In conjunction with the company’s upgraded iBook launch earlier today, Apple has rolled out a new line of mobile labs for the education market. The Curriculum Mobile Labs launched today and are available in several categories.
Targeted mainly to the K-12 student, the Curriculum Mobile Labs are designed to help students in the areas of reading, math and science. The labs consist of Apple’s iBook Mobile Wireless Lab and research-based curriculum programs.
“These are not just the labs we brought out three years and are leading the industry with; these are designed with a real focus on subject areas,” Greg Joswiak, vice president of Hardware Product Marketing, told MacCentral in an interview today. “It’s a combination of great curriculum software, Apple hardware as well as professional development courses.”
The labs introduced today include Early Language Curriculum Mobile Lab: Grades Pre-K; Language Curriculum Mobile Lab: K-Adult; Math Curriculum Mobile Lab: Grades K-6; Math Curriculum Mobile Lab: Grades 6-12; and Science Curriculum Mobile Lab: Grades 6-12.
The labs include curriculum software from companies such as Riverdeep, Fairfield Language Technologies, Future’s Channel, Vernier, Bodelin and Wolfram Research. Wolfram today announced Mathematica Teacher’s Edition for Mac OS X, which is an integral part of the Math Curriculum Mobile Lab.
Areas emphasized in the Curriculum Mobile Labs mirror what the U.S. outlined last year in the “No Child Left Behind Act.” The Act targets six key areas that will characterize federal education assistance for years to come: Accountability; Literacy; A focus on “what works”; Professional development; Education technology; and Parental involvement.
According to U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige: “The new law will give states more flexibility on how they spend their education dollars. In return, it requires them to set standards for student achievement, and hold students, teachers, and other educators accountable for results. No Child Left Behind also will give parents new opportunities to make sure their children receive the very best education possible.”