Since its launch in 2010, the iPad has become an increasingly important part of the everyday lives of millions of people around the world. This revolutionary device can be used as a portable form of entertainment, a business aid or to help with dozens of other tasks.

However, since its release, the Apple iPad has been pegged as an excellent aid for educators, with integrated apps like iBooks providing access to textbooks, worksheets and PDFs quickly and easily.

But, since it is still a relatively new technology, and the educational community often lacks funding, iPads haven't yet made their way into every classroom. One school in England, however, is making use of the magical tablet with great success.

Each of the 840 students at Essa academy in Bolton, England, has been issued an iPad, as well as all of the teachers. Rather than conducting lessons and asking students to take notes or assigning reading from a textbook, all teaching takes place involving an iPad. The directors of the school insisted that while this technology is seen as cutting-edge now, so were books and pens at one point in time.

In a segment with BBC News on the school, one student says that it's nice not to have to carry books or worry about bringing a pen and paper to class for note taking, "It's all right there," she says.

The school has been praised for integrating iPads while not forgetting the fundamentals that make education successful. Teachers use these devices not to do their teaching for them, but to increase the availability of visual aids and enhance the value of lessons. So even though there are tablets everywhere, teachers still run the classrooms.

Essa Academy will certainly serve as a model for other schools looking to integrate technology into their classrooms. And with the iPad mini now on the market, districts can do this at a lower cost. The experts from PortableOne can be contacted about customizing these devices for even better educational use.