Million – genius or evil?
You may have seen Droga5’s campaign for the Million (a mobile phone for school kids in New York City that’s based on incentives), which just won a D&AD black pencil. Personally I think the idea is brilliant as the Million program offers short-term incentives and rewards to motivate students, increase classroom participation and contribute to their overall success in school. In New York the Department of Education selected schools to be a part of a pilot program and partnered with Verizon Wireless to provide a free Samsung U740 to every student. Each student receives start-up Million points, which can be redeemed for minutes and texts, for the first month. After that, the student must earn additional Million points by doing well in classes and exhibiting good behavior. Rewards are allocated based on attendance, behavior and three additional performance indicators (e.g., homework completion, class participation, etc).
Though some people think the Million is evil and ‘simply an allegory for all that is wrong with education in America’.
What do you think?
You can read more about the million at their website: www.millionnyc.com
Yours in design,
Janet-eratops
