Box Targets Education With Expanded Partner Network

Cloud storage and content-sharing service provider Box has expanded its partner network in an effort to bolster its offerings to the K-20 education market. The Los Altos, CA-based company's service is available through the Web and mobile apps.

In May, Box added Crocodoc's HTML5 document viewing technology to its platform. The acquisition means that students and teachers can now access and collaborate on documents through their learning management system or education app. Applications already using the technology include Blackboard Learn, Deltak, Edmodo, Haiku Learning, MediaCore, and ShowMyHomework.

Box has also entered into a relationship with Instructure, provider of the open source learning management system Canvas. Box will integrate its HTML5 technology, Box Embed, into the Canvas platform. Users will be able to store, retrieve, and work on shared documents through the learning management system. The documents will be stored and managed in Box. The integrated platform will be available in early 2014.

Box expanded its OneCloud app network as well with the addition of six new partners, including Engrade, Nearpod, Celly, Fluid Notes, UX Write, and 9Slides. These vendors develop apps aimed at helping schools and institutions create course materials and improve communication between home and school. All content is kept and managed in Box. Users can access Fluid Notes, Nearpod, Celly, UXWrite and 9Slides now from the Box Apps Marketplace. Engrade will be available in next month.

The company extended its reach to colleges and universities in Netherlands, the Nordic and US, by forging alliances with three research and education organizations, SURF, NORDUnet and Internet2. The company also joined Internet2's InCommon network.

Additional information about Box's service and partner network can be found online.

About the Author

Kanoe Namahoe is online editor for 1105 Media's Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • A young person sitting on a couch in a bright living room during the daytime, holding a tablet, with sunlight streaming through large windows and pastel-toned furniture.

    Balancing Screen Time and Student Wellness

    Student mental health is in crisis, and excessive screen time is a significant factor. Here are four ways to help students find and maintain a healthy balance with technology.

  • abstract circuit patterns, featuring small icons of coins and dollar symbols in blue, green, and gold tones

    Report: 90% of Schools Depend on E-rate Funding Every Year

    A new report from Funds for Learning highlights the critical role of the Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program in funding essential technologies and services for K-12 schools.

  • interconnected geometric human figures forming a network

    CoSN: School Staffing Is the Top Hurdle to K-12 Innovation

    Hiring and keeping educators and IT staff remains the top challenge for K-12 education in 2025, according to the latest Driving K-12 Innovation Report from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN).

  • computer with a red warning icon on its screen, surrounded by digital grids, glowing neural network patterns, and a holographic brain

    Report Highlights Security Concerns of Open Source AI

    In these days of rampant ransomware and other cybersecurity exploits, security is paramount to both proprietary and open source AI approaches — and here the open source movement might be susceptible to some inherent drawbacks, such as use of possibly insecure code from unknown sources.