Boston Globe school program switches from paper to Apple's iPad
The Boston Globe announced this week that its Newspaper In Education program will provide Apple iPads with digital subscriptions to the publication in Massachusetts public schools.
The newspaper's pilot program will use $65,000 of vacation donation funds from Globe subscribers to buy 75 iPads and projectors. A total of 50 of those will go to Boston Public Schools, while the remaining 25 will be provided to Stoneham High School.
Each of the iPads will come paired with a digital subscription to BostonGlobe.com, and teachers will also be given an onsite tutorial in how to integrate Apple's tablet into their classroom.
The Boston Globe plans to run the program through the spring semester, after which it will be evaluated through teacher focus groups.
"We believe that digital kids turn into digital adults, to put it simply," said Robert Saurer, director of customer experience and innovation at the Boston paper. "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."
The Newspaper In Education program has historically mixed print and digital subscriptions provided through subscriber vacation donations. But the NIE program has been looking for new digital opportunities as the costs for paper, ink and distribution have risen.
"In the past, we have had to rely on the limited number of desktops or laptops available in schools," Saurer said. "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."
The Boston Globe has a full replica edition of its daily paper available on Apple's iOS Newsstand for iPad and iPhone. New editions of the publication are automatically delivered to a user's device every day at 6 a.m.
The newspaper's pilot program will use $65,000 of vacation donation funds from Globe subscribers to buy 75 iPads and projectors. A total of 50 of those will go to Boston Public Schools, while the remaining 25 will be provided to Stoneham High School.
Each of the iPads will come paired with a digital subscription to BostonGlobe.com, and teachers will also be given an onsite tutorial in how to integrate Apple's tablet into their classroom.
The Boston Globe plans to run the program through the spring semester, after which it will be evaluated through teacher focus groups.
"We believe that digital kids turn into digital adults, to put it simply," said Robert Saurer, director of customer experience and innovation at the Boston paper. "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."
The Newspaper In Education program has historically mixed print and digital subscriptions provided through subscriber vacation donations. But the NIE program has been looking for new digital opportunities as the costs for paper, ink and distribution have risen.
"In the past, we have had to rely on the limited number of desktops or laptops available in schools," Saurer said. "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."
The Boston Globe has a full replica edition of its daily paper available on Apple's iOS Newsstand for iPad and iPhone. New editions of the publication are automatically delivered to a user's device every day at 6 a.m.
Comments
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
What's a newspaper?
A few megabytes of information that require a wet-nap to read.
Lol. well, it does provide a way to dry your shoes, which would be difficult with an iPad. Although now that the mini is out...
Fad, etc.
Wild guess, you are over the age of 30.
Your generation was taught paper, its how you think. No shame in that. But my generation and the generation after mine are being taught more digitally. We don't think the same way and, in particularly for this latest generation, 'paper thinking' is what will be foreign.
Neither is wrong, just different.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClemyNX
I think that if I had the choice, I'd rather have paper material... books. I prefer the way stuff is organized in order and the fact that sometimes to learn something, a book is enough without the need to thousand sources.
Personally I prefer both depending on the material. I prefer digital when it comes to newspapers or books that I know will read once. However, I prefer paper + digital for books related to my field of work since almost always I need to have multiple books/references opened side by side and they are to write notes (equations.. etc) on the inside.
It is good to have both options.
I agree. When it comes to technical books I want the physical copies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
Wild guess, you are over the age of 30.
Your generation was taught paper, its how you think. No shame in that. But my generation and the generation after mine are being taught more digitally. We don't think the same way and, in particularly for this latest generation, 'paper thinking' is what will be foreign.
Neither is wrong, just different.
Careful with assumptions, however I know what you mean in terms of tendencies. I'm close to 50 and 90% electronic iPhone, MacBook and Nook for news, music, and books. 10% is for books I can't get electronic. I don't care for paper books. I'm biased against them. And I switched to digital cameras 15 years ago. My work, as an analyst, is all electronic. I hardly ever print anything.
Originally Posted by SockRolid
Mommy, why is it called a "paper"? It's not like Instapaper at all.
Instasimulacrum just doesn't have the same ring to it.
With all this shift to electronic media no one is thinking of all the canaries forced to poop on android tablets.