Echo360 licenses its software to schools in annual contracts that range from $20K to $200K, depending on the size of the school, which works out to an average cost for students of about $15 per year.
The society distributes antidissection videos and lends computer software to schools interested in offering alternatives.
Another table serves as headquarters for a firm making management software for schools.
Sales of computer software to schools for classroom use were $1.89 billion in 2010.
His company, based in Sugar Grove, Ill., already sells its software to schools and businesses to monitor Internet use.
Use of open-source software in schools and businesses eases the burden these institutions face in ensuring that their software is legally licensed.
Where Pearson is unique is in its attempt to integrate content, data, testing and connectivity through its acquisition of NCS, the software and schools testing group last year.
Google, Apple and other technology companies are very interested in education, including getting their hardware and software into schools around the world.
Apple Computer, Microsoft's largest competitor in the market for providing computer software to schools, made such a proposal in court papers, saying that the cost to Microsoft of donating free copies of Windows was less than $1 million.
