Kineo: A Tablet Tailor-Made for Schools

A seven-inch tablet computer/e-reader made by Brainchild, the Kineo allows schools to control the information students access. Made specifically for the education market, the Kineo is currently only available in 10 states, because its maker actually offers content specific to the education standards in each state.

The new tablet from Kineo allows schools to be more restrictive with the content the device displays.

Using a simple Web interface, school officials can control the books and lessons that appear on each student's Kineo. This removes the fears caused by other e-readers/tablets, which can access the Internet. In addition, the Kineo device has no camera or messaging capabilities, so schools don't need to worry about these features posing a danger.

“Kineo is an education-only tablet built for the ‘mission-critical’ environment in schools,” said Jeff Cameron, president of Brainchild. “A teacher cannot worry about bandwidth issues, screen freezes or free reign of the Internet. We have 16 years of experience in manufacturing handhelds and training teachers how to use standards-based curriculum. We’ve poured all of that experience into developing Kineo and GlobalSYNC.”

Brainchild developed the device partly because President Barack Obama's National Education Technology Plan 2010 calls for using mobile devices with clear outcomes that are driven by data. These recommendations are key elements of the Kineo when it is paired with Brainchild's Achiever! test-prep and learning software for data-driven, individualized instruction.

The devices also come with Brainchild's proprietary GlobalSYNC data synchronization technology. This allows schools to synchronize data from their Kineos on demand to a Web-based interface. The technology gives schools flexibility in how they use Kineo. Since the device stores data and only syncs when directed, it avoids the network crashes that can happened with continuous data uploads.

Perhaps most important in a school environment, Kineo was designed to withstand the rigors of being handled by children. It's chunkier than a Nook or a Kindle and less elegant than an iPad, but it was built for function more than aesthetics.

Brainchild sold out of its initial production run of 5,000 Kineos, which were delivered in April to school districts in 10 states, including North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. Many of these first implementations are for summer-school programs focusing on remediation for struggling students.

Article by Daniel B. Kline, EducationWorld Contributing Editor
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