Apple Paid To Fly Michigan's 'Give Our Kids Free iPods' Lawmakers To California?

from the whoops dept

Thu, Apr 12th 2007 11:22am — Mike Masnick

The story of Michigan's local government proposing the state buy every child an iPod got a little stranger this week. The Raw Feed points us to an article saying that the two state politicians pushing the plan just happened to have taken a trip to California that was, in part, paid for by Apple -- though, no one seems willing to say how much of the bill Apple paid. While in California, Apple execs demonstrated how Apple products, including iPods, could be useful in educational settings, and apparently the presentation was quite convincing. This isn't to say that technology (including iPods) can't be useful for educational purposes -- but it would seem that any plan that includes buying every child in the state an MP3 player (whether or not it's an iPod) should require at least a bit more justification.

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28 Comments

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j614, 12 Apr 2007 @ 11:42am

give me a break.
college kids should have mandatory video ipods. think of ALL the productivity! on second thought. give the young kids the ipod. give the college kids the IPhone.
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j614, 12 Apr 2007 @ 11:43am

give me a break.
college kids should have mandatory video ipods. think of ALL the productivity! on second thought. give the young kids the ipod. give the college kids the IPhone.
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Brad, 12 Apr 2007 @ 11:56am

Re: give me a break.
College kids know how not to double post.
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Witty Nickname, 12 Apr 2007 @ 12:35pm

Educational....
The arguments for the iPod being educational are weaker than the arguments for MySpace being educational (and the MySpace arguments are pretty weak....)

Maybe politicians should mandate every kid having a MySpace page - and those are free!

Yeah, that will happen.
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Max, 12 Apr 2007 @ 12:35pm

Re: Re: give me a break
I think he just disproved that.
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Max, 12 Apr 2007 @ 12:35pm

Re: Re: give me a break
I think he just disproved that.
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Disgusted, 12 Apr 2007 @ 12:35pm

Shit, I'm moving to Michigan... Then I'll have to buy a fake ID to have proof that I'm under21/18/16...
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dc, 12 Apr 2007 @ 1:17pm

re iPods in academia
perhaps an attempt at background by techdirt as opposed to an off the cuff opinion with thinly veiled assumptions?

It's been done at a higher level in at least one institution:
http://www.duke.edu/ddi/projects/ipod.html
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Alex J STH, 12 Apr 2007 @ 1:23pm

Egats!
This is worse than Baldacci's idea to supply "every kid in Maine" with a (crApple) laptop.

That plan was approved at the beginning of Baldacci's first term (its his second now), and my high school (one of the larger public schools in the state) STILL doesn't have a personal laptop for everyone.

Its been a figurative dollar black hole. Ipods have NO educational purpose. I repeat-none! What are they going to do? Start voice recording lessons? No! The kids wouldn't listen to it anyway!

Thats like making it mandatory for girls to wear showing thongs! Its a distraction! Nothing more!
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Alex J STH, 12 Apr 2007 @ 1:28pm

Re: re iPods in academia
I hate to double post, but to make my point clear, Duke is a university. A highly respected university, and a very expensive university. Thats a MUCH different scenario when you're giving an ipod to an adult (who is going to have major college expenses), than to give it to an immature public high schooler who pays nothing (parents pay taxes.. but not at Duke prices)
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JMHuze, 12 Apr 2007 @ 1:33pm

Re: re iPods in academia
Yeah, the Duke program has gone over so well... (end sarcasm). They tried to push the laptop program on students here in Michigan and the majority of those laptops were mis-used/unused and many even made it to pawn shops.

Take a look at Michigan's current economic situation and decide if you feel that spending $38 million for something like this makes sense. I say don't spend money on anything unless it will increase our economy in the future.
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Choder, 12 Apr 2007 @ 1:35pm

Re: re iPods in academia
The success of the Duke iPod program was (is) questionable at best. Maybe I'm asking too much of college students, but if they can't be productive with free iPods, what makes anyone think a k-12 student would be more disciplined?
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Apr 2007 @ 1:44pm

Detroit's economy
In Detroit it is now widely reported that a 4 bedroom house is cheaper than a new car. Why?

Crime, no jobs, crime, education, crime....

Maybe MIchigan lawmakers should hire more cops, use tax incentives to attract new businesses, hire more cops, spend money on REAL educational solutions (you know, like football stadiums), and maybe cops?
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spiderwebby, 12 Apr 2007 @ 2:42pm

Re: Re: give me a break.
ZING!!
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Curiosume, 12 Apr 2007 @ 2:43pm

iPods for education
While I'm not sold that giving iPods to all high-schoolers is the best use of resources, I will say that I use my video iPod for school. Besides the obvious use of recording and playing lectures on it, I also use the text files function for flash cards and I subscribe to a number of video podcasts to supplement my studies (a couple great anatomy & physiology ones have really been helpful). Yes, of course I could achieve all of these things in different ways, but it is convenient to do it with my iPod.

Peace,
CuriousMe
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WaitingForTheNextShoe, 12 Apr 2007 @ 3:12pm

Jobs is more important than jobs
Umm lets see....
Comerica gone
Pfizer gone
K-Mart gone
Farmer Jack going
Gerber going
Ford dying
GM dying
Chrysler being sold to be dismantled
Dow being sold to be dismantled

The idiots in Lansing should be worrired about jobs in Michigan not more profit for Jobs in CA

Snow and 32 on April 11.

I so need out of this place
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Solo, 12 Apr 2007 @ 4:13pm

My workplace (industry: finance) has televisions in the workareas (open cube farming at its best) And yes, the TVs are on all day. And no, they are not even on mute.

It keeps you informed. That's the rationale from management. Or maybe they are 2 way TVs, 1984 style.

More to the point, if my coworkers in their cube farm (I'm IT: too low to get a tv) can get a TV to boost their productivity, I see no wrong in giving iPods to all the kids in the state. Heck, boost the economy, free educational iPod for everyone in the US!
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D0ubleP0stH@ter, 12 Apr 2007 @ 5:04pm

Re: Re: give me a break.
Thank you sir.
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Ian, 12 Apr 2007 @ 6:13pm

What happened to old school schooling?
I'm a uni student, and I really don't see how iPods can be such a valuable learning tool, or how an Apple iBook was a great thing to let every high schooler have.

The fact of the matter is that EVERYTHING can be educational in some way. Of course, a car can be used as a weapon. However, we're smart enough to see that a car was never designed or intended to be a weapon, and its main usefulness is not as a weapon, but as a mode of transportation.

Following the same line of reasoning, an iPod could be used as an educational tool, I guess, but it's NOT an educational tool, nor would most people use it that way.

Spend the $30+ million dollars on more teachers and making class sizes smaller, hiring assistant teachers if necessary to provide more individual help to those students who are struggling a bit.
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IdidNOTvoteFORher, 12 Apr 2007 @ 6:37pm

ipods or State police
Lets spend 38 million for ipods and not spend 4hundred thousand on state police officers and FIRE them.
Where is this state priorities.
I hope those lawmakers STAY in California or any where else we do not need them here.

WILL THE LAST TAXPAYER OUT OF MICHIGAN PLEASE PUT UP THE FORSALE SIGN AND TURN OUT THE LIGHTS.

ps: the next shoe: CON Agra plant 1500 jobs lost.

from the UNemployment capital of the USA Michigan

Only four more years of Granhom opps Mulhern If any one is left by then
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Sanguine Dream, 12 Apr 2007 @ 8:47pm

Trying to pull an MS
While it may not be MS's main reason (I'd say tax write off would be the main) think about the effect of putting pcs into schools that are loaded with MS OSs and programs. Once they grow up they will continue to use MS products because that is what they know.

Notice how Apple is wanting to do this for younger kids. Get them used to iPods early on and they will continue to use iPods later after they grow up.
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False_Prophet, 13 Apr 2007 @ 6:05am

Unthinkable.
It's impossible that apple would do something untoward. They're not corrupt, like everyone else. They can do no wrong, remember?
Newsflash: They're still desperate for the computer market and, much like any other 3rd fiddle, they'll do just about anything to get it.
*pop*
Sorry about your little bubble, there.
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Clawfoot Bathtubs, 15 Apr 2007 @ 9:03am

thanks for information
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vagina coast guard, 23 Apr 2007 @ 5:45am

yes i heart ipods
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Scott, 23 Apr 2007 @ 5:47am

Maybe the peeps in Lansing should wize up and do some research i mean why buy 3208953509715 ipods that are just gunna break? us kids in kalamzoo need ZUNES!!!!! hell yeah
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School kid 92, 23 Apr 2007 @ 6:30am

yes way i'd like this
i wish the school would buy us all ipods that would rock but not for the taxes on public schools that would fly up so ya buy your own ones with your own money cheap scapes i have 3 80g videos lol so save up for your own
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school kid, 23 Apr 2007 @ 6:36am

Re: Educational....
ya for shure that would be cheaper and easier but what would happen then just more profanity and more abuse out of school and school grounds that would cause more trouble but i like the idea i have one already its the shiz
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school kid, 23 Apr 2007 @ 6:36am

Re: Educational....
ya for shure that would be cheaper and easier but what would happen then just more profanity and more abuse out of school and school grounds that would cause more trouble but i like the idea i have one already its the shiz
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