Get Ready for a Switch! Nintendo's New Device to Replace Chromebooks

On March 29th, 2017, Edmonds School District superintendent Dr. Christina McDaniel had a meeting with Nintendo COO Reggie Fils-Aime at Nintendo of America’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Nintendo of America had reached out to the Edmonds School District with a proposal to start enrolling Nintendo’s new device, the Nintendo Switch, as as an educational tool. The positioning of the Nintendo Switch on the market is as a home gaming console you can take with you anytime, anywhere. The device has proven to be a success with the company, hitting record launch sales in many regions, including North America. The proposition was enlisting the use of the standalone Nintendo Switch console as a multifunctional tablet for usage by students. With the standalone tablet, production costs could be cut apart from the $299 retail price tag, which included many other components, such as the Joy-con controllers and Nintendo Switch dock.

Superintendent McDaniel stated, “We’re excited to be working with Nintendo to provide a more resourceful piece of technology for education in our schools. Often one of our complaints has been the lack of power in our Chromebook computers. With Nintendo Switch, we’ll be able to have a broader access to technological tools thanks to the increased power of the system.”

Thanks to the new hardware, new tools are already in development for the Nintendo Switch. In partnership with developers from both Nintendo and the Edmonds School District, resources are being put into the new Edmonds OS interface that will be implemented into the Switch consoles being distributed to students.

Head of the Edmonds School District Technology Department, Dr. Kaught Mi Inabluf stated, “The team at Nintendo of America are very skilled developers. Thanks to their partnership, we’ll be able to create new tools that no school system has been able to make.”

Lead software developer at Nintendo, Mein Kohder, is also excited about the new opportunities with this partnership. Mein states, “We’re working on making sure the Nintendo Switch is just as easy to use as a standard laptop, such as with our detachable keyboard in development. But we’re also working on creating fresh new ideas for schools to work with. One of the biggest things we’re excited to implement is VR. Currently in development is the Nintendo Switch VR Headset, which you just slide the tablet into, and then wear on your face. With this, we’ll be able to introduce Virtual Reality field trips into classrooms, which we’ll have software available for a plethora of different places and subjects.”

The Edmonds School District isn’t new to working with technology companies. The Chromebooks came with a partnership from CTL, which distributed Chromebooks specifically designed for students. The decision to switch to Nintendo’s new device was not an easy one.

Manager of the Edmonds School District Chromebook program, Jerome Brooks states, “There’s a lot of new advantages to using these devices. The Nintendo Switch is a lot sleeker, faster, more powerful, and has one of the most requested features, a touchscreen. The unit itself can also take quite a beating too, thanks to the durability of Nintendium. Not only will the partnership between us and Nintendo be great, but the overall classroom environment will be less cluttered with these more ergonomic devices. The unit itself is also great on our district budget. The unit as well as individual parts are a lot cheaper to replace compared to some of the damage costs on a Chromebook, which can range from $45-$305.”

Google is also currently being involved in the partnership as software developers. Google has begun developing their apps for Nintendo Switch, meaning you’ll still be able to access the current tools, such as Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and so forth. Google is also involved as a co-developer for Edmonds OS to give students an interface that feels reminiscent of Chrome OS, the interface of the Chromebooks.

Webb Maker, Head software engineer at Google states, “We here at Google are looking forward to bringing our services to Nintendo’s latest platform, especially in the name of education for our schools. We’re doing the best we can to make students feel right at home on these new devices.

Current Chromebooks will remain in student possession for the rest of the school year. The school district will begin rolling out the new devices starting this fall to both high schools and middle schools.

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