Monday, December 23, 2013
BENTONVILLE — The iPad you no longer need or want still could be useful to a local student.
That’s the idea behind an initiative soon to be launched by the Bentonville Public Schools Foundation. The foundation is encouraging people to donate iPads to the School District to enhance its 21st Century Technology program.
Old iPads donated to the district will be refurbished and restored to factory conditions. Then they will be sent to the elementary schools for use in the classrooms.
Technology Notes
The Bentonville School District implemented a “Bring Your Own Device” policy this school year that governs how students may use their laptops, netbooks, tablets and e-readers in class. Access to the district’s network resources is limited to educational or administrative purposes.
The district recently upgraded its capacity for technology, from being able to process 140 megabits per second a year ago to 1,200 megabits per second today.
Source: Staff Report
Donations must be iPad 2 or later models to be compatible with current operating systems. They may be dropped off at the district’s Administration Building, 500 Tiger Blvd., after the schools reopen Jan. 6. A sign-in sheet at the front desk will allow donors to receive a receipt for tax purposes, said Brandie Perry, foundation board president.
A flier promoting the program will be distributed to the community in January, Perry said.
MegaByte Computer Center in Rogers will clean up and erase all existing information on each iPad. Tom Frank, MegaByte’s owner and the father of two Bentonville High graduates, said he was happy to offer the foundation his services.
“There are numerous times people come in and want to buy a new iPad, but the one they’ve got is working fine,” Frank said. “This gives people a reason to feel good about buying a new one because they know the old one will go to a good cause.”
The foundation will pay Frank for his services.
The 21st Century Technology initiative started in 2012 through a partnership between the district and the foundation. Classroom teachers who apply to the program may be selected to receive enough iPads or laptops for their entire class. Forty-nine grants worth a total of about $1 million have been awarded to teachers. The foundation put $100,000 into the initiative this year.
“We’re thinking if that’s where a lot of our efforts are headed, maybe we can scale that up through a community effort,” said Steve Lane, a foundation board member. “If we can go out and get 25 or 50 (iPads) next year, that’s a couple of classrooms right there, and for a minimal cost.”
Officials haven’t decided exactly where each donated iPad will go, though it’s likely students in kindergarten through second grade will receive most of them, said Judy Marquess, a foundation board member and a director of instruction for the district.
Staff members might identify certain students — particularly ones with special learning needs — who could benefit from having their own device, Marquess said.
“It’s definitely going to be a program we tweak and learn as we go,” Marquess said.