US School makes iPad’s mandatory

The Webb school of Knoxville TN have announced that starting in August 2011, all students and teachers in grades 4-12 will be provided with an iPad to use both at school and at home. The iPad will be the 16GB Wifi only model, with 3 year maintenance coverage and a case, Apple will be subsidising the total value, but there are no details of by how much. The scheme cannot be opt’d out of as Webb School believe

Not all text books will be available electronically, so school bags won’t be completely phased out instead it will be decided on a case by case basis if a physical book is to be replaced by an electronic one. Parents have the option of paying for the iPad over a three-year, interest-free lease or using their child’s own iPad if they already have one. At the end of the lease, parents will exchange the iPad for a new model (iPad3/4?) and continue the lease as before.