A $100,000 pilot program at two elementary schools in Hancock County will allow hundreds of fourth graders to get iPads and start reading books, doing math and other different assignments on them. The program, which will take place at Weirton Heights and Allen T. Allison elementary schools, was paid for with the help of federal grant money, but teachers are already looking for ways to completely customize the iPad experience for each child.

Students will be able to email papers directly to their teachers, as everyone will get a personal email address to configure with Apple’s mail application. Also, WiFi connections will be available in every classroom and students will be able to fit the device in their daily work, with the possibility to download apps from the App Store. I’m not surprised to hear they’re excited and can’t wait to start using the iPads instead of old textbooks and papers.

Tablet computing is opening up a new era in the education segment, and it’s interesting to see schools getting on board with iPads, email addresses and App Store accounts for students. If you’re interested in the subject of iPad deployments at schools, don’t miss Fraser Speirs’ “iPad Project”. [via wtov9]