Mobile Learning | News

Rover Revamps Free Flash Browser for iPad

• By Stephen Noonoo
• 03/28/13

Rover Learn has announced that it is revamping its free education browser, Rover, capable of delivering interactive Flash content, with a newly released version to improve speed and performance. Additionally, to help keep the app free while covering costs, the company is introducing a new subscription plan for education content providers. The company is asking schools and educators to reach out to their content providers and ask them to contact the company to subscribe and enable their content on Rover.

The app, often used in schools to access Flash-based education material, will still offer free content, with the option of upgrading for access to even more content covering a range of subjects like math, science, reading, and phonics. The new Rover version will improve speed and performance to enhance user experience while enabling interaction with both Flash and non-Flash content, according to the company.

"Our intention is to keep Rover free for our dedicated community of hundreds of thousands of educators, students, and parents across the United States and globally, who use Rover to safely visit hundreds of thousands of educational Websites and resources each month," said company Chairman Peter Relan. "In just one year, Rover has grown into the premier education browser, and it is the only COPPA compliant education browser on tablet. We hope the schools and homes that rely on Rover will urge their content providers to get in touch with us to ensure that we can offer this valuable resource free of charge for years to come."

According to Relan, companies like Starfall, Learning Upgrade, and Knowledge Generation have already signed up for the subscription plan, which will keep their content accessible and, in some cases, give them prominence through Rover’s featured spots. For those sites that have not yet subscribed, an appeal from Rover will appear requesting educators to get the content enabled through Rover (although many frequently-trafficked sites like Google will be exempt). Educators will also have an option to unlock access to all blocked educational content by purchasing a one time $4.99 upgrade accessible through Rover Pro.

"Rover is a safe internet browser that supports 21st century teaching and learning. The Common Core Standards are requiring students to use technology to gather, analyze, and synthesize information. The app allows me to bookmark and effectively organize Web-based resources aligned to the rigorous standards," remarked Paula Rogers, a teacher at Langdon Area Elementary School and Langdon Area Middle School in North Dakota.

Education publishers interested in bringing their content to Rover can contact [email protected]. Recently, the company announced that Rover has passed one million downloads and now streams over 1,000 hours of educational content each hour.