News Corp unveils tablet device for education

NEW YORK—News Corp. said Monday it would launch a new tablet computer with AT&T aimed at the education market to bring “digital innovation” to the classroom.

The media conglomerate headed by Rupert Murdoch said the effort would come from its education division which is being renamed Amplify.

“Amplify is dedicated to reimagining K-12 (elementary and secondary) education by creating digital products and services that empower students, teachers and parents in new ways,” the company said in a statement.

“It is our aim to amplify the power of digital innovation to transform teaching and learning and to help schools deliver fundamentally better experiences and results,” said Joel Klein, chief executive of Amplify.

“Amplify will introduce new products in a thoughtful way, so that technology can finally live up to its promise to advance learning and augment teaching for students, teachers and parents everywhere.”

Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, said the effort would include “a 4G mobile tablet-based experience that we believe will significantly enhance teaching and learning for grades K-12.”

Amplify “is creating new digital curricula that reinvent teaching and learning, beginning with English language arts, science and math,” the statement said.

The materials are being developed by a team at Wireless Generation, with educators from the University of California at Berkeley and Lapham’s Quarterly magazine.

The two companies will launch a pilot program in US schools in the upcoming academic year in which AT&T “will provide 4G tablets, device management and technical services, and connectivity.”

Last month, Murdoch said he would move forward on a plan to create separate companies for the huge entertainment division and the struggling publishing business, which includes the education unit.