EKA is an iSchool Campus.

Below is information, including questions and answers and video, regarding this new program. Please contact us with any further questions you may have.

Q.   What is iSchool Campus?

A.   iSchool promotes next generation learning through revolutionary education environments built for America's children. iSchool Campus consists of two major parts for EKA: the first part is the technology package, including iPads for students; the second part is providing a new, state of the art campus for EKA. For more information on iSchool Campus, please visit http://www.ischoolcampus.com.

Q.   How much of EKA's curriculum will be decided by iSchool Campus?

A.   No curriculum decisions are made by iSchool Campus. iSchool Campus will provide resources, relationships with best of class vendors, recommendations, especially toward assessments, and 3^rd party evaluations. iSchool Campus is meant to be supportive rather than prescriptive.

Q.   How will iSchool Campus increase or improve student learning?

A.   Students will have greater opportunity to access information and perform more in-depth research using this cutting edge technology. In addition, digital assessments at the elementary level will assist advisors by giving them continual information on student achievement and learning levels. This will help them to adjust curriculum and workloads to meet the students' needs as they learn and grow.

Q.   How will EKA change next school year?

A.   The core of EKA is not changing. We are still a Project Based Learning charter school. What is changing, however, are the enhancements in teaching and learning which will allow for more versatility in students' education. Current curriculum at EKA will continue to be used.

The iSchool Package is meant to improve on the existing curriculum, engage students, and encourage learning, imagination, and creativity. EKA will foster not just a learning environment, but an exploration and experiential one as well. This new technology will add needed horsepower to our project based system resulting in engaged students with a tremendous sense of creativity, imagination, intellect and independence.

Q.   Will EKA continue to use the 4-day school week for students?

A.   Yes. Students will still attend school Tuesday - Friday.

Q.   Is EKA adopting mandatory uniforms?

A.   No. EKA will not be adopting uniforms.

Q.   What can we expect from EKA's new facilities?

A.   EKA's facilities will consist of one combined campus with appropriate grade separation. We are currently looking at 3 locations, all within a four mile radius of our Sandhill Campus near Tropicana and Sandhill Road. All sites are accompanied by land which will be used for play and field areas for the students.

Q.   Will the new facilities be ready when school starts in August?

A.   We hope so and are working diligently toward that end. Nevertheless, all 3 of our current campuses have extended leases to ensure a location for next year. We will post new facilities updates on our website as they become available.

Q.   When will we get to see the new iSchool technology?

A.   We will start this year with a small iSchool introduction package. This will consist of one MacBook and 22 iPads, and it will be mobile. We plan to let every student, grades K through 12, experience the coming technology before the end of this school year. The full package including one iPad per student will begin during the 2011-2012 school year.

Q.   Why Apple iPads?

A.   Apple technology is resilient. We fully expect the quality of Apple's technology to stand up to the demands of our students. The iPad specifically was chosen as the device of choice because of its versatility as a low cost, effective, content creation device that will allow both teachers and students to work more efficiently.

Q.   Will students be allowed to bring their iPads home? Will they be allowed to collaborate with other students?

A.   The functionality to collaborate will be available to students while they are on campus. Students will not be permitted to take the iPads home. Much like EKA's current technology, it will be available for student use while they are on campus.

Q.   What protections will there be in place to minimize accessing inappropriate sites on the iPad?

A.   First, there will continue to be a strict student internet filter and firewall at EKA. In addition, students' activities at EKA will be monitored regularly. The apps available to each student on their iPad will be limited to apps approved by their teacher or EKA and will be learning oriented. Students will use their iPads for learning and collaboration in all subject areas. Students will also use their iPads to create professional quality presentations, documents, videos, and other content.

Q.   Are parents required to pay any fees for their students to use an iPad?

A.   iPads for students will not require any fee for parents. There will be the standard technology fee that will be assessed to all students at EKA, K - 12th grade. At this time, that fee is projected to be $35.00 per student.

Q.   Will student PC based laptops still be useable at EKA?

A.   The ability to connect personal laptops will still exist and will still be subject to the protective firewall and internet filter. However, the versatility of the Apple technology should remove any need for students to bring their own laptops to school.

Q.   Will family members get Apple technology discounts?

A.   Although families will not be required to purchase any technology for their student's learning, they can benefit from the same discounts from Apple that EKA enjoys. An announcement will be made when this discount is available to parents.

Explore Knowledge Academy will be Nevada's first iSchool Campus. iSchool Campus is an exciting program that will bring some significant changes to EKA, including the provision of Apple technology for all EKA students. We are very excited about these changes and the enhanced learning benefits EKA students will have.

But what do these changes involve? Will this new EKA be anything like the old EKA, for example?

To answer the questions of parents, students, and staff members a town hall meeting was held on March 2, 2011. Executive Director Abbe Mattson, and Tom Pitcher and Galen Manning from iSchool Campus, introduced the iSchool Campus program which EKA will be participating in beginning the 2011-2012 school year. The meeting was recorded and is made available here in four parts.

The first and second parts are video and contain an introduction by Ms. Mattson and the presentation to iSchool Campus by Tom Pitcher and Galen Manning.

The third and fourth parts are the question and answer session following Mr. Pitcher and Mr. Manning's presentation. These parts are audio only. They also include answers by Ms. Mattson. Many questions by parents and students were answered during the Q&A session. The subjects included the new Apple technology, the future structure of EKA,and curriculum changes at EKA.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact EKA and your questions will be gladly answered.

Watch the video from the iSchool presentation (2 parts):

Listen to the audio from the Q&A session (2 parts, the audio gets better after about 20 seconds):