Giving Compass' Take:

• Amazon will be shutting down its TenMarks program which allows teachers to buy digital and instructional materials for their classrooms. 

• How will this impact the way educators think about education technology? Will this deter education leaders from acquiring materials from large corporations? Will this be an opportunity for another company or philanthropists to step in?

• Understand more about digital platforms in education and the challenges that come with them. 

Amazon will be sunsetting TenMarks and its online instructional tools, which were once at the forefront of the company’s K-12 digital education strategy.

Amazon didn’t offer much information, either. A company spokesperson wrote via email that “after a thorough review of TenMarks, we’ve made the difficult decision to no longer offer this service after June 30, 2019.” The note did not share the size of the TenMarks staff but said that impacted members are expected to find new roles with Amazon.

In 2013, TenMarks was acquired by Amazon in a deal that was greeted by the edtech industry as a sign that major technology giants were serious about expanding into education.

The impending shutdown of TenMarks marks the latest pause and setback for Amazon’s efforts to develop and sell digital instructional services for the K-12 market.

While such pivots and product changes may be business as usual in the software world, such shifts can be highly disruptive to schools and teachers—especially when they have invested time in learning to use the platform.

Read more about TenMarks closing by Tina Nazerian and Tony Wan at EdSurge.