What Educators Need to Know About ConnectED School Technology Donations

Written by on June 14, 2014. Posted in ConnectED

Four months ago, President Obama unveiled the first in over $2 billion in commitments from leading technology companies to support the aims of the ConnectED initiative and advance student learning through technology. To highlight these commitments, the White House recently unveiled the ConnectED Hub to provide further details on these commitments.

In this blog post, SETDA summarizes key information from the ConnectED Hub for schools and districts on the eligibility requirements for these private-sector commitments, how to apply, and select information on terms and conditions that may be important to those seeking to take advantage of these offers of support. 

[UPDATED July 1] On June 28, SETDA hosted the first of its kind event to provide participating companies with a venue to share further details about their ConnectED commitments and how to participate. See https://www.setda.org/outreach/public-events/connected-partners/ for a video archive and presentations/slides shared with the audience. 

Information below on company contributions comes directly from the White House ConnectED Hub and the websites of participating companies. While we believe it is accurate as of June 14, 2014, interested schools and districts should verify key information before applying.

ConnectED Company Commitments and Select Application Information

Adobe, which will provide more than $300 million worth of free software to teachers and students, including Photoshop and Premiere Elements for creative projects; Presenter and Captivate to amplify e-Learning; EchoSign for school workflow; and a range of teacher training resources.

Eligibility: PreK-12 U.S. public school institutions only. Other eligibility conditions may apply.

Application: Available online at: http://edex.adobe.com/connected. Note that application requires reporting of detailed school information and the provision of letters of support.

Other important terms and conditions: Schools are responsible for compliance with applicable student data privacy and internet safety regulations. Donated software is not eligible for upgrades. Software donated under this program will expire on December 30, 2019.

Apple, which will donate $100 million in iPads, MacBooks, and other products, along with content and professional development tools to enrich learning in disadvantaged U.S. schools.

Eligibility: Economically disadvantaged schools where 96 percent or more students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

Application: By invitation only. Invited schools will have until June 20 to let Apple know if they intend to apply. Final applications are due July 25.

AT&T, which pledged more than $100 million to give 50,000 middle and high school students in Title I districts free Internet connectivity for educational devices over their wireless network for three years.

Eligibility: U.S. public school districts serving middle and high school students. Other eligibility conditions may apply.

Application: Summer 2014 applications available online at: http://www.connectednation.org/attaspire. Deadline of July 15, 2014 to apply for Summer 2014 application window. Two future application windows will be opened in Late Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 (deadlines TBA). Note that application requires reporting of detailed school district information.

Other important terms and conditions: All students within participating schools must participate in program. All applicant schools must have at least one dedicated IT support professional on staff. All applicant schools must be physically located within AT&T’s 4G or 4G LTE coverage areas. Applicant schools must be willing to verify that all teachers have completed any training that may be required.

Autodesk, which pledged to make their 3D design program “Design the Future” available for free in every secondary school in the U.S. — more than $250 million in value.

Eligibility: Must be a degree granting public or private high school or middle school in one of the 50 US states. Other eligibility conditions may apply.

Application: Applications available online at: http://www.autodesk.com/campaigns/design-the-future-us/home and will be reviewed on a rolling basis as submitted. Note that application requires reporting of detailed school information.

Other important terms and conditions: Software usage is for students age 13 and higher. The duration period for the license is three years from the date the software licenses are issued or approximately 1125 days. Autodesk software is issued to the individual school site listed, not to the program applicant.

Esri, which will provide $1 billion worth of free access to ArcGIS Online Organization accounts – the same Geographic Information Systems mapping technology used by government and business – to every K-12 school in America to allow students to map and analyze data.

Eligibility: U.S.-accredited schools (public or non-public) or homeschools offering K-12 education. Other eligibility conditions may apply.

Application: Available online at: https://esri.app.box.com/connectedrequest. Note that application requires reporting of basic school information and the provision of a letter of support.

Other important terms and conditions: ArcGIS Online for Organization subscriptions provided through the ConnectED program are available for instructional use only.

Microsoft, which will launch a substantial affordability program open to all U.S. public schools by deeply discounting the price of its Windows operating system, which will decrease the price of Windows-based devices.

Eligibility and applications:  US K-12 public schools will benefit via access to discounted Windows-based devices in partnership with Acer, Asus, CTL, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba, and others. Further details available online at: http://www.microsoft.com/education/ww/products/Pages/connected.aspx.

O’Reilly Media, which is partnering with Safari Books Online to make more than $100 million in educational content and tools available for free to every school in the U.S.

Eligibility: As of June 2014, U.S. high school students. Eligibility will be expanded in two additional waves over time. Other eligibility conditions may apply.

Application: June 2014 applications available online at: http://k12.safari.do/. No deadline indicated, but limited to first 500 who register. Note that application requires reporting contact information and basic demographic information. Future application waves will operate under different rules.

Prezi, which will provide $100 million in Edu Pro licenses for high schools and all educators across America.

Eligibility and applications: TBD. Interested parties may register to receive updates at: https://eduprezi.wufoo.com/forms/z1y9wubs1ujaac4/

Sprint, which will offer free wireless service for up to 50,000 low-income high school students over the next four years, valued at $100 million.

Eligibility: U.S. schools (including charter schools) and districts. Other eligibility conditions may apply.

Application: Separate applications for schools and districts, both available online by following links at http://ecenter.custhelp.com/app/landing_page/ConnectED_lp. Note that application requires detailed reporting of school and district information, including reporting of information about technology plans and student outcomes associated with the impact of the program.

Other important terms and conditions: All school requests require district notification and an off premise connectivity strategy. The purchase of approved Sprint broadband devices will be the sole responsibility of the participating schools or districts. The 4 year free service period begins when your device is activated. Voice, text messaging and data roaming services are not available and certain broadband content restrictions will apply. The services and products under the program are intended for “off-premise”/”off campus” use. If used while on school premises, device connectivity must occur solely through customer-provided Wi-Fi. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure compliance with FCC, USAC and any other federal or state program rules and regulations.

Verizon, which announced a multi-year program to support ConnectED through up to $100 million in cash and in-kind commitments.

Eligibility and applications: Educators TBD. Interested parties may register to receive updates at: http://responsibility.verizon.com/learning-academy