The first seven exclusive "Steve Jobs schools" have opened their doors across a number of cities in the Netherlands. Starting from today, schools in the Dutch cities of Sneek, Breda, Almere, Emmen, Heenvliet and Amsterdam will start teaching students according to the principles of the O4NT, or Onderwijs voor een nieuwe tijd (Education for a new era), which emphasizes the role of the iPad in an elementary school environment. The program, which was first proposed by Dutch officials back in March 2012, gives every child access to a "virtual school" through an iPad and helps them develop information and communication technology (ICT) and information processing skills, collaboration techniques and a critical, problem-solving and creative mind.
The O4NT foundation is currently in talks with a number of school boards across the Netherlands and they hope that more schools will sign up the model next year. The program has a number of benefits: apart from teaching children useful skills, school hours and vacations are a lot more flexible under the new model — as the "virtual school" is accessible round the clock, 365 days a year (although the Dutch Ministry of Education is currently preventing this scenario due to legislative restrictions) — and the ICT-based approach also has a major impact on the role of the teacher. According to O4NT's press release:
In the O4NT approach, teachers 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 educational apps are used for basic skills, the learning process can be completely adapted to the individual child’s learning speed and style.
O4NT is also planning an international version of the program, allowing Dutch expatriate children around the world to attend full-time education via their iPad. O4NT International, as it has been dubbed, is expected to launch in early 2014.
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by Joe Rossignol
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.
Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...
Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works.
We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
Just cut this crap and give a proper school, with proper teaching, and maintain a degree of discipline. A lot of children abuse their privileges, and blame the school for that. iPads can work well for textbooks and interactive programs, but should never take the job of the teachers.
The first seven exclusive "Steve Jobs schools" have opened their doors across a number of cities in the Netherlands. Starting from today, schools in the Dutch cities of Sneek, Breda, Almere, Emmen, Heenvliet and Amsterdam will start teaching students according to the principles of the O4NT (http://o4nt.nl), or*Onderwijs voor een*nieuwe tijd*(Education for a new era), which emphasizes the role of the iPad in an elementary school environment. The*program, which was first proposed (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/23/dutch-committee-proposes-to-build-steve-jobs-ipad-equipped-classroom/) by Dutch officials back in March 2012, gives every child access to a "virtual school" (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/02/dutch-officials-set-to-open-11-ipad-only-steve-jobs-schools-for-children/) through an iPad and helps them develop information and communication technology (ICT) and information processing skills, collaboration techniques and a critical, problem-solving and creative mind.
Image (https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2013/08/Screen-Shot-2013-08-21-at-2.41.58-pm.png)
The O4NT foundation is currently in talks with a number of school boards across the Netherlands and they hope that more schools will sign up the model next year. The program has a number of benefits: apart from teaching children useful skills, school hours and vacations are a lot more flexible under the new model -- as the "virtual school" is accessible round the clock, 365 days a year (although the Dutch Ministry of Education is currently preventing this scenario due to legislative restrictions) -- and the ICT-based approach also has a major impact on the role of the teacher. According to O4NT's press release:
O4NT is also planning an international version of the program, allowing Dutch expatriate children around the world to attend full-time education via their iPad. O4NT International, as it has been dubbed, is expected to launch in early 2014.
Article Link: First Seven iPad-Only 'Steve Jobs Schools' Open in the Netherlands (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/21/first-seven-ipad-only-steve-jobs-schools-open-in-the-netherlands/)
Sad news, I live there not that that's important but paper textbooks are way better for your eyes in my opinion, altough using iPads for some tasks isn't really bad but meh, we'll see.
I think there is no scientific reason why there should be any difference between paper and iPad books for eyes.
But no real stylus suport in iPad makes it quite limited for education.
Backlit displays are more tiring for your eyes than paper or e-ink displays, and research has shown that prolonged exposure to bright backlit displays (before going to bed) can cause sleeping problems.
The economics of education make all the pie-in-the-sky idealism about education moot. Now that we're getting useful data on the effectiveness of both new & traditional education systems long-term, we're finally seeing just how prohibitive the total costs of traditional education are to its continuation.
Like it or not, change is coming.
Looking at data is only a small piece of the picture. Most of education is social and can't be taught on an iPad.
You have to learn that you need to wait your turn, not everyone can talk at once, that you will be judged by third parties, how to put up with bullies and ignorant people, how to avoid getting in trouble, how to deal with dating, differences in background, diversity, varying talents, handicapped people, sports, music, etc.
This data obsession is beyond stupid..it's one of the biggest problems. Schools exist for far more than any test score and I deeply question outlays of valuable--very limited--resources on new technology.
I'm not a luddite either....I like tech or I wouldn't be here. But, I also don't doubt that a kid would see far more benefits from having 10-1 student teacher ratios rather than 35-1 and iPads.
