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An iPod For Every Kid In Michigan

Posted by Zonk on from the kids-today-i-tell-ya dept.

mikesd81 writes "Over at C|Net there is an article about Michigan spending $38 million to distribute an iPod to every kid, for learning purposes. From the article: 'On Thursday, House Democrats delivered a spending bill that includes the idea of putting $38 million worth of public funds toward outfitting every student with a digital music player.' The plan included measures to tax soda and satellite TV services to pay for it, among other things, to raise funds. If you recall, Duke University tried something like this with mixed results. How financially strained will Michigan residents feel about paying higher taxes to buy someone else's kid an iPod?"

5 of 333 comments (clear)

  1. Umm.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why not spend the money on text books or library books or classrooms or teachers? Or all four?

  2. Who will monitor the usage? by ShadowFalls · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is hard to see how they could keep these iPods from being used for purposes other than educational. Who pays for stolen ones or broken ones? Some parents can't afford one to give to their kids on their own, to replace one would be atrocious. In the end, this is just more politicians wasting time on things that do not really matter instead of focusing on the things that do.

  3. This is a horrible idea. by forkazoo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or, at least, it is a horrible idea unless I can manage to be declared eligible.

    Seriously, how about spending the millions of dollars on teachers? I just can't see any real requirement for a DAP for educational purposes. Want the students to be able to listen to lectures as home? Put MP3's on the school website and let students listen to them at the computer or put them on their own DAP. Need students to be able to listen to audio on their own while in class? 30 million dollars buys a lot of blank CD-R's, and CD players are a hell of a lot less expensive than iPods.

    30 million dollars also buys a hell of a lot of teacher bonuses. IMNSHO, Investing in teachers will have more of a benefit than whatever hair brained scheme they have cooked up for the iPods.

    1. Re:This is a horrible idea. by PhoenixAtlantios · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's sad that I managed to decipher IMNSHO without pausing to process it, even though I've never seen it before. The Internet has corrupted me =(

      I have to agree with the idea of investing money in teachers instead of the students though. Plans to give students free iPods and PSPs just seem to be extremely short sighted, as when given the choice between working and playing games/music I'm fairly sure I know which one most teenagers would choose. Giving the teachers laptops, maybe giving them Broadband for free at home, etc. would likely have a more beneficial effect on learning.

  4. Re:really? by fishthegeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Observationally, as a teacher I would like to suggest that the kids could try these revolutionary ideas instead:

    Take notes.
    Read their textbooks.
    Email the teacher (my kids do this one a lot)
    Actually pay attention.

    I see this as giving the kids a device they won't use for the purpose intended (for the most part anyway), and as just another silly idea from the Ivory Tower folks. This won't save one ream of paper IMHO. Schools burn through paper like you wouldn't believe.

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