This is big news for the world of education. Apple is asking owners of first-generation iPads to donate them to schools. Apple will take those donated iPads and give them to Teach For America who will in turn provide them to teachers in low-income districts.
Through a link on the Apple Retail web page, Apple is directing those who want to share the magic of the iPad with an appreciative audience to the Teach For America website.
All you need to do is grab your original iPad and bring it to an Apple Store to donate it. The device will be prepared and delivered to a needy school district, ready for use by a teacher or students. There’s no word on the Teach For America or Apple Retail web pages on whether or not your donation is tax-deductible, but you may want to check with the Apple Retail personnel to see if there’s a form available for claiming that deduction.
There is no mention on either Apple’s site or the Teach For America site about any tax deduction that might come from such a donation, but Teach For America is a 501(c)(3) corporation and all direct donations to it are tax-deductible. Source: TUAW
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Why Teach for America? What about all the other teachers who teach in low income schools? Not a fan of Apple limiting donations to TfA – should go to needy schools whether or not they have TfA teachers working there. And don’t get me started on the many other issues with TfA.
True, it’s at least a start though!
In other words, what Apple is donating is EXCLUSIVELY the cleanup of the iPads donated by others. I wonder how much of a tax deduction that represents? And I wonder if there are any Board members of TfA who are also Apple employees? And I wonder if the donated iPads are just a promotional pitch to get people to upgrade or if they'll infuse them with any software? And I wonder if the schools that play must also be wi-fi, use e-rate, and meet a curricular infrastructure requirements? I wonder and wonder at the predations of philanthropy.
I teach in a low income, gang infested school in Stockton, CA. We have 100% of our students receiving free breakfast and lunch. We have close to 80% language learners. We have a large population of students living in single family homes or with people other than their parents, as my students have parents in jail, prison, or dead. I teach a class of 30 Kindergartners, and due to budget cuts, next year I will have 36, as opposed to the 20 I have had since I started teaching. We start school in July, and much of my class is still four years old, barely toilet trained, and mostly unexposed to the English language. I would LOVE 10 IPADs for my class. The apps for the pre-K and K-1 levels are amazing. With so many students, I cannot teach in a hands on, developmentally appropriate way. Having a set of 10 IPADs would help, as I can have two groups of five students working on them. Not only would IPADs facilitate learning basic California standards, it will also help these students learn to use technology that they will need to be comfortable with in their future. I was amazed when I saw the uses of an IPAD when an adaptive technology specialist came in to work with one of my special education students. Unfortunately I only have one diagnosed student who uses the services of this specialist. We begin the diagnoses of students in Kindergarten, so many of my kids are not yet diagnosed, but will be in the future, so they miss out on many services during their first year of school.
I would LOVE if people would donate their IPADs to my class! Unfortunately, I am not a member of TfA… Is there any way I can still qualify?
How about donating them to ANY school district? Why the low income districts. If people knew anything about education you would realize the low income districts are the ones that get the most tax revenue and most money. The schools in the nice areas often get the shaft, spread the wealth to everyone!
I hate my life but at least this makes it baealrbe.