Is Rupert Murdoch's Bid to Fix Education With a Tablet Failing?
Amplify decided to build its own hardware five years ago because the "operating systems didn't give us the kind of flexibility with the learning resources we were creating," Hamilton said. It also allowed school districts one-stop shopping.
That strategy made sense five years ago because it provided Amplify with a competitive edge, said Jordan Shapiro, a Temple University lecturer, and researcher in education technology. Companies such as Houghton-Mifflin and Pearson, Shapiro said, have long-standing ties to school administrators and teachers, making it difficult for new players to gain market share.
That strategy made sense five years ago because it provided Amplify with a competitive edge, said Jordan Shapiro, a Temple University lecturer, and researcher in education technology. Companies such as Houghton-Mifflin and Pearson, Shapiro said, have long-standing ties to school administrators and teachers, making it difficult for new players to gain market share.
"The goal here is adoption, so if you can get your device into a school district, you have a strong grip on content -- that becomes a very interesting strategy," Shapiro said in a phone interview. "It doesn't seem to have had the kind of momentum they imagined yet, but then again, nothing has."
That could be because most schools have insufficient Internet broadband connections to make Amplify's digital learning tools useful. Some 63% of schools don't have enough bandwidth to meet the current needs for digital learning, according toEducation SuperHighway, an ed-tech advocacy group.
And the wireless units aren't cheap. Late last year, the FCC increased its funding for wireless infrastructure for schools and libraries to $3.9 billion though a federal tax of telephone customers. Yet many school districts aren't clear on how they can access that money, Hamilton said. Many districts, Shapiro said, are making their way into education technology piecemeal, using a variety of software publishers and often partnering with foundations for the hardware.
In 2013, Apple partnered with Pearson Education in a $1.3 billion project to supply 650,000 students in the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District with iPads loaded with the company's digital teaching tools. But the program has been grounded in lawsuits and finger-pointing with the school district demanding a refund.
Houghton Mifflin CEO Linda Zecher said her company is making digital learning tools that can be used on a variety of devices. She said Houghton Mifflin chose not to make its own device because it could divert executive attention away from curriculum development, and it would place a publisher in head-to-head competition with very large technology companies.Is Rupert Murdoch's (NWSA) Bid to Fix Education With a Tablet Failing? - Pg.2 - TheStreet:
And the wireless units aren't cheap. Late last year, the FCC increased its funding for wireless infrastructure for schools and libraries to $3.9 billion though a federal tax of telephone customers. Yet many school districts aren't clear on how they can access that money, Hamilton said. Many districts, Shapiro said, are making their way into education technology piecemeal, using a variety of software publishers and often partnering with foundations for the hardware.
In 2013, Apple partnered with Pearson Education in a $1.3 billion project to supply 650,000 students in the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District with iPads loaded with the company's digital teaching tools. But the program has been grounded in lawsuits and finger-pointing with the school district demanding a refund.
Houghton Mifflin CEO Linda Zecher said her company is making digital learning tools that can be used on a variety of devices. She said Houghton Mifflin chose not to make its own device because it could divert executive attention away from curriculum development, and it would place a publisher in head-to-head competition with very large technology companies.Is Rupert Murdoch's (NWSA) Bid to Fix Education With a Tablet Failing? - Pg.2 - TheStreet:
