Field Trip to the... Apple Store?

Beam Me Up Scotty

Silver Member
Let me start this off by saying I work at a youth centre, and I deal with kids primarily between the ages of 7 to 12.
So when I arrived at the school yesterday to pick up the children, I found out that two grade 5 classes had gone on a filed trip. To the mall. To the Apple Store.

...What?

They even had shirts. They were bright yellow, with a picture of the Apple Store on the front, and "Field Trip to the Apple Store" written on it. Since they were given the shirts there, I assume this is becoming some sort of established and accepted "field trip". I asked the kids what they did at the store, and they told me they were spoken to about Apple products, and spent most of the time playing on iPods, iPads, and Macs. That's it. For 2 1/2 hours, that was their field trip.

This basically left me with an overwhelming sense of "What the heckk?"
Come on! You're telling me that schools are now going on trips to the Apple Store, when that time could be spent better on an actual educational field trip to, I don't know, a museum or something? That's what I did when I was their age. Hell, I help the children with their homework every day, and I'm growing more and more frustrated by the state of our (Canadian) education system and curriculum, since the kids can't even do basic stuff; they have to rely on tricks or tools that the teacher gave them, instead of using mental math/logic (although a problem, this isn't the focus of my post). As such, how the hell can they think that going to the Apple Store - thus playing into Apple's marketing - can be beneficial in any way?

The kids are gonna go home now and ask for whatever over-priced thing it was they spent an hour playing on. From a marketing standpoint, this is an absolutely brilliant idea. Get them when they're young to make lifelong customers. Maybe even throw in a few facts here and there, just to say that the field trip was "educational".
On the other hand, how the hell can schools justify this? I actually do not understand how they can pull kids out of class for the most noneducational field trip ever.

Now perhaps I'm overthinking this, and perhaps I'm a bit frustrated about it (read: angry), but for the love of god, you can't possibly tell me this is a good idea on the schools' part?

Thoughts? I'm just stunned...

For reference, I'm 21. How can things have gone so poorly in such a short time? It makes me genuinely sad to see.
 
I'm guessing this was an isolated thing... most field trips I hear about in Texas are to protest Planned Parenthood or something. /s

That is pretty crazy though. Has anybody lodged a complaint with the district?
 
Apple has been doing stuff in all aspects of education for a very long time. It was always about education and technology, not marketing. I'd be surprised if that changed. I have not looked lately, but historically, all students of all ages get apple products at really steep discounts.

As for the trip, it really depends what they learned on the trip. if it was about innovation, great. If it was a marketing ploy and all they did was play games on ipads, shame on Apple.

Id be interested more about the trip.
 
Apple has been doing stuff in all aspects of education for a very long time. It was always about education and technology, not marketing. I'd be surprised if that changed. I have not looked lately, but historically, all students of all ages get apple products at really steep discounts.

As for the trip, it really depends what they learned on the trip. if it was about innovation, great. If it was a marketing ploy and all they did was play games on ipads, shame on Apple.

Id be interested more about the trip.

I spoke to the kids, and they told me that they just played games pretty much the whole time.
Taken with a grain of salt, I know, but even so, I'm unimpressed to say the least.

Porter, I don't think there have been any complaints. Yet.
 
I spoke to the kids, and they told me that they just played games pretty much the whole time.
Taken with a grain of salt, I know, but even so, I'm unimpressed to say the least.

Porter, I don't think there have been any complaints. Yet.

Ask the chaperones and teachers that went to make sure. If in fact the kids just played games pretty much the whole time, you should bring this matter to Apple Corporate in Cupertino, CA and ask for some type of restitution and apology for the school. I cannot believe Apple has changed their education policy from learning technology to marketing to children.
 
Ask the chaperones and teachers that went to make sure. If in fact the kids just played games pretty much the whole time, you should bring this matter to Apple Corporate in Cupertino, CA and ask for some type of restitution and apology for the school. I cannot believe Apple has changed their education policy from learning technology to marketing to children.

Sure thing. That'll be the next step.
I'll let you know the results. I for one would love to be proven wrong here.
 
Well, as time wasting and stupid as it sounds, I think the trip was actually good for them. Even if they were just playing games they're also learning more about technology and how to use it. With the future constantly progressing and technology already apart of our daily lives it's a good idea to educate them about it. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple funded it so they'd turn into a "I buy apple and nothing but apple products" person.
 
If you Google Apple in Education you will see a lot of material on their contribution to high tech education and the future of technology in the classroom. Books are going by the way side. I just saw a Windows ad for their tablet in the school system. Not being there I can't say what the kids were doing, but you and I, a few years ago, may have called "playing with ipads" is far more than playing. I work in a hospital and almost every doctor I see in the hallways is using some sort of iPad or tablet to keep notes. The also uses COW's, computer on wheels, to track patient conditions and progress. I wouldn't be too quick to label their trip a waste of time with the world becoming smaller and technology at every turn. They were exposed to some very good products that down the road for them if not already will be just like wearing a watch.

Asking for restitution from Apple would be like asking Van Gough for reimbursement for time spent in an art gallery. You are kidding right? As for Apples learning policy what could be better than hands on. I doubt seriously if they were given any type of sales pitch. But if I'm wrong I would be very surprised. Much better than a trip to the fire station or some of the boring trips I went on as a kid. I think you are way too excited about this.
 
As usual, the story is presented one-sidedly (by the Apple staff)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKnx2JWfNSM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj6ql27uKdI

I couldn't find another video that I watched via facebook a few weeks ago but it was about many Chinese workers getting cancer because of benzole being part of the production line. Experts calculated that to get benzole out of the production process (and thus, sparing the workers to get cancer) would result in the end price increasing by... _one_ dollar. Well, Apple decided to not change anything.
 
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So now this will be another bash Apple thread. Many products are being made using the same materials and to single out Apple is just wrong. I thought it was about field trips.
 
Not really. I just thought that those kids while being at that place weren't presented with some facts for even a second. They went home assuming that Apple make great products (which they make) and are a great company (well this can be viewed differently).

That's the problem with many things - there's some pros/cons to everything. It would be great if people were aware of that. Those kids weren't I guess.
The sad part is that those problems aren't easily remedied.

As I didn't want to start anything with my previous post I'll stop here.
 
I used to volunteer at a youth center myself in College. My experience was that these kids either came from poverty or were troubled kids with behavioral issues. The field trips taken were often to bowling alleys or just to parks. Anyway they were not necessarily "educational" as much as opportunities to do things in a group atmosphere with peers and responsible adults. I don't see an issue with going to an apple store to learn about technology and yes even play some games. The point of many youth centers is to simply serve as a distraction and break for whatever is going on at home.
 
Exactly Southpaw. And taking kids on a trip to an Apple store and telling them that supposedly Apple refused to change their maunfacturing technique for a dollar and people are dying of cancer, would be like taking kids to a GM auto factory and telling them that for 10 years GM hid the fact that their ignitions were faulty and that 3 people have died so far because of it. All companies have oversights and problems. People die at construction sites and buildings are erected using shoddy techniques every day. That thinking is just absurd. It was a field trip for technology not a young lawyers endoctrination.

The kids got out of the normal setting for a few hours to learn a little about real life. Wow. The PC whiners strike again.
 
The kids got out of the normal setting for a few hours to learn a little about real life. Wow. The PC whiners strike again.

Geez (and at the risk of stepping on a flaming bag of dog doo), has there been vitriolic discourse about PC vs. Mac here too? Horses for courses folks!

Back in school days (60s), we toured a potato chip factory, a brewery, museums, and attended special symphony programs. I've also been a tour guide of our facility over the years for school kids. There are some elements of outreach / marketing that went on with all of these. Corporations / organizations like to be good "citizens". Also seeds can be planted in young minds: "Hey, this is something I might want to do some day" and careers follow.
 
Ask the chaperones and teachers that went to make sure. If in fact the kids just played games pretty much the whole time, you should bring this matter to Apple Corporate in Cupertino, CA and ask for some type of restitution and apology for the school. I cannot believe Apple has changed their education policy from learning technology to marketing to children.

There's nothing to learn from apple products for children in a retail store. This is no different from how apple gives away macs to schools primarily to make sure that kids get used to a locked into their BS overpriced PC hardware and locked down environments designed specifically to keep money rolling into the apple accounts and control their users as much as possible.

This is disgusting. Not to mention, if I go to buy a computer, dealing with 30 rug rats roaming around the store and I'm sure being quiet and reserved would really not be on my wish list.

Next up, Apple will have a cartoon camel mascot with white ear-buds in all the time.
 
Many products are being made using the same materials and to single out Apple is just wrong.

Right, most of them just don't cost as much as apple products do, adding just a bit more sting to the lowly conditions and pay for the people making those products for apple.

Hey! Maybe apple should foot the bill for the kids to go to china and see the actual production process! They'd learn a hell of a lot more from that than playing angry birds! Of course, since we know the motivation here is brainwashing children with branding, I don't think a trip to the factory would work in their favor.
 
Well, as time wasting and stupid as it sounds, I think the trip was actually good for them. Even if they were just playing games they're also learning more about technology and how to use it. With the future constantly progressing and technology already apart of our daily lives it's a good idea to educate them about it. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple funded it so they'd turn into a "I buy apple and nothing but apple products" person.

Right. "Learning" about apple's locked down proprietary technologies in their retail store is just as beneficial as a non-branded actual technology or computer class in the f'n school.

Apple can do anything they want. Their marketing is too good and their fanboys will always defend them.
 
I definitely don't mean for this to turn into a bashing Apple thread, I was just curious on people's thoughts.

I spoke with one of my colleagues, and she made what I thought to be a good point: even if there was some actual educational aspect to the trip, ultimately it's about how the kids interpreted it.
The kids tell me they spent the day playing on iPads/pods, and to me, that speaks volumes about what they got from the trip.

Now yes, I see some valid points, it's a distraction, life experience, etc., but at the end of the day, they went to a retail store in the mall. I'm sure they've been out to malls before with their family before. As for the technological aspect and how it relates to school, let me say that these kids all have iPods, iPads, or whatever, and use them daily. They know how useful they can be; hell, the youngest kid at our centre is 7. He takes notes on an iPad; I won't deny their usefulness.

But to me, seeing as this trip was done by the school itself... I just don't see it. The point, I mean. It appears to be a marketing ploy designed to keep or make Apple customers. Again, nothing wrong with the product, but it's how they go about doing things that bothers me.
 
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