This platform is provided at no additional cost to existing Discovery Education subscribers, providing iPad-friendly content and interface to the more than half of U.S. schools accessing Discovery Education services.
Halper said the company decided to do its first platform roll-out with the iPad, because that’s what schools are on the cusp of integrating in the classroom.
“We’re really hearing from educators that the iPad is what they’re planning on piloting in the next few months, so we thought this device is a great one to optimize first.”
Already, Florida’s Miami-Dade County, the fourth largest preK-12 school district in the U.S., has piloted the iPad with Discovery’s new platform.
The district, which has the highest performance in an urban district in the nation, says its relationship with Discovery began a year ago when it used the company’s resources for its middle (K-8) students. Now, Discovery Education is available to all students and teachers in the district.
According to Alberto Carvalho, the district’s superintendent, the district decided to purchase iPads and use Discovery’s platform thanks to a federal grant worth $6 million, and due to the device’s ability to provide 24/7 access to educational resources.
“We’re working with digital natives, and the best time to keep them engaged in the classroom is in the early years, which is why we’re introducing the iPad with our 6,000 middle school students,” explained Carvalho.
Carvalho said that the district decided to pilot the iPad because of the device’s ability to provide anytime, anywhere access to educational resources, like Discovery’s new platform.
Chicago Public Schools plans to implement iPads with Discovery’s platform in its classrooms in the future.
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