It seems as if a new tablet computer hits the market every
week, but a New York-based company is betting its tablet will be a hit. Amplify
Education Inc., part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., introduced its Amplify tablet
at the South x Southwest education conference. The device that will come preloaded
with everything a student needs to get through the school day.
The Amplify tablet is priced at $299 for Wi-Fi-only
models and $349 for a 4G unit. Each device also requires a two-year service and
materials bundle that adds $99 a year for Wi-Fi and $179 a year for the 4G
model.
While somewhat pricey, the bundles provide all
textbooks, lessons, tests, and e-books a student is assigned. Teachers will be
able to run a class and see what web sites and lesson areas students are visiting,
while the teacher dashboard will allow for instant polls and keep tabs on
students through the “Eyes on Teacher” button that sends a message to every
screen in the classroom.
“We must use technology to empower teachers and improve
the way students learn,” Joel Klein, CEO of Amplify Education, told eSchool News.
“At its best, education technology will change the face of education by helping
teachers manage the classroom and personalize instruction.”
Instant connectivity between student and teacher is
what Amplify developers believe sets their tablet apart from other devices,
such as the Apple iPad.
“If you go to Best Buy or a retailer and buy a tablet
off the shelf, it can’t do this,” said Stephen Smyth, president of the Amplify
division that created the digital platform that delivers course material to the
device, in an interview on NPR.org.
“Really, what we’re trying to solve here is actually how to have teachers use
tablets in the classroom environment.”
While creating a buzz, the Amplify tablet also has its
detractors. Some in education worry the device is more about profit than
education and will make it easier for politicians to make the case for
eliminating school district costs through cutting teaching positions.
“It’s all part of the same vision they have for
transforming education by privatizing it,” Leonie Haimson, executive director
of Class Size Matters in New York, told NPR. “And we have seen, not just in New
York City but nationwide, an avid pillaging going on of public resources for
private ends.”
