We’ve got a real technology in the classroom treat for you on TeachHUB.com today. Recently, online shopping giant Amazon announced it would be entering the technology in the classroom foray with a new platform resource called Inspire.
We know, it’s difficult to be inspired (ha) to positively anticipate yet another technolgoical behemoth invading our classrooms with yet more expensive and difficult to understand software and/or hardware products.
But here’s where Amazon begs to differ. Amazon is prominsing the “The world’s largest open educational resources platform with Inspire. Within its cloud, teachers will use Inspire to tap into well-known educational content providers like Folger Shakespeare Library and the Department of Education’s College Scoreboard.
But here’s another kicker. Participating teachers will also have the opportunity (much like with Teacherspayteachers.com) to upload and share resources. TeachHUB.com contributing writer Jordan Catapano, himself a seasoned high school English educator based in the venerable Chicago suburbs, notes that “Creating a venue where teachers upload their own content is not a new idea, but Amazon offers size, familiarity, and convenience that current marketplaces cannot.”
Only time wil tell, of course, whether Inspire will draw a crowd of teachers to an already crowded technology in the classroom field. But with Amazon’s in-place mechanisms for instant recommendations, reviews, and ratings, the playing field could already be tipped in the company’s direction.
We’ll see how popular Inspire becomes after its official launch later this fall. But with educators everywhere strapped for resources, time, and ideas, we’re betting Amazon’s Inspire could be a whopping success. Or not, haha. We’re still encouraging teachers to give it a shot, however.
Does Amazon’s Inspire sound like something you would use? Give it a try, and let our TeachHUB.com community know what you think!
