No More Backpacks

Students at the Darden School of Business may be getting a glimpse of the future of education this year. Online retailer Amazon selected Darden as one of seven schools that will put the Kindle DX through its paces as an educational tool during the next two semesters. Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007.

“The sky is the limit in terms of the positive outcomes this project can produce,” says Darden dean Bob Bruner. “It has the potential to have a great impact on technology, environmental sustainability, student and school savings, teaching and learning.”

Students who participate in the Kindle testing will be able to carry all of their books and case studies in a wireless device that’s as thin as a magazine and weighs just over a pound. The device also provides highlighting and note-taking functionality, as well as a built-in dictionary.

“This project is significant,” says Robert Carraway, Darden’s associate dean for M.B.A. programs. “It affects many segments of the population. Education, journalism, the textbook industry, consumers and others could greatly benefit from the new device and the pilot study.”