First Seven iPad-Only 'Steve Jobs Schools' Open in the Netherlands

The first seven exclusive "Steve Jobs schools" have opened their doors across a of cities in the Netherlands. Starting from today, schools in the Dutch cities of Sneek, Breda, Almere, Emmen, Heenvliet and Amsterdam will start tching students according to the principles of theO4NT, orOnderwijs voor eennieuwe tijd(Eduion for a new era), which emphasizes the role of the iPad in an elementary school environment. Theprogram, which wasfirst proposedby Dutch officials back in March 2012, gives every child access to a"virtual school"through an iPad and helps them develop information and communiion technology (ICT) and information processing skills, collaboration techniques and a critical, problem-solving and crtive mind.


The O4NT foundation is currently in talks with a of school boards across the Netherlands and they hope that more schools will sign up the model next yr. The program has a of benefits: apart from tching children useful skills, school hours and vaions are a lot more flexible under the new model — as the "virtual school" is accessible round the clock, 365 days a yr (although the Dutch Ministry of Eduion is currently preventing this scenario due to legislative restrictions) — and the ICT-based approach also has a major impact on the role of the tcher. According to O4NT's press relse:
In the O4NT approach, tchers will no longer simply convey knowledge to a group of children; they will be transformed into coaches that support children with their individual and group projects. Because eduional apps are used for basic skills, the lrning process can be completely adapted to the individual child’s lrning speed and style.
O4NT is also planning an international version of the program, allowing Dutch expatriate children around the world to attend full-time eduion via their iPad. O4NT International, as it has been dubbed, is expected to launch in rly 2014.