California school adopts iPad program from kindergarten

Corpus Christi joined the ranks of about 1,000 schools in the country that have implemented an iPad program from kindergarten through eighth grade. The Corpus program was triggered by a $30,000 donation from parent Anthony Marguleas to buy 30 Apple laptops. From that, the program has expanded – despite cost hurdles. It began as a few laptops in the classroom, but by early October, a fiberoptic cable network was installed throughout the campus and the school had leased 140 iPads for $22 a month, which covers lease payments, interest, taxes, and e-Waste fee and insurance, writes Pascoe. After three years, the school will own the currently leased iPads for a $1 buyout per unit. Corpus is also able to sub-lease the products to families, who will be able to own them outright after 36 lease payments. “Schools can’t afford to keep up with the costs of computer technology,” said Corpus Christi technology committee head, Bill Sewell. “The current situation at most schools is they are constantly having to fund technology upgrades. In the past, schools purchased enough computers for a lab, typically between 20 and 40, which meant raising $30 to $50,000 just for hardware’it didn’t include software and infrastructure.” He believes that the current goal in most schools to have a computer for every student will force budgets to grow tenfold if spent on traditional computers – something that won’t be possible for most schools n this current climate. This comes after an initiative, heralded the launch of Apple’s iPad2, whereby customers donated over 10,000 iPads to needy schools when they upgrade to the newer model. The donated iPads were given toTeach for America graduates who teach for two years in the country’s under-performing districts. So far, Apple, whose former Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs was married to TFA board member Laurene Powell, has collected over 10,000 iPads to offer to teachers. According to Fortune.com, that means that every one of TFA’s 9,000 current graduates will receive one. The ultimate goal is to supply one to every student.