Tablet PCs are proliferating big time in the education segment. The University of Southern Mississippi—also popularly known as Southern Miss—has hit headlines with its recent announcement of acquiring no less than a 1000 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1’s. The Samsung tablets will be distributed among students who enroll for the Honors College pilot program this fall.
Of course, the tablets are not being given away for fun and games. They will come pre-loaded with Blackboard Mobile, an app designed to provide mobile access to almost everything required for a more complete learning experience. Students can look forward to things such as courses, syllabi, content, e-textbooks, grades, schedules, emergency notifications, and so on via Blackboard Mobile. Of course, nobody will be peering over their shoulders at all times to keep track of what the students are up to with their Galaxy Tabs, so fun and games can figure in somewhere.
We have earlier seen instances of the Apple iPad being used to further the cause of education in many universities, though this is the first time the Samsung tablet has found itself in a similar role.
[showhide type=’pressrelease’]University of Southern Mississippi to Provide Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 Tablets to Students
Samsung Mobile and Blackboard team up to bring a revolutionary learning experience to the classroom
DALLAS, August 1, 2011 – Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.[1], today announced that the University of Southern Mississippi will offer Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 mobile tablets to students participating in an Honors College pilot program this fall.
The University of Southern Mississippi is piloting up to 1,000 Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices to be distributed to selected Honors College, McNair Scholars, Southern Style and Gulf Coast students. The goal of this mobile initiative is to provide students with privately funded tablets focused on enhancing access to education. These tablets, loaded with Blackboard Mobile™ Learn, will fundamentally change the educational experience by giving students and educators mobile access to their courses, syllabi, content, e-textbooks, grades, schedules, emergency notifications and much more.
“Today’s announcement illustrates a growing demand from higher education institutions seeking to implement Samsung Mobile technology and content solutions in the classroom,” said Dale Sohn, President of Samsung Mobile. “The Galaxy Tab portfolio is an attractive option for schools looking for devices armed with strong feature sets and access to a comprehensive selection of applications built to enhance the learning process.”
The Samsung tablets will transform the educational space as students and professors share the same hardware and software, enabling them to experience and share audio, video, and other learning materials to accomplish classroom goals. The devices will also aid to reduce the amount of paper used in the classroom and provide students with easy access to e-books and other interactive learning materials.
“Tablets are like the Swiss Army Knife to academic excellence. By leveraging this new technology, we are committed to transforming the way students interact, engage and learn in the classrooms,” said Homer Coffman, Chief Information officer for The University of Southern Mississippi. “The iTech department at Southern Miss is continually challenging itself to support emerging technology and find new ways to put information into the students’ hands.”
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a WiFi-enabled tablet that measures at just 8.6 millimeters slim, making it the thinnest large screen tablet currently available in the world. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is powered by the Android™ 3.1 (Honeycomb) platform and features a brilliant 10-inch touchscreen and access to an array of applications through the Android Market™.
“Samsung Mobile is focused on enhancing enterprise solutions for the Samsung Galaxy portfolio in order to make Samsung the first choice for a variety of enterprise verticals including education, healthcare and others,” said Tim Wagner, Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Sales for Samsung Mobile. “We are dedicated to enabling educational institutions like the University of Southern Mississippi to provide their students with access to premium technology that enhances the learning experience.”
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition is currently available nationwide. Visitwww.samsung.com for additional details.
1 Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q1 2011 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.
About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visitwww.samsungwireless.com.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of nine independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Memory, System LSI and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, semiconductor chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.
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With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
