Boston Globe’s
Newspaper In Education program launches digital pilot
at Mario Umana Academy
BOSTON (JANUARY 22, 2013) – The Boston
Globe’s longstanding Newspaper In Education (NIE) program is
launching a digital pilot program that is putting iPads – as well as
digital subscriptions to BostonGlobe.com – into public school
classrooms in Boston and Stoneham. The Mario Umana Academy of East
Boston is participating.
This pilot program is using $65,000 of vacation donation funds from
Globe subscribers to pay for 75 iPads and projectors – 50 in the
Boston Public Schools and 25 in Stoneham High School. Digital
subscriptions to BostonGlobe.com will accompany the iPads in each
classroom, and teachers will be given a quick onsite tutorial. The
program will run through the spring semester, then will be evaluated
through teacher focus groups, according to Robert Saurer, the
Globe’s director of customer experience and innovation.
“We believe that digital kids turn into digital adults, to put it
simply,” Saurer says. “We want to provide easy, portable access not
only to our content, but to the greater world of content on the web
– deployed in the classroom daily, streamed live, as the kids are
learning.”
Traditionally, NIE has distributed a mix of print copies and digital
content, using subscriber vacation donations. So far, there have
been about 400 orders from teachers, encompassing 2,600 print copies
and 2,400 digital subscriptions. Demand for the program, which
serves students from kindergarten age through 12th grade, often
exceeds the donations available, Saurer says. As costs for paper,
ink, and distribution have risen, however, NIE has been looking for
new digital opportunities.
Photo credit: Boston Public Schools
“In the past, we have had to rely on the limited number of desktops
or laptops available in schools. Computers are often not available
for social sciences classes, or for other work where students would
benefit by being able to do their own online research.”
Saurer says he hopes to learn from the pilot program, incorporate
feedback from teachers, and expand to other schools in the future.
“We hope that if we plant the seeds now, we can build a new,
state-of-the art Boston Globe NIE Program,” Saurer says.
About The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is wholly owned by the New York Times Company
(NYSE: NYT), a leading global, multimedia news and information
company with 2011 revenues of $2.3 billion, includes The New York
Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe,
NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com and related properties. The
Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting
and distributing high-quality news and information.
