Amplify edtech tablet firm needs Dumbo students to trial curriculum

Kids in Dumbo have a chance to shape the way others around the country learn in the future. That’s because Amplify, the News Corp-funded maker of tablet computers for the classroom, draws on neighborhood kids as its developers iterate new educational games for their platform.

There is an open call out now for 5th and 6th graders to learn about single-celled organisms and the human biome. Snacks and pizza provided.

In fact, make it through all the sessions, and the company will give participating gamers a $100 Amazon gift card. That’s enough to buy a couple of new Playstation games. Interested parties should email: arodriguez AT amplify.com

Amplify has been drawing on the wisdom of the neighborhood’s vertically developing thought leaders for a while. The why and how the company draws on students to help shape their games is explained in a post on the company’s blog. It has anecdotes of real ways in which students have shaped curriculum, such as pointing out when games don’t seem to offer as much choices as they might like or indicating content that feels more like it’s appropriate for younger kids.

From the post:

“We’ve learned so much from the thousands of middle school students who have participated in play-testing and school-based pilots over the past two years,” says Justin Leites, Amplify’s vice president for games. “They’ve been quick to detect anything that smells like school.”

Play testing sessions take place at Amplify‘s Dumbo offices, on Washington Street.