Apple launches "Field Trip to the Apple Store" program
Apple continues to come up with innovative ways to introduce younger generations to its family of products, the latest of which invites teachers to book a field trip to a local Apple retail store ahead of the holiday shopping season.
"Take your students on a Field Trip to an Apple Store for an unforgettable learning experience," the company says on a new website dedicated to the initiative. "On their Field Trip, students can create something amazing right on the spot. Or they can bring in a project they?ve already created and turn our store into a theater, sharing their achievements with parents, teachers, and friends."
The goal is to introduce K-12 students in the US and Canada to the world of Apple products right before they'll be filling out their holiday wish lists. As such, the company said it will be taking reservations from teachers from now through November 21st. Teachers can request up to three date options and an Apple Store specialist will contact them by telephone within 48 hours to seal the deal.
Apple also asks that teacher name a "School Champion" who can gather and present their school?s content, help distribute invitations to the event, and act as the key contact for the Apple Retail Store hosting their Field Trip. In return, the company will provide the School Champion with a complimentary one-year One to One personal training membership.
During their field trip, Apple said students can use Macs to create photo albums in iPhoto, edit video in iMovie, build websites in iWeb, make Keynote presentations, or even compose their own songs in GarageBand. Apple Store Trainers and Specialists will be on-hand to answer questions and give expert, on-the-spot advice, the company said. Every participating student will also leave clad in a free Apple T-Shirt.
Of course, parents are welcome to accompany students on the one-hour field trips.
"Take your students on a Field Trip to an Apple Store for an unforgettable learning experience," the company says on a new website dedicated to the initiative. "On their Field Trip, students can create something amazing right on the spot. Or they can bring in a project they?ve already created and turn our store into a theater, sharing their achievements with parents, teachers, and friends."
The goal is to introduce K-12 students in the US and Canada to the world of Apple products right before they'll be filling out their holiday wish lists. As such, the company said it will be taking reservations from teachers from now through November 21st. Teachers can request up to three date options and an Apple Store specialist will contact them by telephone within 48 hours to seal the deal.
Apple also asks that teacher name a "School Champion" who can gather and present their school?s content, help distribute invitations to the event, and act as the key contact for the Apple Retail Store hosting their Field Trip. In return, the company will provide the School Champion with a complimentary one-year One to One personal training membership.
During their field trip, Apple said students can use Macs to create photo albums in iPhoto, edit video in iMovie, build websites in iWeb, make Keynote presentations, or even compose their own songs in GarageBand. Apple Store Trainers and Specialists will be on-hand to answer questions and give expert, on-the-spot advice, the company said. Every participating student will also leave clad in a free Apple T-Shirt.
Of course, parents are welcome to accompany students on the one-hour field trips.
Comments
Clever idea !
more money ≠ better education
Ugh. "And tomorrow, a field trip to Walmart and on Friday, McDonalds!"
LMAO!
"Hey, kids! If you apply now, one day YOU can work a cash register!"
Capitalism at its finest—get 'em while they're young! I love Apple for many things, but this is bloody crass and a waste of valuable tax dollars.
Schools are notorious for these kinds of things. I remember when we would have 1/2 day "assemblies" which amounted to Disney movies being shown in the gymnasium for the whole school. Who knows if the teachers created these things just to go for a cigarette break. Looking back, I could have easily skipped several grades and not missed a thing.
Your tax dollars at work.
win-win.
What the fuck is this Apple. Notice how your stock has lost half its value in the past 5 months? Probably time to focus on improving your products....
Hey big mouth ,
Apple is a leader in Educational software and support, many schools nationwide and colleges have equipped their students with Apple hardware and software solutions. Some are luckier than others ...1 year's worth of Free 1 on 1
tutoring is invaluable - It might help your perception some if you were lucky enough to appreciate it or get it offered to you ...
The difference between fully benefiting form a computer, software or iPod, is putting it to good productive use by knowing it's applications and how to better use them ie: more uses than emailing.
Not everyone can afford to pay for 1on1 tutoring and dedicated attention....
Wow. What a way to waste nearly half a school day. What is the educational value in this?
I would fire any any teacher who thought that this is a good idea.
What teacher in their right mind would sign up for this? I think we should *cut* funding for education if all their going to do is waste it on field trips like this.
more money ≠ better education
Our neighborhood elementary school had a big cow in the trailer on view today at the playground and all the kids were sitting on the ground for a presentation. "This is a cow, and these are cow patties." I think they would probably learn more valuable lessons at the Apple Store.
What the fuck is this Apple. Notice how your stock has lost half its value in the past 5 months? Probably time to focus on improving your products....
5 months? Try 5 weeks.
And in case you live in a cave, it has little to do with Apple or their products.
Everything is down a LOT!
This is a clever idea on Apple's part: just like the cigarette companies, we've gotta hook 'em while they're young. Bring them in, let them play some games on the shiny new computers, and go home asking Santa for a new Mac Pro. Brilliant marketing strategy.
I hope it's ignored by those in the education field, though. Bringing kids, especially young ones, into the commercial environment of an Apple Store to play with expensive goods isn't learning, it's blatant product placement. Computers in the classroom are one thing, but an outing to the Apple Store is little more than an outing to McDonald's, to learn about how fries are made and how to operate the registers. They're both commercial experiences, lacking any higher degree of learning or intellectual stimulation.
The Apple Store is a retail operation. It's not a museum, or a nature preserve, or an aquarium, or what have you. Teachers, please don't expose your kids to such an insidious marketing ploy.
Man, I'm sorry you're having such a bad day. This would be a way better field trip than almost everything I ever went on as a child. The kids that go to this are going to be extremely fired up about technology, and yes, also Apple products.
You have to remember though, most of these kids have a crap PC at home that can't do anything but surf the web. If they're lucky their parents bought them a game or two, but that's pretty much it. I bet half the kids out there don't even know what it's like to own a real computer. I think it will make BIG impressions on the kids that go to it
And by all means, Microsoft ought to sponsor their own. Go into Best Buy or something and everybody can be given a handout with math equations they can punch into the calculator. Then they can all race to see who can paint a solid black picture in Paint. I'm sure that would make a lasting impression too. I for one hope Microsoft will get in on this idea too.
Its funny that apple fanbois complain that Windows is indoctrinated into people from the start, but then Apple goes out and encourages the same thing. My school did have the iMac G3 in the office, and our computer lab had like a 6000 or 7000 series all in one that would crash constantly (its funny to read that bad design did cause that) so i'm not saying selling computers at a discount is bad... but this is over the top.
I know my local apple store is quite small and always busy when I go to it, and the staff aren't the brightest either, like opening up a second checkout computer instead having me wait 20 mins for the person that bought the macbook and EVERYTHING they suggested he get. Sorry, I was only getting the macbook with no extras...
An hour at the store. Time to get together and get to the store. Time to get from the store and settle down the kids.
Wow. What a way to waste nearly half a school day. What is the educational value in this?
I would fire any any teacher who thought that this is a good idea.
Field Trips are supposed to be fun and expose kids to the outside world... They are not on account of "regular classes" and are budgeted and scheduled as such. Did you never have one?
Capitalism at its finest—get 'em while they're young! I love Apple for many things, but this is bloody crass and a waste of valuable tax dollars.
I think there is a difference between taking the kids to an Apple store and letting McDonalds in to provide catering. Both 'capitalism at its finest' except one will kill ya and the other won't. I expect a trip to the Apple store could be a lot of fun. I once saw an Apple stall (playground) at an IT in Education Show and kids were making animations using the built in camera and some kid friendly animation package. Having said that the idea that a school goes to a specific hardware supplier for a school trip feels wrong. If apple offered a fun multimedia educational program they could bring to a school upon invitation, and then offered the in store solution as an option, it would sit a lot better with me. Its the 'packaging' that makes this initiative seem so 'bloody crass'.
If my kids got invited I wouldn't discourage it, however. They'd have a great day. Hey... NO SCHOOL!
This thread is a testament to the power of the anonymity of the internet to turn people into bile spewing hate mongers. That's just sad. There hasn't been one iota of genuine debate over substantive issues here... just diatribe and bile.
But oh, I'm sorry... it's just human nature to be a spiteful, selfish, inconsiderate asshole. Particularly on the internet.
What was I thinking?
Luckily American freedom isn't compromised at all by corporate product placement.
Perhaps Apple could next sponsor loudspeakers in school playgrounds playing non-stop selections from the iTunes Store interspersed with Mac vs PC ads.
I'm sure alot of teachers could turn this into an educational event, like creating your own class movie on a topic - teaching leadership, teamwork, cooperation, TV or Podcast creation and whatever topic your creating your movie on. You have to think beyond what Apple is advertising. Man you guys have no vision. I'm not even a teacher and I probably can think of several things that would be educational.
Ooooh, another good idea, a class on animation, such as clay animation or paper animation... man this could be fun.