14 DAY TRIAL // Seton Hill University, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has announced that every full-time student will receive a brand-new iPad, as part of its Griffin Technology Advantage program. Every first-year undergraduate student starting that semester will not only receive the Apple tablet, but also a 13-inch MacBook.
“Seton Hill University will give a new Apple iPad to every full-time student in fall 2010,” the announcement on setonhill.edu reads. “The iPad initiative kicks off the University's Griffin Technology Advantage Program. This new program provides students with the best in technology and collaborative learning tools, ensuring that Seton Hill students will be uniquely suited to whatever careers they choose – even those that have not yet been created,” the university states.
“Twenty-first century students live in a world of technology and collaboration where learning happens 24 hours a day and is supported by professors, friends, professional experts, and fellow learners in the classroom, on the web, and around the world,” Seton Hill adds. “The Griffin Technology Advantage, Seton Hill's commitment to provide students with the best in technology and collaborative learning tools, ensures that Seton Hill students will be uniquely suited to whatever careers they choose – even those that have not yet been created.”
As such, all first-year undergraduate students at Seton Hill will receive a 13" MacBook laptop and an iPad, come fall 2010. The University claims that students will have complete access to the devices, both for classes, as well as for personal use. Even better, Seton Hill will replace the laptop with a new one two years after it’s been in the student’s possession. Nothing is said about the iPad regarding a replacement, although the same policy may apply for the tablet as well, with Apple expected to revamp the device in an even shorter time. The replacement laptop, however, will actually remain in the student’s possession, provided that they graduate.
“With this technology at your fingertips, you can create a just-in-time learning environment, stay in touch with professors, advisors, and classmates, research any topic at any time, engage in hybrid and fully on-line courses, and access a whole host of Seton Hill technology services. In doing so, you will be learning the technological skills you'll need in the twenty-first century workforce,” Seton Hill University concludes.