Chromebooks, a family of inexpensive, Internet-dependent notebooks powered by Google's Chrome OS software, have taken the lead in the lucrative education technology market, reports CNBC.
These notebooks accounted for more than half of all classroom devices sold in the third quarter in the US.
According to a Futuresource Consulting survey, that's a huge increase for Chrome OS-driven machines that accounted for just one percent of K-12 sales in 2012.
The latest developer success story comes from Tapity, an Apple Design Award winner and the brains behind education app Grades and Languages, its popular offline translation app.
They've now put both Grades and Languages for sale in order to focus exclusively on Hours, a gorgeous time-tracking software that I reviewed in the summer of 2014. What's really interesting about this is how forthcoming Tapity's been about stats for these apps.
You might find it interesting to learn what kind of revenue Grades and Languages have been pulling thus far and what potential bidders can look forward to after buying Grades and Langauges.
Notch up another victory for Apple's mobile payment platform as the University of Oklahoma announced Monday that it will begin accepting Apple Pay across its entire campus. The initiative will allow students to pay with Apple Pay using their NFC-enabled devices like the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch at any of the four-hundred service locations scattered across the campus, including restaurants and bookstores.
iTunes U, Apple's educational catalog on iTunes, has gotten a whole lot more useful with a significant update to the official iPhone and iPad app in the App Store.
As first reported Thursday by Re/code, iTunes U for iOS has gained an interesting homework hand-in feature and PDF annotations providing a timestamp when the student submits term papers, book reports and other work.
Other changes include an integrated grade book, one-to-one discussions, importing content from third-party apps, including Apple’s own Keynote, Pages and iMovie, and more.
Apple on Tuesday quietly announced the promotion of Lisa Jackson, formerly the VP of environmental affairs, to a new lead policy position. As noted by The Washington Post, Jackson's bio on the company's website now reads Vice President, Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives.
In her new role, Jackson will not only continue to oversee Apple's efforts to minimize its impact on the environment, but she will also be responsible for the company's education policy programs such as ConnectED, its product accessibility work, and its worldwide government affairs.
Apple has just named “Toca Nature” its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to download the award-winning education software for both iPhone and iPad for free—a great savings of $2.99.
Geared towards kids, Toca Nature allows you to shape nature and watch it develop. Want to grow your own forest? Go for it. Want to create a mountain range and enjoy the view? You got it. Plants, animals, landscapes and more are at your disposal.
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) told Apple on Wednesday that it will not spend another dollar on the Pearson software installed on its iPads, reports local public radio station KPCC. Additionally, the school district is seeking a multimillion-dollar refund from the Cupertino giant for its failed technology initiative to put a tablet in the hands of each of its 650,000 students.
Drexel University has formed a partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia to provide an iPad vending machine to the University's students and local residents, to make a dozen iPads available for further learning.
You might call me a word nerd. One of my favorite things to do while writing is looking up synonyms. I absolutely hate seeing a sentence with the same noun in it more than once. When it comes to reviewing apps, you’d be surprised how hard it is to come up with a new word for “game.”
Words U is a messaging app that translates your conversation into sentences with alternate words. Instead of “Hi,” you’ll be saying “Salutations” to your friends. You don’t have to worry about your friends thinking you are being pretentious either. The conversations all take place within the app, so everyone is being a smarty-pants.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will deliver George Washington University's commencement address at the school's graduation ceremony, the university announced on Wednesday. The ceremony takes place on May 17, at the prestigious 'National Mall' national park in downtown Washington, D.C.
“I am delighted that Tim Cook has accepted our invitation to give this year’s commencement address,” University President Steven Knapp said. "I know our graduating students will be inspired and enlightened by his reflections on the lessons he has garnered from his distinguished career."
Apple's annual Back to School promotion launched today in Australia and New Zealand, as noted by 9to5Mac. Unlike last year when the promo included iTunes gift cards, this time around Apple Store gift cards are being offered to university students, students accepted to a university and parents buying for a university student.
A qualifying Mac, iPad or iPhone purchased is required.
The sale runs from January 30 through March 19.
Google today launched mobile apps on iOS and Android for its Classroom initiative. The service, which has seen 30+ million assignments submitted since its debut last summer, aims to help teachers save time, paper, and improve communication with students.
The app adds even more efficiency, allowing teachers to issue and track assignments from their phone or tablet. Students will enjoy it as well, as it lets them view and work on homework, with the ability to import from other apps, and live chat with classmates.