Mount Carmel Elementary School bought 10 iPads for its students. (CBC)

A Nova Scotia elementary school has added the iPad to its list of classroom teaching tools.

Mount Carmel Elementary School in New Waterford, Cape Breton, bought 10 of the high-tech tablet computers this year to share among its students as a complement to textbooks and chalkboards.

Principal Lowell Cormier said the $10,000 cost was covered by a combination of fundraising, community partnerships and school board contributions. He said the school expects a good return in the form of improved learning.

"The applications that are being developed are great — the 'wow' factor engages our students right off the bat," Cormier said. "I am seeing all kinds of learning that is being improved by a bit of technology."

He said computer literacy is a critical part of success for children today.

Cindy Pembroke, a Grade 2 teacher at the school, said she is seeing results already. "Different learners [are] able to learn in different ways," she said. "Most kids are visual learners and the iPad is a wonderful tool for that."

Pembroke said her students use the iPad to work on math, reading and spelling skills. "Some kids have a hard time reading a book, but you put an iPad in front of them and they think they are playing. They're actually learning."

Student Evan Campbell agreed. "This iPad is really fun and awesome," he said. "There's a lot of different games on it. There's math and stuff and it's really cool."

The school hopes to buy more iPads in the future.