Drexel University partners with Free Library of Philadelphia to widen student tech options
In a partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia, Drexel University is adding an iPad vending machine in their Dana and David Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. The machine will rent out up to twelve iPads at a time.
The iPads come loaded with a suite of tools suitable for an academic environment, including Bowzine, Hoopla, Mango Languages and a variety of news feeds, art, music and editing tools. Via the App Store, the borrower can add any other software he or she needs to complete a project. Users don’t have to be concerned about leaving personal information on the iPads, since nonstandard data is automatically deleted upon turn-in.
Simple, portable computing has been progressively changing the face of education, for example with allowing access to instruction via Khan Academy or replacing traditional textbooks entirely with tablets. This second example has become more and more popular over the past five years, and has met with general success.
The iPad kiosk, and the MacBook dispenser before it, are expansions of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s technology programs. Earlier iterations of this project have included free Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the area, and neighborhood computer labs available to the public. In keeping with the partnership, Drexel will make the iPad rentals available to both students and local residents.
As technology becomes a more fundamental aspect of how societies share information, access to technology will be as much of an inequality issue as police relations and nutrition. Projects like the community iPad kiosk can help to alleviate some inequalities by providing access to neighborhoods where technology and knowledge of its use is rare. Find out more about how the Free Library of Philadelphia is helping here.
This is not the first time Drexel had success with a vending machine that made rentable technology available. Last year, they introduced a vending machine that allowed students to check out a MacBook for 24 hours.
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