Apple’s about to have more company in the classroom: Amazon.com announced yesterday a push to encourage Kindle use in schools. The initiative’s spearhead project is called Whispercast and, according to CNET, offers schools a way to manage multiple devices and student accounts from a single online dashboard. Teachers and administrators control e-books, documents, and applications downloaded and distributed through the service. They can also customize security settings and limit student use of Kindle features, if desired. The service is supported on all Kindle devices, including Kindle Fire and Paperwhite.
Whispercast is a free service, and the schools’ initiative will also include bulk discounts on educational Kindle purchases. Discounts on e-books and software are not currently proposed; Reuters suggests that schools adopting Whispercast and Kindles may prove a major source of income for Amazon in these content areas.
Publishers Weekly has more.