Author: BluCloud Staff
Digital and blended learning have long been shown to enhance learning in students of all ages. The combination of an online learning platform with traditional teaching methods allows for greater engagement with material, individualization of curriculum, and a smoother bridge to continued learning at home. With such clear and profound benefits, it comes as a disservice to today’s generation that integrated technology solutions have not yet become ubiquitous in today’s classrooms. Challenges remain: How can hardware prices become affordable enough for education budgets, particularly in developing regions? How can classrooms become optimized when there only exists uncoordinated software services?
BluCloud (www.blucloud.tech), a startup based out of Tufts University (www.tufts.edu), is answering these questions with revolutionary low-cost high-power devices and software. BluCloud was recently awarded the Montle Prize for Entrepreneurial Achievement for the innovations they are bringing to the ed-tech community. They have designed Slate, a fully modular tablet with components able to be easily added and switched out, all for four times less than the cost of an iPad.
How do they do it for so low of a cost? The tablet runs on a Raspberry Pi board, and is able to offer the power of a desktop computer because of their cloud based operating system, BluOS. BluCloud’s programs and productivity suite run on and save to their servers, meaning the required processing power is exported from your device. Even better, this means that all your work can be accessed anywhere, anytime, by logging into your account from any device.
The only comprehensive solution that will be successful for classrooms is an integrated one. This philosophy inspired BluCloud to create TeemUp, a platform for online content creation, sharing, and evaluation. This centralizes all classroom operations to a single platform optimized for the hardware you use, instead of the current standards of separate apps for gradebooks, file submission, quiz taking, class forums, and more.
The changes BluCloud envisions bringing to the classroom are encapsulated in one mantra: more learning in less time. Indeed, recent studies have shown that students utilizing electronic devices outperform a traditional control group on standardized tests. Moreover, from a subjective perspective, teachers report greater student engagement and learning progress when their lessons are supplemented with devices.
The BluCloud team has conducted closed beta testing, and will be entering production for select school districts soon. This launch will be supplemented by a Kickstarter for consumers interested in the modular Slate tablets. There is a great potential to improve education for a wide range of students worldwide, and BluCloud strongly believes the time to implement this change is now. They continue to pursue their mission to bring more access to more students, and you can keep up with their mission at blucloud.tech .
About BluCloud
BluCloud is an ed-tech startup run by Tufts sophomores Daniel McCormack and Michael Morscher. BluCloud specializes in optimizing technology by integrating the hardware, operating system, and online platform. BluCloud allows teachers and students to create and share educational content while encouraging engineering education from student interactions with building their modular Slate tablets. The team is eager to bring their innovative technology and socially-conscious pricing to the market, and encourages you to keep posted with them at facebook.com/blucloudtech.
How do they do it for so low of a cost? The tablet runs on a Raspberry Pi board, and is able to offer the power of a desktop computer because of their cloud based operating system, BluOS. BluCloud’s programs and productivity suite run on and save to their servers, meaning the required processing power is exported from your device. Even better, this means that all your work can be accessed anywhere, anytime, by logging into your account from any device.
The only comprehensive solution that will be successful for classrooms is an integrated one. This philosophy inspired BluCloud to create TeemUp, a platform for online content creation, sharing, and evaluation. This centralizes all classroom operations to a single platform optimized for the hardware you use, instead of the current standards of separate apps for gradebooks, file submission, quiz taking, class forums, and more.
The changes BluCloud envisions bringing to the classroom are encapsulated in one mantra: more learning in less time. Indeed, recent studies have shown that students utilizing electronic devices outperform a traditional control group on standardized tests. Moreover, from a subjective perspective, teachers report greater student engagement and learning progress when their lessons are supplemented with devices.
The BluCloud team has conducted closed beta testing, and will be entering production for select school districts soon. This launch will be supplemented by a Kickstarter for consumers interested in the modular Slate tablets. There is a great potential to improve education for a wide range of students worldwide, and BluCloud strongly believes the time to implement this change is now. They continue to pursue their mission to bring more access to more students, and you can keep up with their mission at blucloud.tech .
About BluCloud
BluCloud is an ed-tech startup run by Tufts sophomores Daniel McCormack and Michael Morscher. BluCloud specializes in optimizing technology by integrating the hardware, operating system, and online platform. BluCloud allows teachers and students to create and share educational content while encouraging engineering education from student interactions with building their modular Slate tablets. The team is eager to bring their innovative technology and socially-conscious pricing to the market, and encourages you to keep posted with them at facebook.com/blucloudtech.
