The New York Times reports that Amazon will introduce an online marketplace for teaching materials, including free lesson plans and worksheets.
“Called Amazon Inspire, the education site has features that may seem quite familiar to frequent Amazon shoppers,” writes Natasha Singer, an education technology reporter for the New York Times. “Search bar at the top of the page? Check. User reviews? Check. Star ratings for each product? Check.”
According to Singer, ed tech industry analysts say the market for digital educational materials is more lucrative than school computers.
The site won’t be the first to provide free lesson plans online. For example, the American Federation of Teachers has Share My Lesson. Several sites offer lesson plans for specific issues, like iCivics, which was founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Rohit Agarwal, general manager of Amazon K-12 Education, told Singer Amazon’s advantage will come in the site’s intuitiveness and by offering new features.
Amazon Inspire is expected to launch in late August or early September, when many public schools begin the school year.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
