As an educational technologist I make a lot of purchasing decisions and I tend to receive a ton of unsolicited adverts for new tech junk. A good portion also comes from companies that I have ordered from. Apple is one.
Being a Mac enthusiast I have naturally purchased an increasing amount for use in the school and, like any good retail company, Apple is attempting to establish a relationship through a customer service rep to keep those PO’s coming. They have now begun sending a few email reminders and sales pitches. Most come after product updates and a few are accessories that would lead to a possible purchase of more macs (software, iPod junk, etc)
Most have been innocuous. Today, waiting in my inbox was a wonderful ad with a terrific educational suggestion (check out the bold):
- After a teacher reads to a class (or has the class reads), follow up questions can be answered on the iPod.
- After a day’s lesson on the environmental impact of not recycling students can answer follow up questions on the iPod either during class, on the bus ride home, or anywhere. And the next day they can have discussions about their answers.
- Students can answer questions on why Mac OS X is better than Windows Vista!
The TV ads are cute and the humor lets it get a way with blunt comments. But this is asinine. What kind of suggestions is this to bring blatant, biased consumerism to the classroom. Plus, it is presumptuous that I am a Mac fiend (I am). Apple is still the small man in education. I have been on a buying spree and they don’t even account for 2% of our computers on campus. Most people in my position are Mac haters any way. Add in the fact that our school is dealing with a very large low socio-economic group that can not afford Macs or let alone computers and that any of the kids with iPods are probably using Windows to sync them up.
But take a look again at the second suggestion. Awfully eco-friendly of them considering Apples track record (see their Greenpeace ranking and recycle policy). I love how the suggestions are geared for use on the looming environmental disaster that is the greatest tech disposable made.
The thing that gets me is that this was an advert for iQuiz, being hocked through the iTunes store for the iPod. On its own it has good uses for the classroom and didn’t need cute commentary in order to sell it. Funny thing is that this has been out on the blogosphere for a few days. Their own sales is late on this one. In fairness they did start with the right idea, the actual merits of the product:
iQuiz for the iPod. … Apple (with help from Aspyr) has created an extremely easy to use application for creating … quizzes. These quizzes are taken on the iPod … The application is nice, cheap (.99), and functional.
I know I should not be indignant as I am about this. But I never knew that the wolves we get greeted by at Best Buy and other consumer outlets are hunting in the schools until I took this job. The constant suggestions on how to spend my end of the year funds, the prewritten PO’s and cold calls have gotten on my nerve.
I do have to admit that while the tree-hugging liberal in me is overly annoyed, the greedy capitalist in me is rejoicing over the explosion in my AAPL stock price. I just don’t want dumb sales campaign. Sell it on honest merits.
Technorati Tags: Apple, computers, education, iPod, iQuiz, OS X, technology, sales
I think some good can come out of the iQuiz game. The iPod has never been this open before, so it will be interesting to see how users respond.
I just created iQuizLibrary.com for all those iQuizzes that are bound to pop up. I’m trying to get the word out, so please feel free to submit your own! (or others you have found)
http://www.iquizlibrary.com
I agree. There has been some push for this to be included in the classroom with podcasting moving its way into the average class, but now there will be additional and immediate instructional impact if this is easy as it seems