MANSFIELD (CBS 11 NEWS) – iPads are quickly replacing textbooks and enhancing learning for a new generation of students.

At first, students thought it too cool to be true. They are really getting an iPad?

“I was thinking they were lying a little bit,” said Yazmin Blakey, Lake Ridge High School junior

But today, at Mansfield’s new Lake Ridge High School, district officials handed out iPads to every student and staff member, part of 10,720 iPads to be distributed district wide.

With 20-thousand apps pre-installed on each iPad, administrators hope this technology-savvy generation of students will learn more easily and efficiently.

“If you look at the electronic textbooks now, a student can now look at a 3D image instead of a flat image,” said school board President Beth Light.

And the new iPads are provided for a low charge to the student and no extra cost the school. Students must pay a “participation fee” ranging from $10 to $50 based on participation in the federal free and reduced lunch program.

“We’re actually not spending new money; It’s spending existing resources differently,” said Doug Brubaker, Assistant Superintendent Technology and Information Services.

“There’s so much more we can learn and discover on the iPads,” Blakey said.

And if you wonder what happens if an iPad is broken, lost or stolen, each device is equipped with a case that is rated for military use and a screen protector.

The iPads are installed with “geotrack” which gives the district the ability to locate and monitor each iPad.

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