iNsane? Auburn, Maine, Is Giving an iPad2 to Every Kindergarten Student

Maine (who would have guessed?) continues to lead the way in education technology. Not only is the state an international leader in tech literacy due to their one-to-one laptop program for middle and high school students, now one small town plans to give an iPad 2 to every kindergarten student.

The school board in Auburn, population 24,000, voted unanimously to provide the tablets to 285 kindergarteners and their teachers. At $475 a pop, the investment will cost around $200,000, but the board hopes the tablets will help boost literacy from 62 percent to 90 percent by 2013. Superintendent Tom Morrill says the investment's worth it, calling the devices "essential" and saying they're "even more important than a book." Morrill hopes to make the investment an annual one, giving iPads to every following class. His plan is to pay for the devices with private donations, but if that falls through, the bill will fall to the city's taxpayers.

Not all taxpayers are thrilled about that possibility. Nicole Fortin told the Bangor Daily News she thinks the idea's "crazy." Taxpayers are already strapped and worries about about kids breaking the devices—the students will get to take the iPads home—are rampant. "This is a lot to put in the hands of a 5-year-old," says Fortin. With student addiction to media now the norm, parents are also concerned about giving so much screen time to such young kids.

But, in the video above, you can see how excited the students are to learn their letters using downloadable apps, and the state's laptop program has boosted student achievement. What do you think? Should kindergarteners stick to "old school" books or is Auburn on the right track?

photo via The Apple Bites

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e-Cycle Declares April “Recycle Your Mobile Phone Month” - Giving Away iPad2 Tablets to Businesses

Mobile phone buyback and recycling company is offering organizations nationwide a chance to win one of four Apple iPad2 tablets for responsibly recycling their mobile devices.

Hilliard, Ohio (Vocus/PRWEB) April 05, 2011

Earth Day is April 22. To celebrate, e-Cycle has declared April “National Recycle Your Cell Phone Month” to help raise awareness for the growing e-waste problem with mobile devices, and as a reminder for organizations to implement responsible mobile phone recycling programs. As an incentive, e-Cycle is offering businesses and organizations a chance to win one of four Apple iPad2 tablets when they recycle and/or sell their used wireless devices with the company through May 31.

“We have kept more than 225,000 pounds of e-waste out of our landfills through our free recycling services for our enterprise clients, which means that millions of gallons of our drinking water have been protected from harmful toxins,” said Chris Irion, e-Cycle founder and CEO. “e-Cycle has also paid more than 12 million dollars to our partner companies through our mobile buyback services, allowing them to put money back into their telecom budgets to upgrade to the latest wireless technologies. The environmental and financial benefits of e-cycling wireless devices is clear and should be part of every organization’s sustainability plan.”

Irion said that e-Cycle works with nearly 7,000 organizations nationwide, including 16 of the Fortune 20, and has purchased or recycled more than five million devices since 2005. He said that nearly 65 percent of the devices the company receives still retain monetary value and can be reused in secondary markets where the older technologies are still valued and needed.

In addition to the iPad giveaway contest, e-Cycle will be hosting a booth for the U.S. Census Bureau’s Green IT Day in Washington D.C. on April 20, and in four cities for Verizon Wireless Earth Day promotions on April 22. More information about e-Cycle and the iPad2 giveaway contest can be found by visiting http://www.e-Cycle.com/Verizon.????

EPA Mobile e-Waste Quick Facts:
About 50 million cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, and only 10 percent are recycled.Recycling one million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.One cell phone has enough toxins—arsenic, mercury, and lead—to contaminate 40,000 gallons of water.The extreme amount of lead in electronics alone causes damage in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the blood and the kidneys.Reusing electronic devices saves up to 20 times more energy than recycling alone.

About e-Cycle LLC
Ranked the #8 fastest growing environmental services company in the U.S. by Inc. 500|5000, e-Cycle helps organizations and individuals take a more responsible, secure and cost-effective approach to wireless recycling. e-Cycle buys used iPhones, BlackBerrys, smartphones and other wireless devices that still retain value and recycles all others at no charge through an EPA-registered facility. The information on every device is either deleted or destroyed through rigorous mobile security measures. e-Cycle is also the official enterprise recycling partner of Verizon Wireless. e-Cycle has a 100 percent zero landfill policy.

Visit http://www.e-Cycle.com or contact gogreen(at)e-Cycle(dot)com or (877) 215-5255.

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Paulie Anthony
e-Cycle
614-397-7490
Email Information

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iNsane? Auburn, Maine, Is Giving an iPad2 to Every Kindergarten Student

Maine (who would have guessed?) continues to lead the way in education technology. Not only is the state an international leader in tech literacy due to their one-to-one laptop program for middle and high school students, now one small town plans to give an iPad 2 to every kindergarten student.

The school board in Auburn, population 24,000, voted unanimously to provide the tablets to 285 kindergarteners and their teachers. At $475 a pop, the investment will cost around $200,000, but the board hopes the tablets will help boost literacy from 62 percent to 90 percent by 2013. Superintendent Tom Morrill says the investment's worth it, calling the devices "essential" and saying they're "even more important than a book." Morrill hopes to make the investment an annual one, giving iPads to every following class. His plan is to pay for the devices with private donations, but if that falls through, the bill will fall to the city's taxpayers.

Not all taxpayers are thrilled about that possibility. Nicole Fortin told the Bangor Daily News she thinks the idea's "crazy." Taxpayers are already strapped and worries about about kids breaking the devices—the students will get to take the iPads home—are rampant. "This is a lot to put in the hands of a 5-year-old," says Fortin. With student addiction to media now the norm, parents are also concerned about giving so much screen time to such young kids.

But, in the video above, you can see how excited the students are to learn their letters using downloadable apps, and the state's laptop program has boosted student achievement. What do you think? Should kindergarteners stick to "old school" books or is Auburn on the right track?

photo via The Apple Bites

View the original article here

Have you Heard? The Geeks are Giving Away a Brand New iPad 2 Over at AccessoryGeeks.com

Posted on: Saturday, 2 April 2011, 00:00 CDT

AccessoryGeeks, a leading online retailer of cell phone accessories, iPod accessories, and iPad accessories, announced that they will be giving away an iPad2 in May to one loyal customer & the new Need For Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition XBOX 360 game to 3 other lucky winners!

Walnut, CA (Vocus/PRWEB) April 01, 2011

AccessoryGeeks, a leading online retailer of cell phone accessories, iPod accessories, and iPad accessories, announced that they will be gathering entries for an iPad 2 giveaway April 1, 2011. This is a great chance for customers all over the U.S. and Canada to get their entries in and win the hot new hand held gadget this spring.

The Geeks decided that they wanted to give back to their customers even more in 2011. This iPad 2 giveaway seemed like a great way to do just that. Although they wish that they could supply every one of their customers with an iPad2, it just wasn’t in the budget for May. From April 1, 2011-April 30, 2011 the Geeks will be collecting entries from customers all over the nation who are itching to get their hands on the iPad2.

Loyal fans and customers have six different opportunities to get their name in the hat before April 30. The Geeks are utilizing their social media platforms for customer entries into the contest. iPad2 giveaway hopefuls can visit the AccessoryGeeks Facebook page for two entry opportunities, the AccessoryGeeks YouTubepage for another two entry opportunities, the AccessoryGeeks Twitter for a re-tweet entry opportunity, and finally AccessoryGeeks MySpace page for one last entry opportunity.

Giveaway participants who don’t end up winning the iPad 2 have no need to fret. The Geeks are also giving away 3 Need For Speed Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition XBOX 360 games! This game is rated E for Everyone so it’s good for the kids or the child that’s within any age Geek. Fans are encouraged to check the AccessoryGeeks Facebook for the official winner’s announcement on May 6, 2011. As they say, many will enter, few will win, but the Geeks encourage all giveaway participants to shop with them for low prices, free shipping, and great customer support. That makes everyone a winner! The iPad2 giveaway information can be found on the AccessoryGeeks site.

Karen Kang, Vice President of AccessoryGeeks shared, “The Geeks here at AccessoryGeeks headquarters are very excited about the iPad2 giveaway this April. I would love to hold on to the iPad2 but love the idea that one of our loyal customers will be enjoying it even more. We are excited to get our returning customers involved and really reach out to new customers through our future giveaways, contests, and media. Remember to check the AccessoryGeeks Facebook May 6, 2011 to see if you've won! And remember! You got it from A Geek!”

The Geeks encourage everyone to join in on the iPad2 giveaway. The Geeks also want to remind everyone their special offers, deals, coupons, and giveaways are frequently released through their social media platforms. Staying in touch through these sites is effortless and can help reap great rewards for Geeks everywhere.

About AccessoryGeeks.com
The Geeks are intentional in applying our Geek Values to enhance our customer support, to provide unconventional and innovative products, and to build A Geek memory with all of our customers, that is only available at AccessoryGeeks. Visit our site for all company information, reviews, interviews and cell phone accessories or call toll free 1-866-433-5793 Monday through Friday 8am-4pm PST and remember! You got it from A Geek.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/4/prweb8256097.htm

Source: prweb

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