and Rogers also teamed up with the province of Ontario to support online learning with iPads and also free data plans as well.
