Samsung Launches School Bundle with Galaxy Note 10.1 Tablets
Samsung has launched a new technology bundle designed for education. Samsung School is a solution that's built around Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1, an Android-based tablet, which connects to other technologies through Samsung's classroom software.
Some of the features of the Samsung School bundle include:
- Interactive software (for polls, quizzes, etc.) that works with the Galaxy Note's pen;
- Screen sharing;
- A learning management system;
- Content management;
- Bulletin boards;
- Announcements;
- Device monitoring and control; and
- Group collaboration.
Samsung reported that Eloy Elementary School District in Arizona is implementing Samsung School in 24 of its classrooms, becoming one of the first in the nation to adopt Samsung School.
"As a rural school district whose students do not always enjoy access to computers and Internet, one of our top priorities is providing students greater opportunities to utilize new technology so that they can acquire the 21st century skills they need to thrive in their adult lives," said Ruby James, superintendent of Eloy ESD, in a prepared statement. "The key differentiator with Samsung School is that it is an integrated solution that gives teachers the framework and tools to manage lessons and facilitate digital interaction. We also liked the fact that Samsung School is a student-centric solution and encourages a collaborative approach to learning."
All told, 20 districts have piloted Samsung School over the last year.
Samsung School is available now in a variety of configurations. The company is offering an introductory special on the software for $25 per student for one year. A complete package for 30 students and a teacher, including hardware (tablets, charging station, AllShare Cast dongle) and software, support, and upgrades for three years runs $20,000. Additional details can be found in Samsung's education portal.
In other Samsung news, the company today named the winner of its winter/spring Samsung Superhero competition. The Superhero competition calls on students to create videos focused on historical characters. Videos are one to three minutes in length and can portray any figure from history. Videos will be judged based on the criteria of presentation, performance, accuracy, and quality of content.
The program awards the winning student a $500 prize and awards the winning student's classroom a Samsung SamCam 760 document camera.
The latest winner is a student from Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation in Lynchburg, VA for her portrayal of Albert Einstein.
Further details about the competition can be found on samsungsuperhero.com.