The Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) High School school district in Winthrop, Minneapolis, has allocated US$267,748 to its technology fund to become what is believed to be the first school in the country to buy iPads at a cost of US$479 each, reports the "The NU Journal" (http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/512977.html?nav=5009).

The money will be used to buy 320 iPads with extended, two-year warranties for students and staff, create Wi-Fi (wireless) infrastructure including routers and access points plus professional development (staff training). Last fall, the GFW School Board was told by Maplewood-based, educational technology and K-12 online learning consultant David Glick that if they didn't keep up with the latest computer technology, they would get behind in a future world without traditional schools, according to the "Journal."

Glick said iPads are capable of replacing textbooks and calculators while offering online research capacity. Bertrang told the school board recently that biology and math books cost about $85 each and that book firms are working with Apple to put books online, adds the "Journal."