Bill Gates Foundation Buys 1100 TT2's for NYC Edu

Posted By: Ryan Wednesday, July 23, 2003 12:07:53 AM

NYTALKS, a statewide school leadership training initiative aimed at superintendents and principals in public and private K-12 schools, is adding 1,100 Palm Tungsten T2 handhelds to the three-year program, Palm, Inc. announced today. The purchase is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Now in its second year, NYTALKS expects to purchase an additional 1,600 Palm handhelds for the final year of the program, bringing the total to 5,000. The program was designed by the New York State Council of School Superintendents, the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS), and the State Education Department (SED) to help education leaders throughout New York state begin to explore technology as a catalyst for organizational growth and student achievement, and to provide quality leadership and technology training. NYTALKS (New York Technology, Achievement, Leadership, Knowledge and Skills) is the result of a $7.5 million State Challenge Grant for Leadership Development awarded jointly to the three organizations by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  

“The Tungsten T2 handheld gives school leaders a way to share information, and email, and have access to data such as Student Information Systems containing profiles and photographs of each student, class schedules and emergency contacts,” said Mike Lorion, vice president of education, Palm Solution Group. “As Palm handhelds become more powerful they can help administrators manage the tremendous responsibility of building smooth-functioning and efficient learning communities. With results from the first year of the program in hand, NYTALKS can serve as a model for other states interested in knowing how handhelds can enhance leadership and organizational skills.”  

The Palm Tungsten T2 handheld debuts at $399, the PIC review is here. The Palm handhelds will include an array of software programs aimed at school leaders, including the Mobile Mentor Classroom Essentials CD from Handmark. Schools can take advantage of the Palm Education Purchase Program. The program offers schools a cost-effective way to implement technology and to enable equity among students by offering additional free handheld computers for different levels of purchase. It is designed to assist schools in deploying Palm handhelds in classrooms, in larger school projects and in campuswide initiatives.It is open to all K-12 schools, colleges and universities in the United States.

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gates buying palms??

Origen @ 7/23/2003 12:11:41 PM #
Do you think someone should tell the purchaser at the foundation that TT2s are not running a Microsoft product? This could be a huge PR black eye for PPC devices. :)

RE: gates buying palms??
lemketron @ 7/23/2003 12:54:11 PM #
Shhhhh!!! Don't *tell* them!!! Let it be our little secret!!! ;-)
RE: gates buying palms??
epall @ 7/23/2003 1:04:41 PM #
LOL

RE: gates buying palms??
Lucky Bob @ 7/23/2003 1:16:50 PM #
Kinda ironic, huh? :P

Hey, the purpose is to improve or enhance the educational system, not promote products.

(Why do some people say you can kill two birds with one stone when it's hard enough killing one bird with two stones?)

RE: gates buying palms??
epall @ 7/23/2003 1:35:14 PM #
riiiiight. Just like Microsoft offering to give away Windows software to schools as part of their settlement? Riiight, for the education.

RE: gates buying palms??
Foo Fighter @ 7/23/2003 1:56:11 PM #
I don't see why everyone finds this story so shocking. This happens quite often. Microsoft's donation funds are used on many competing products. Some schools have purchased Macs or even servers and workstations running Linux. Big deal.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: gates buying palms??
Token User @ 7/23/2003 5:53:32 PM #
... and I am sure that Palm buy Microsoft products.

I have nothing but complete and utmost respect for the efforts of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is NOT Microsoft and is independantly administered (by Bill's Dad's Law Firm I think).

And besides - we all know that PalmOS apps render Microsoft documents far better than a PPC anyway ;)

~ "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed." - DV ~

Very nice of Bill

popko @ 7/23/2003 4:28:28 PM #
Does it matter if the Gates Foundation is buying TT2 and not PPC? After all, the foundation was supposed to be non-profitable.

There are a lot people who have just as much money as Bill. Yet Bill is one of the few who are willing to give back some for the good of all.

RE: Very nice of Bill
Pepper @ 7/23/2003 5:25:22 PM #
I must wonder though, who is more responsible, bill or his wife? if i recall correctly, he didnt make any major donations with his funds until she started encouraging him to

-Pepper

I love my Palm . . . do you?

RE: Very nice of Bill
statdoc @ 7/26/2003 6:26:09 AM #
Pepper,
Many of us are much nicer and more thoughtful because of our spouses. I certainly am.

"statdoc"
RE: Very nice of Bill
rcartwright @ 7/27/2003 3:37:15 PM #
While I enjoy a good bash of Bill as much as the next Palm powered person, this is one he ought to get a break on. First, I strongly suspect that marriage and fatherhood has, like many who have gone before him and the fact that he is no longer 23 has changed his outlook on the world. Also, like it or not he won the software wars of the last 20 years. What do you do for an encore? He could do much worse.

Also, on the hardware purchase, the foundation can't really tie the purchase of Micrsoft products and OS to a grant for VERY arcane reasons of tax and 501c3 rules and law since the grantor (Bill) has a vested interest. Anyway, if the group had purchased PPC, people would slam Gates for putting strings on the gift. Its a Catch-22.

Life is a great adventure or nothing.

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