Amazon launches Inspire as it looks to become a major player in education tech

Sharing is caring -- and it can also be profitable.

Amazon on Monday launched a new online portal with thousands of free education resources such as worksheets and lesson plans, its biggest move yet into the lucrative and growing industry that is using technology to change how students learn and teachers teach.

Called Amazon Inspire, the new service is meant to provide teachers with students anywhere from kindergarten to 12th grade a place to find and share free education materials. 

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“Amazon joins educators from around the country in recognizing the power of digital learning to transform the classroom, by creating a personalized, engaging learning environment for all students,” said Rohit Agarwal general manager of Amazon K-12 Education, in a press release.

The tech portion of the education industry (sometimes called EdTech) is sizable, having hit around $8.4 billion in 2014, with Google and Apple already heavily involved.

Amazon has been slowly but surely making its way into education. In 2013, Amazon bought TenMarks, an education app focused on math. In April, Amazon won a deal worth $30 million to deliver e-books to New York City public schools. 

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The program also has some buy-in from the federal government. The U.S. Department of Education is providing some materials from its College Scorecard, which helps students decide which university is right for them. Amazon had been working with the department on #GoOpen, a campaign that encourages educators to freely share materials.

The Inspire service retains much of Amazon.com'se functionality, including being able to search for and then review products. Teachers will be able to upload materials that can then be used in other schools.

"To truly transform learning in our schools and ensure educational equity for all students—regardless of grade level or zip code—it is crucial that we put high quality, open educational resources at teachers’ fingertips,” said Joseph South, director for the Office of Technology at the U.S. Department of Education.

Amazon Inspire already has a variety of school districts using the platform, including districts in Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont, among others.

Among the resources will be the Folger Shakespeare Library, which will eventually include more than 2,000 pieces of educational material including classroom instruction.

The program isn't entirely open yet, with teachers having to request access for now. Schools, districts and even states can also reach out to gain access to the program.

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