iPads in Schools: Newspaper In Education Program Turning to Apple iPad

iPads in Schools: Any program with an eye towards education is one that people should pay attention to. This is particularly true with the Newspaper In Education Program from the Boston Globe. Yesterday, the newspaper announced a change to its longstanding program. A new digital pilot program will bring the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad to public school classrooms in and around the Boston area.

To view the press release in its entirety, visit this link.

To go along with supplying tablets to classrooms throughout the area, the Boston Globe will also be offering digital subscriptions to BostonGlobe.com.

Here is some more information, direct from the press release:

“This pilot program is using $65,000 of vacation donation funds from Globe subscribers to pay for 75 iPads and projectors – 50 in the Boston Public Schools and 25 in Stoneham High School. Digital subscriptions to BostonGlobe.com will accompany the iPads in each classroom, and teachers will be given a quick onsite tutorial. The program will run through the spring semester, then will be evaluated through teacher focus groups, according to Robert Saurer, the Globe’s director of customer experience and innovation.”

Despite industry competition from the likes of Microsoft, Google, and Samsung, it is interesting to note that the program selected the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad as the tablet of choice.

Saurer went on to add the following:

“We believe that digital kids turn into digital adults, to put it simply. We want to provide easy, portable access not only to our content, but to the greater world of content on the web – deployed in the classroom daily, streamed live, as the kids are learning.”

In other words, the Boston Globe is serious about getting kids on the right track at an early age. At this point, the program feels that supplying classrooms with iPad tablets is the way to go.

In the past, the Newspaper In Education program was forced to rely heavily on print subscriptions with some digital content mixed in. With the cost of paper, ink, and distribution on the rise, the program was looking for new ways to go digital.

Saurer believes that relying on the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad will take some of the pressure off of the schools, being that most have a limited number of computers:

“In the past, we have had to rely on the limited number of desktops or laptops available in schools. Computers are often not available for social sciences classes, or for other work where students would benefit by being able to do their own online research.

What are your thoughts on the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad being used in this capacity? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

Check back here for more updates on iPads in Schools.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

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