Students in one algebra class at Presidio Middle School are the lucky new owners of iPads. The fancy new technology, though, is provided as a learning tool for students, not just for fun and games.

For the students in one San Francisco Unified School District middle school class, the iPad will be used as a learning tool to customize how the kids learn algebra.

For instance, when stuck on a math problem, students can watch videos to help them solve the math concept or record notes to help them with a similar problem in the future.

Presidio students are some of the 400 learners to receive iPads this school year as part of a yearlong pilot program experimenting with a full-curriculum algebra application. Students in Long Beach, Fresno and Riverside also received iPads for the coming school year. The study is by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a publishing company.

According to San Francisco District officials, the trial will also be part of a scientific study that will compare students using the iPad to those using a conventional textbook to measure content and effectiveness. The results of the study are expected to be revealed next fall.

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