When you went in to your local Apple Store to buy your shiny new iPad 2 this year, did you see a place to donate your old iPad? While most of us would rather sell off our old gadgets instead of giving them away for free, it was definitely for a good cause.
TechCrunch spotlights the cool Apple project that allows users to give their old iPads to the Teach for America organization. The program takes used iPads, refurbishes them, and then distributes them to teachers of the TFA foundation…
What’s Teach for America all about? It’s a program that takes top college graduates from around the country, puts them through a rigorous 5 week training course, and then sends them off to some of the most poverty-stricken communities in America.
Why? The project is meant to help the students understand the achievement gap in many parts of the country. It’s living proof that not all children get the same opportunities at education. The Teach for America program aims to change that.
Why Apple? Steve Jobs’ wife, Laurene, sits on the TFA board of directors. The tablets are used as both educational tools and incentives. Teachers say their kids are more apt to finish their work if they know they’ll get iPad time.
So far the organization has managed to put tablets in the hands of over 8,000 TFA teachers. That means that there is at least one iPad per classroom. And with studies showing that students get higher grades when using the slate, I’d say that’s a good thing.
Would you donate your iPad to the TFA?