The iPad could be the hands of Grade 5 and 6 science students this fall if school trustees like the idea of partnering with Apple Canada.

"It would be a learning tool," school board chairman Ken Christian said Sunday. "The approval would be to use it as a pilot project."

A report to school trustees says eight school districts including Kamloops-Thompson, Abbotsford, Delta, Richmond, Surrey, Victoria, Vancouver and West Vancouver have spent the last year and a half developing the partnership.

The partnership involves 15 schools, with each utilizing the iPad for teachers and students, the report says. In Kamloops-Thompson, Bert Edwards Science and Technology school created a proposal that was accepted by Apple Canada for the 2011-2012 school year.

The proposal focused on the school's goals for reading comprehension and numeracy. Students will create e-portfolios, collaborate on solving real world problems and participate in project-based learning, the report says. Students and teachers will blog about the process of using a tablet device in school.

Christian said the school district will purchase the iPads for about $30,000 including HST. The partnership with Apple Canada includes $150,000 in professional development opportunities paid for by Apple Canada.

"This would be for every student in those grades and that school," he said.

Christian is concerned about the school district endorsing a particular company's product when students and administrators are already using other technology. He said the educational benefits of bringing iPads into schools must to be weighed.

Trustee Kathleen Karpuk said the tablet would be a cool way to engage students and help them stay up-to-date on the latest technology.

But she said technology shouldn't be the only learning resource students have.

School district Supt. Terry Sullivan said Bert Edwards was selected because the school is consistently on the cutting edge of learning with technology.

"We think it's an excellent fit," he said.

The subject will be debated during Monday's school board meeting.