Eclectic Technology

This post provides a more in-depth look at the new Amplify tablet. Here is a more in-depth descirption:
"It’s 10 inches long, with a hard exterior shell, and is pre-loaded with its own learning software, as well as Google Apps for Education, dictionaries, multimedia lessons, Encyclopedia Britannica, Khan Academy lessons, a graphing calculator. If the company wins rights from publishers, it can also be loaded with electronic textbooks. What’s more, teachers can keep track of students’ progress, as well as have access to classroom management tools that allow them to turn off apps when needed."

But more interesting to me is the questions that come up when you read the impressions of others. Below are two examples:

From TechCruch (quoted):

“While the News Corp. founder’s sudden transformation into an education reform advocate may seem a head-scratcher, the motivation becomes clear when, in Murdoch’s terms, one considers that K-12 education is a $500 billion sector in the U.S. alone — and one that remains relatively untouched by corporations like News Corp.” (Remember that Murdoch is News Corp. founder.)

From Forbes (quoted):

“From my point of view, the problem with News being in this business is that it creates a channel to our youngest, most vulnerable minds for a guy with extreme politics and highly questionable ethics,” Kay wrote. Unlike the transparent profit motives of companies like Apple and Google, News Corp’s motivations should be further questioned, he said.

Additional information may be found in the post.

This post looks at pros and cons of tablet in general, and introduces a tablet from the News Corporation called Amplify. This tablet is designed for K-12 education and comes pre-loaded. It is considered the first tablet designed for specifically for education.

Along with two videos (both from Amplify) that discuss the tablet the post also brings up some of the issues associated with tablets. For example they mention a recent Pew Research Center Poll that notes (quoted from the post):

"in poorer districts, there is often a serious lack of access to technology. “Teachers whose students are from the lowest income households feel they are at a disadvantage when it comes to using the internet and other digital tools such as cell phones, tablet computers and e-readers to enhance the learning process,”

To learn more about some of the issues associated with using tablets click through to this post. To go directly to the Amplify website for more information on their tablet - http://amplify.com/tablet.