Category Archives: Audio Learning

Soundtrap for Education and Listenwise Partner to Offer Professional Development for Podcasting to all Teachers

End-to-end Listening and Podcast Creation Tools for the Classroom are Easily Accessible to Teachers through Personalized Professional Development

ISTE Conference, Philadelphia, PA, 2019-Jun-25 — /EPR  EDUCATION NEWS/ — Soundtrap, a Spotify company, and Listenwise, a listening skills-building company, are partnering to combine Soundtrap’s easy-to-use audio and podcast creation platform with Listenwise’s audio news resources and step-by-step teaching pedagogy to give teachers the Professional Development tools they need to help students create thought-provoking podcasts.

Listenwise curates the best of NPR programming and podcasts for the classroom, providing teachers with content that exposes students to stories and current events that can be applied across disciplines. Soundtrap, known for its ease of use and cross-platform compatibility, is an ideal vehicle to enable students to take what they learned and collaborate to create podcasts. Combining the strengths of both companies, the Podcasting Professional Development module will provide expert guidance to teachers in designing and integrating podcasting projects in their classrooms.

Soundtrap and Listenwise are offering a unique Professional Development module to teachers using the combined solution. It offers personal hand-holding throughout the entire process of creating podcasts. Teachers will get 1:1 coaching, project templates, instructional materials and assessment rubrics. Professional Development will be delivered by experts in podcasting and includes three months of free access to Soundtrap and Listenwise.

“Listening is a skill that gets overlooked in today’s classrooms, but it’s essential for a building a productive, responsive 21st century workforce,” said Monica Brady-Myerov, Listenwise CEO and host of the Listenwise podcast The Student Podcast PODCAST. “Offering both Soundtrap and Listenwise together gives teachers a way to extend the student learning process further beyond a news item and give voice to their ideas by creating podcasts around any subject they want to talk about.”

“Joining forces brings a holistic approach to finding out about the world around us. Together, we provide simple tools that support STEAM (Science, Math, Engineering, Arts and Math) education initiatives while amplifying student voices and developing essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration,” said Per Emanuelsson, Managing Director of Soundtrap at Spotify. “We hear from teachers that they sometimes feel daunted by new technology. Now, with Professional Development it’s as if there was someone there in the classroom to guide them through the whole process.”

The project-based podcasting Professional Development  is being offered for $3,500 for a cohort of six educators.  Additional participants $575/each. With the purchase of the professional development package, there is an option to buy discounted annual subscriptions to Soundtrap and Listenwise. With a minimum purchase of fifty seats/licenses the one-year discounted rate is $4 MSRP (vs. $4.98) per Soundtrap user, and $4 MSRP (vs. $5.70) per Listenwise user.  To request more information visit: https://bit.ly/2QLt5PK.  Visit Soundtrap at ISTE booth #2153, Listenwise at The Startup Pavillion  or online to find out more.

Soundtrap began bundling subscriptions as a way to offer the most comprehensive platforms possible. In April, Soundtrap for Education and Noteflight Learn, a music notation solution, began offering a discounted package that allows for easy MIDI file export between programs.

Resource Links:

Soundtrap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytTAbP0Denc
Storytellers video:https://press.soundtrap.com/media/55577/video
Lesson Plans: https://edublog.soundtrap.com/lesson-plans/
Photos: https://press.soundtrap.com/presskits
Listenwise video: https://listenwise.com

 

About Soundtrap

Soundtrap is the first cloud-based audio recording platform to work across all operating systems, enabling users to co-create music and podcasts anywhere in the world.  There are three Soundtrap products; Soundtrap for Storytellers, a podcasting solution, Soundtrap for Music Maker, a music creation tool and Soundtrap for Education used by the K-12  through higher-education markets. Soundtrap provides an easy-to-use, powerful and collaborative music and audio creation platform for all levels of musical interest and abilities.  Soundtrap is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.  In December 2017, it was acquired by Spotify. For more information, visit https://www.soundtrap.com/. 

 

About Listenwise

Listenwise is an award-winning listening comprehension platform that harnesses the power of listening to advance literacy and learning in all students. Our collection of podcasts and public radio keeps teaching connected to the real world and builds student listening skills at the same time.  Listenwise also elevates student voice with the Student Podcast PODCAST. Find more information at: ​listenwise.com


PR for Soundtrap

Aoife Kimber
akimber@kimberpr.com
+ 1 650 773 7288

PR for Listenwise

Karen Gage
karen@listenwise.com
+ 1 617 304 9057

A New Podcast Creation Tool Launches Called Soundtrap for Storytellers

Stockholm, Sweden, 2019-May-16 — /EPR  EDUCATION NEWS/ — Soundtrap, a Spotify company, announced that an education version of its new Soundtrap for Storytellers podcast creation tool will be available to teachers and students for use in the classroom.  It will be equipped with a wide range of intuitive features, allowing podcasters to focus on the art of storytelling by significantly reducing the time and investment typically needed to make podcasts sound professional.  It can be accessed via desktop, and a select set of recording and editing features are available on iOS and Android. Tools available include:

  • Interactive Transcripts/Editing Studio: Soundtrap for Storytellers saves hours of time by enabling users to transcribe and edit the spoken-word audio file as you would in a text document, eliminating the need to listen to the podcast over and over again.  Automatic transcripts, at the click of a button, will differentiate instruction for all ages, abilities and individualized education plans.  This tool allows learners to see their spoken word, easily edit the  text and tell the story of their learning.
  • Communication and Collaboration: While this education version is compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)  there is the ability for older  learners, outside the COPPA environment, to invite family and friends to remotely join a podcast without requiring the invitees to sign up for Soundtrap. They can also upload a podcast and English transcript directly to Spotify.
  • Creativity: Soundtrap for Education schools now have access to Soundtrap for Storytellers  added features which let students tell their story, create their personal jingles and complete the audio production process using Soundtrap’s built-in instruments and loops. Students will have access to 1,100+ classroom-appropriate sounds from freesound.org that could be used to punctuate their story and adds atmospheric sound to the podcast project.

According to Per Emanuelsson, CEO of Soundtrap, “This educational tool helps teachers differentiate instruction for students of all abilities within one classroom, giving students a compelling way to channel their thoughts and perspectives. While students will be utterly engaged, teachers get an inspiring vehicle for meeting core curriculum requirements.”

Soundtrap for Storytellers was built around solving some of the biggest pain points for podcasters — editing, transcribing, remote interviewing and adding sound effects — and providing one, streamlined platform that contains every part of the podcast creation process.  Equipped with a wide range of intuitive features, the education version of Soundtrap for Storytellers allows students to focus on the art of storytelling by significantly reducing the time and investment typically needed to make podcasts sound professional. The full suite of services can be accessed ​via desktop and a select set of recording and editing features is available​ on iOS and Android.

Access to the education version of Soundtrap for Storytellers will be available June 2019 without any additional subscription cost.  Annual subscription pricing for Soundtrap for Education begins at $249 USD for 50 users

ABOUT SOUNDTRAP
Soundtrap is the first cloud-based audio recording platform to work across all operating systems, enabling users to co-create music and podcasts anywhere in the world. The company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Soundtrap provides an easy-to-use music and audio creation platform for all levels of musical interest and abilities and is being used by the K-12 through higher-education markets. On December 2017, Soundtrap was acquired by Spotify. For more information, visit https://www.soundtrap.com/.

Education Video:https://wetransfer.com/downloads/f1ac1402f229e86c1e2e70aeeb2202a920190503194340/903c3668b4d251a66a5444dc7f57a68e20190503194340/2ca550

Photos and promo video: https://we.tl/t-4TqPqaXRRO

Media Contacts
Ida Ståhlnacke
idas@spotify.com
+46 72 249 98 11

PR for Soundtrap
Aoife Kimber
akimber@kimberpr.com
+ 1 650 773 7288

Preply: Identifiez le professeur de votre choix grâce à un site dédié

PARIS, May-16-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Si auparavant, il fallait opter pour un service à domicile, ce n’est désormais plus le cas grâce à l’émergence du Web et de plateformes en ligne comme preply.com/fr/. Avec Internet, vous êtes en mesure de faire appel à des professeurs qui ne seront pas contraints de se déplacer. Il suffit de taper cherche prof pour obtenir une multitude de réponses.

Identifiez le professeur de votre choix grâce à un site dédié

Les cours à domicile existent depuis une multitude d’années, mais le concept a largement évolué ces dernières années. Les parents ou les étudiants qui avaient l’intention d’améliorer leurs connaissances devaient se focaliser sur des petites annonces ou des agences spécialisées. La recherche était à la fois laborieuse, complexe et le rendu n’était pas toujours celui escompté.

Lorsque le Web a commencé à prendre une telle ampleur, certains professeurs ont décidé de partager leurs connaissances en ligne avec deux formats très différents. Le premier est relativement simple puisqu’il consiste à prendre un rendez-vous avec un enseignant de qualité afin de suivre un cours via une messagerie comme Skype.

Avec une consultation via une Webcam, vous pouvez suivre un cours n’importe quand

Votre professeur est de l’autre côté de votre écran et il a les moyens de vous corriger grâce à sa caméra. C’est un concept très intéressant qui permet de supprimer les déplacements tout en optimisant le planning des élèves. Ces derniers ne sont pas contraints d’être à leur domicile pour améliorer leurs compétences. Pendant leur pause déjeuner, ils ont la possibilité de contacter un enseignant qui sera à disposition.

Dans un autre cas de figure, le Web a permis à tous ces professionnels dispatchés dans une multitude de domaines de partager des annonces beaucoup plus facilement. Ils se déplacent donc chez vous, mais ils ont gagné en visibilité. Il suffit généralement de s’inscrire sur une plateforme spécialisée afin de rechercher un tuteur.

Des enseignants qualifiés et propriétaires de vrais diplômes

Généralement, trois étapes sont nécessaires. La première concerne la sélection du tuteur. Une liste est à votre disposition, mais il est tout à fait envisageable de la trier grâce aux nombreux filtres. Par la suite, le professeur identifié reçoit une demande et s’il l’accepte vous serez en mesure de planifier une leçon.

Trouver un bon enseignant sur le Web, c’est donc très facile, il est judicieux de s’attarder sur plusieurs aspects à savoir un site internet sérieux qui a vérifié les compétences des tuteurs. Ces derniers doivent posséder les diplômes nécessaires ou un niveau d’études suffisant pour vous épauler dans cette aventure.

Attention à toutes ces offres gratuites!

Grâce à Internet, il est également possible d’avoir quelques avis ou témoignages laissés par les précédents clients. C’est un concept appréciable notamment pour vous faire une idée concernant les qualités de ce professionnel. Cela vous donne les moyens de cibler rapidement celui susceptible de combler vos attentes.

Sachez qu’il existe bien sûr des formules gratuites sur la toile, mais soyez très vigilant, car ces internautes qui proposent leurs services sur diverses plateformes de vidéo n’ont pas été testés en amont. Vous ne pouvez donc pas être certain que leurs compétences seront suffisantes pour répondre à vos questions et vous aider à progresser.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Sur Preply, 47 000 tuteurs offrent leurs services à plus de 110 000 élèves : 27 langues, 13 matières scolaires

PARIS, 09-Feb-2017 — /EPR EDUCATION NEWS/ — Preply, plateforme internationale de tutorat et d’études, annonce l’opportunité pour les étudiants et les enseignants français de développer leur carrière dans un monde en constante mutation. Le site aide les utilisateurs à trouver les meilleurs enseignants venus des quatre coins du monde – de Pékin à Paris en passant par Los Angeles – pour se perfectionner en langues étrangères, biologie, sciences humaines et autres sujets. C’est la variété de matières proposées (anglais, poésie et même comédie) qui rend Preply unique. Chaque cours s’articule autour d’étapes progressives visant à aider l’élève à atteindre son objectif principal.

Créé en avril 2013, Preply fonctionne aux États-Unis, en Pologne, en Ukraine, en Russie, au Brésil, et prépare son lancement en France. La société a été fondée par Semyon Dukach, un business angel à la tête de Techstars Boston, et a eu le privilège de figurer parmi les finalistes de Techstars Berlin 2015. En juin 2016, Preply a récolté 1,3 millions de dollars (940 000 euros) lors d’une levée de fonds initiale menée par des investisseurs européens, parmi lesquels Arthur Kosten (co-fondateur de Booking.com), Mariusz Gralewski (co-fondateur de DocPlanner), Hedgehog Fund et RTAventures VC. Cet investissement a permis de créer une plateforme de qualité, conviviale et facile d’utilisation.

Sur Preply, 47 000 tuteurs offrent leurs services à plus de 110 000 élèves : 27 langues, 13 matières scolaires, mais également des cours de théâtre, de musique, et d’arts plastiques. Les cours de français et d’anglais comptent parmi les plus populaires sur la plateforme. Le tarif des cours sur Preply varie entre 2 et 100 euros de l’heure. Chaque mois, grâce à Preply, les tuteurs inscrits sur la plateforme donnent environ 30 000 heures de cours.

Selon Kirill Bigai, co-fondateur et PDG, “Preply permet un apprentissage flexible organisé par les tuteurs pour répondre aux besoins individuels de chaque étudiant. Preply.com aide aussi les enseignants, qu’ils soient auto-entrepreneurs, employés à temps partiel ou à temps plein, à trouver de nouveaux étudiants et à créer des processus d’apprentissage continu. Les cours en ligne traditionnels ne sont pas adaptés aux besoins spécifiques de chaque élève et génèrent rarement les résultats escomptés. Cependant, faire appel à un tuteur ‘hors ligne’ s’avère souvent à la fois coûteux et chronophage. Preply.com est en phase avec la transformation du travail : nos tuteurs sont capables d’enseigner des compétences plus spécialisées et plus fragmentées. Nous croyons véritablement qu’une amélioration continue peut aider qui que ce soit à trouver son rôle dans l’économie moderne.”

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Dr. Robi Ludwig Announces the Release of MindPT, a Personal Training Program for the Mind

New York, NY, 2017-Jan-20 — /EPR EDUCATION NEWS/ — Dr. Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist, award winning reporter and author, is pleased to introduce her latest personal development program for the mind. The program, MindPT, is designed to help change the automatic thought habits in a person to help uplift, inspire and motivate an individual for 6 to 8 hours per day.

MindPT is described as, “A mobile, bite-sized personal growth solution that helps you change your automatic thought habits, so that your actions are always aligned with what you want in life.” The three-minute a day micro-practice is designed to be watched anytime, anywhere on your phone or desktop. The objective of the practice is to increase the confidence, self-esteem, and overall happiness of the user. Industry experts have given the program rave reviews and have already started to incorporate MindPT into their client practice and even into their own personal lives.

Margit Cruice, Professional Life Coach and Founder/CEO of The Institute for Conscious Thought, has integrated MindPT into her practice and her clients use it as a way to create more positivity in their lives. “I am thrilled to partner with MindPT to create personalised sessions for my clients. As a Life Coach, I knew immediately that this would create massive benefit for my clients,” Cruice said, “Every single client now uses MindPT as a core part of their work with me and they all report thinking more positively and feeling happier as a result.”

The MindPT program was designed based on the concepts in Ludwig’s latest book  Your Best Age is Now. The book provides guidance to women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s on how to live younger, brighter and more vibrant lives. The book draws on scientific data and Ludwig’s own personal experience as a therapist to prove that middle-age is not the beginning of the end but the beginning of a new and exciting chapter of life.

Dr. Robi Ludwig is a nationally known psychotherapist, award-winning reporter, and author, and she is a relationship contributor for Investigation Discover Network’s Scorned. She is a regular guest on CNN, FOX News, and Headline News, and has appeared on Today, HLN, 20/20, The View, Steve Harvey, The Wendy Williams Show, Entertainment Tonight, World News Tonight, and Nightline, and is on the medical board and a contributor for Bella Magazine. She also writes for The Huffington Post. Dr. Ludwig lives in New York City. To learn more about Dr. Robi Ludwig, visit http://drrobiludwig.com.

Contact-Details: Dr. Robi Ludwig
drrobi@drrobiludwig.com

Via EPR Network
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Glogster EDU is a part of App packs for Google Chromebooks for Education

GlogsterEDU has been announced as one of the applications found on the Google Chromebook’s Education App Pack: a set of apps recommended by the schools, teachers and users for a richer educational experience, at ITSE 2012!

At ITSE, new features have been introduced to make Chromebook easier to manage in all aspects (including finding, managing, installing and using apps in your school).

So what features are included?

Grade-level application packs which are groups of Chrome Web Store apps which are organized by grade level and are connected to Google’s suite of Apps for Education. These packs can be installed from the Chromebook management console. Many are free and for those that aren’t, discounts are often offered for bulk purchases.

Organization-specific web app collections in the Chrome Web Store allow administrators the ability to propose apps to teachers as well as students and other staff members. The collection is can be seen only by the school, and admins are able to pull together apps from the Chrome Web Store, application packs and web apps bought elsewhere or private apps developed by the school. (This feature is also available to Chromebook for Business customers from the control panel.)

Here are some + about Glogster EDU.
+ Proven Creative Technology : Used by more than 500 000 teachers.
+ Easy District Management : Manage multiple schools via one Dashboard.
+ Affordable 50% discount: $1 USD per seat/year (if you get at least 1001).
+ Trusted : Reviewed, Recommended, Ranked.
+ Approved : Meets national educational technology standards.

Do you want to adopt Creative Learning to your District or School? Contact us for a huge discount offer.

Via EPR Network
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Huge Demand Inspires Edulabs to Reschedule Critical Webinar Series on Tablet Buying for Education

Edulabs Learning Solutions Ltd., a leading Thai-based innovator of 21st Century electronic teaching systems (www.edulabsglobal.com), has received overwhelmingly positive daily responses and a higher-than-anticipated demand for its “must attend” Webinar series. The Webinar www.edulabsglobal.com/webinar) cover CRUCIAL considerations that buyers of tablets for educational institutions MUST understand before buying. The Webinars became immediately over-subscribed at launch, and so Edulabs Global has decided to re-launch the Webinar series with new times and dates in order to accommodate the increased interest and demand for registered seats.

Gregory Pommerenk, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Edulabs Learning Solutions, Ltd., explains, “There is no doubt that the world-wide demand and excitement for Tablet computers and Smartphones in education is growing stronger and stronger each and every day, and has fueled this increased interest in Edulabs’ Webinar series. With this also comes the need for knowledge and information that will assist the educational communities around the world to make sure that the money they are about to collectively spend is invested wisely, effectively and accurately.”

The digital learning revolution

Schools around the world are starting to proactively adopt mobile learning programs and initiatives, establish or upgrade their broadband infrastructures and also replace traditional textbooks with digital textbooks at an unprecedented rate. Top online learning institutions such as www.learning.com and www.epals.com have created eLearning material which has revolutionized the global education industry.

It is estimated by respected research organizations that in the K-12 (Primary and Secondary) educational sector alone, there will be a need for in excess of 200 million Tablet computers and over 400 million Smartphones within the next 3-5 years. This is not including the huge need and demand in developing countries and underdeveloped areas of countries such as China, India and Brazil, which affects hundreds of millions of school-aged children and teens.

Explosion in educational demand for eLearning solutions.

In today’s interconnected and inter-dependent globalized world, the global community at large has finally awoken to the fact that having billions of uneducated and unskilled people, especially youth, affects the entire world, and is subsequently striving more proactively than ever to improve the state of education amongst youths. Edulabs Global feels that all of these additional areas are poised to soon explode in terms of demand. The countries of Africa, China, India, Brazil and many ASEAN countries have combined populations in excess of 3 billion people, of which hundreds of millions of youth desperately need much improved and affordable educational solutions.

Subsequently, more digital educational content and applications are becoming available at affordable prices and more and more verifiable studies are proving the value of digital web-based education. This in turn prompts more countries, especially developing counties, to get wired with hi-speed infrastructures that are finally including even the most remote and previously unwired areas of these countries.

New times and dates for Edulabs Webinar Series

The new Webinar times and dates will be announced via our website and a formal press release during the week of February 20th, 2012. In addition to the impressive list of guest presenters and speakers that are already confirmed to attend, Edulabs is also in the process of adding several additional Tablet and Smartphone, Cyber-safety, Edu-tech and Digital Contents and Applications (including Digital Textbooks) companies that wish to participate in the Webinar series.

Please stay tuned to the Edulabs web site and news wires for upcoming announcements regarding the new times and dates of the Webinar series, and take part in these“cannot miss” exciting events!

Via EPR Network
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Launch of Students Cloud Network, Learn, Distribute and Advance

Launch of StudentsCloud.com : Students Cloud is a platform where Students, Parents, Teachers, Schools and Administrators of Campuses, Colleges and Universities can network and collaborate worldwide

Students Cloud strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts. Students Cloud is collaboration and networking tool that helps you discover inside connections to Professionals, Students, Parents , Teachers and Administrators, Service Providers, Customers, Prospects, Partners and Industry experts. Professionals Use Students Cloud platform to build their own students focused education ecosystem. Members use the Students Cloud platform to discover a new way to manage their profile, answers , and groups, eLearning, Distance Education, Training and Events . Use the platform to build a network, share ideas, and improve opportunities, share students reviews, ratings and customer case studies, Perfect Teacher Index

Features:
Students Cloud platform supports a fundamental shift In the way Students, Parents, Teachers, Schools, Campuses, Colleges and Universities communicate and collaborate worldwide. The main features of Students Cloud are as given below.
1. Global Networking of Students, Parents, Teachers and Administrators of Schools, Colleges, Universities worldwide
2. Cloud of eLearning, Distance Education, Training and Events. Build your Students-Focused and Community-Powered Education Ecosystem
3. Get Answers From Experts, Parents, Teachers and your Peers. Share Reviews, Ratings and Case studies

About Students Cloud

  • Get the most from Your Networking and Efficient Collaboration
  • Community-Powered Education Ecosystem help Institutions, Companies and their Partners build their Education Ecosystem
  • Perfect Teachers index, Reviews, Ratings and recommendations help Teachers and Administrators to showcase their Service Offerings in a better way
  • CRM Pro, Mail Box and Collaboration Pro features help Teachers and Administrators to build their Network with Students and Parents Community
  • Latest Updates from many News Channels – News
  • Students Cloud Profile Management System enables Individuals, Students, Teachers to maintain their Integrated Profile Information System

You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnNF-okH9ug

Via EPR Network
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Promethean Introduces ActivEngage To Its Range Of Learner Response Systems

Promethean, a global leader in interactive learning technology, has launched ActivEngage, a new software version of its market leading Learner Response System*. This new application enables laptops or desktop computers to act as personal response devices, meaning schools can provide voting capability in classrooms via individual student computers instead of specific handsets.

Computer-per-pupil initiatives are increasingly being promoted by governments as a means of underpinning schools’ ICT strategies. That, along with schools focus on developing problem-solving and technology skills makes these a valuable classroom resource. The introduction of this software only version of Promethean’s Learner Response System has been designed to complement these initiatives and widen access to their assessment and engagement capabilities.

Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland has welcomed the development of the new software application, becoming the first local authority in the UK to adopt ActivEngage. It plans to introduce the software to primary and secondary schools across the region, following an initiative to ensure all pupils in its 122 schools have access to their own laptop, netbook or PC.

John Tait, Education Officer for Dumfries and Galloway local authority, explained: “It is vital that ICT is embedded into the teaching and learning process. Having enjoyed previous success with Promethean’s handheld voting systems, we wanted to maximise our ICT investment by providing all schools in Dumfries and Galloway with access to this assessment and opinion-gathering capability, without having to purchase additional hardware devices. ActivEngage was the perfect solution.”

Schools using ActivEngage can use the technology in a single classroom or across an entire campus. The voting interface floats over other software applications, enabling it to be deployed at any point in a lesson.

Promethean’s Head of European Education Strategy, Margaret Allen, commented: “Learner Response Systems have proved invaluable for providing teachers with flexible and exciting opportunities to engage, motivate and assess learners. Teachers gain instant insight into students’ understanding and can use the self-paced learning mode, whereby students work through different levels of question sets, to personalise learning to the capabilities of different individuals.”

Students are able to respond to a wide range of questioning formats using numbers, free text, symbols, or likert scales. Responses can be instantly displayed on an Interactive Whiteboard laptop or desktop computer and saved by the teacher for later analysis.

Promethean is also offering schools the chance to ‘try before you buy’, by enabling trial copies of ActivEngage to be downloaded and used free of charge from PrometheanPlanet.com, the world’s largest online interactive whiteboard community. This will give schools the opportunity to explore the benefits of ActivEngage and Learner Response Systems before purchasing the programme.

Via EPR Network
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Promethean Brings World’s Fastest Car To Maidenhead

Promethean, the interactive learning technology provider, organised a rare opportunity for pupils from Maidenhead and Reading to see a life size replica of the Bloodhound Supersonic Car. They were also able to meet and question Richard Noble OBE about the Bloodhound project, and its attempts to set a new World Land Speed Record and exceed the 1,000mph milestone for the first time.

The event was organised by Promethean to mark the official opening of its new offices in Maidenhead. The company is the Bloodhound project’s official interactive education technology partner and aimed to create a genuinely exciting educational opportunity in the area to mark the occasion.

Promethean’s President of European Sales and Marketing, Paul Berry, commented: “Through our partnership with Bloodhound, we are working to give young people access to inspiring content, resources and tools to help engage them in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects that will improve their life chances. This is an ideal way to give pupils a day to remember, and set them thinking about the exceptional things that can be achieved through science and technology.”

Pupils representing Wessex Primary in Cox Green, Maidenhead; Cranbourne Primary in Winkfield; Emmbrook in Wokingham; Ranelagh in Bracknell; and Maiden Erlegh in Earley had the chance to see the 13.4m long Bloodhound replica and take part in interactive sessions involving rocket power, distance, time and speed using Promethean classroom technologies.

Building of the actual Bloodhound car is underway in Bristol. Powered by both a rocket and a jet engine, it has been designed to achieve speeds of up to 1,050mph, and is expected to become the world’s fastest car when it makes a new attempt on the World Land Speed Record in South Africa in 2012.

Along the way, the team behind the project also hope to foster a lifelong interest in science, technology, engineering and maths in young people and help develop a pipeline of talent for the future.

Via EPR Network
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Promethean Launch ‘Give Every Child A Voice’ Recycling Campaign

Promethean, the interactive learning technology business, is launching ‘Give Every Child a Voice’, a recycling campaign among Scottish schools to support the NSPCC’s ChildLine, the 24 hours-a-day helpline for children and young people.

Promethean is bringing together schools across Scotland to help raise funds for ChildLine by recycling old or unwanted mobile phones. For every 250 mobile phones a school collects, Promethean will donate £500 to ChildLine in Scotland and an ActivExpression Learner Response System will be awarded to the school.

The ActivExpression Learner Response System is a set of handheld pupil devices which allow every child to respond to questions by texting their responses.

All schools are encouraged to participate in the campaign and can sign-up via www.giveeverychildavoice.com, a dedicated campaign website.

There are around 2,150 primary and 375 secondary schools in Scotland, and Promethean hopes to enrol as many schools as possible to help generate a target of £250,000 for ChildLine in Scotland.

Once signed-up, schools will be provided with collection bins, literature and resources to help promote recycling, fundraising and awareness for ChildLine in Scotland.

X Factor finalists John and Edward Grimes, aka Jedward, are lending their support to the campaign by making a school appearance in Scotland where they will discuss recycling and raising awareness of ChildLine’s service.

Via EPR Network
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Promethean And BrainPOP Announce Integrated Assessments For Learning

BrainPOP, the award-winning creator of animated, educational resources, is pleased to announce that its curriculum-based quizzes are now fully integrated with Promethean’s learner response systems, ActiVote and ActivExpression.

The integration of ActiVote and ActivExpression, the industry-leading learner response system, with BrainPOP’s quizzes – including all BrainPOP Jr. (K-3) topics – makes it easier than ever for teachers to improve learning outcomes by providing highly individualized instruction and assessment. Linking BrainPOP’s content to learner response devices opens the door for increased student participation and higher academic achievement.

Earlier this year, educators in Georgia’s Forsyth County Schools piloted the functionality, which is powered by Promethean’s software developers’ kit.

“The ability to gather formative and immediate student responses while using BrainPOP’s dynamic content adds a new dimension to classroom instruction. The integration of these learner response systems with BrainPOP’s quizzes has been incredibly well-received by both teachers and students,” said Jill Hobson, Director of Instructional Technology for Forsyth County Schools in Atlanta, Georgia.

Administering BrainPOP quizzes with ActiVote or ActivExpression not only engages students but also helps teachers quickly identify who is struggling and might need extra assistance. By fully integrating BrainPOP quizzes into Promethean’s software development kit, teachers can work assessments into their lessons in just a few easy steps. The reporting functions allow teachers to see individual student progress and to view responses in a number of formats. Student and class results can be printed or downloaded, and then incorporated into grade books and learning management systems.

“BrainPOP’s collaboration with Promethean on the engineering of this new capability exemplifies our commitment to 21st century learning,” said Avraham Kadar, M.D., CEO and Chairman of BrainPOP. “The pairing of our quizzes with learner response systems brings a new level of engagement to the classroom, one that is sure to have a tremendous impact on student performance going forward.”

“Our partnership has provided an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate how interactive technologies and rich digital content can help real teachers in the classroom with real education improvement,” commented Mark Elliott, President of Promethean North America. “A digital learning environment empowers teachers with the tools and resources they need to support today’s student, and, in turn, boost participation and overall academic achievement.”

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Promethean Sponsors First Irish Teaching and Learning Festival

Promethean, a world leader in the rapidly growing global market for interactive learning technology, has announced that it is to be the lead sponsor of the inaugural Irish Teaching and Learning Festival, held in Citywest Conference Centre, Dublin on 15th and 16th October, 2010.

The conference will feature education thought leader, and Oscar winning producer, Lord David Puttnam, presenting his vision of how Ireland can better meet the educational needs of its new generation of learners. As a former president of UNICEF UK, and non executive director of Promethean, the Cork resident will bring some very thought provoking ideas to his keynote.

Graham Byrne, head of Ireland and Scotland at Promethean said: “There has been very strong demand for an Irish event to highlight the very latest resources, technologies and trends in teaching. As a global leading educational technology company and creator of the ActivClassroom suite of classroom solutions, we are delighted to support Ireland’s first ever interactive conference and exhibition.”

Promethean will be demonstrating how its ActivClassroom solutions, comprising of interactive whiteboards, learner response systems and specialist teaching software, are bringing to life the promise of ICT in education, improving engagement and results for learners and teachers. There will also be a host of practical teaching workshops, live demonstrations and an exhibition of the latest education tools for visitors.

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Promethean Acquires SynapticMash

Promethean World Plc (LSE:PRW), a world leader in the rapidly growing global market for interactive learning technology, has announced that it has agreed to acquire SynapticMash Inc, a start-up US education formative assessment software company. The acquisition is expected to complete before the end of July 2010.

The initial consideration is $10 million in cash, of which $1 million is deferred for 18 months. A further performance related consideration of $3 million may be payable in 18 months, dependent on retention of key SynapticMash employees and sales targets.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Seattle, SynapticMash has developed a sophisticated and modular cloud-based formative assessment platform that is being marketed to US school districts through a subscription model. Its learning management system, LearningQube, transforms the way schools collect and manage classroom data, enabling teachers and administrators to better assess and track student performance.

Formative assessment is the evaluation of student performance instantaneously during the learning process rather than by formal exam typically at the end of a term or school year. It enables teachers to modify lessons during the progression of a course, based on their students’ levels of understanding, leading to differentiated instruction and improved academic achievement.

SynapticMash directly fits Promethean’s education strategy and significantly strengthens Promethean’s formative assessment and learner response systems (LRS) offering. LRS are handheld devices that allow students to contribute in real time during lessons, and enable teachers to instantly gauge student understanding.

SynapticMash’s LearningQube software will be fully integrated with Promethean’s LRS devices and specialised educational software, ActivInspire, to create a new and powerful formative assessment proposition for the education market, enabling teachers as well as school administrators to improve student assessment and performance.

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Promethean Announces Triple Success At 2010 Worlddidac Awards

Promethean, a world leader in the rapidly growing global interactive learning technology, is delighted to announce that it has won three prestigious awards from the Worlddidac Foundation for excellence in education.

Promethean’s specialised ActivInspire education software, ActivExpression Learner Response System and teacher web community, Promethean Planet, were all honoured in the ‘Information and Communication Technologies’ category.

These awards, which are held biannually, were judged by a jury of teachers and industry experts based on educational and didactic capabilities, design and sustainability.

Promethean has a long tradition of success at the Worlddidac awards, recognising its leading global position in interactiveeducational resources and technology. This year’s triple win follows previous successes for Promethean Planet and its ActivPrimary software, the precursor to ActivInspire.

Iwan Streichenberger, Chief Marketing Officer, commented: “We are delighted with this triple success, which is overwhelming recognition for the significant educational benefits Promethean’s ActivClassroom brings to learning. Once again, this demonstrates Promethean’s ongoing commitment, through the development of innovation interactive learning solutions, to improving engagement in the classroom and raising student achievement across the world.”

The Worlddidac Foundation has been presenting Worlddidac Awards internationally for the past 25 years, recognising excellence in educational resources. Worlddidac is the global trade association for companies providing products for education and training at all levels. It has 180 member companies and organisations from 43 countries on 5 continents. The 2010 award ceremony will be held in Switzerland in October.

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Promethean Partners With Bloodhound Supersonic Car Project

Promethean, a global leader in interactive learning technology, has become the official interactive education technology partner of Bloodhound SSC (SuperSonic Car) Project.

Bloodhound team members have held the World Land Speed Record for the past 26 years, however the new Bloodhound project aims to design and build the first car capable of achieving 1,000 mph and smash the World Land Speed Record. The three year project is lead by Richard Noble OBE and Wing Commander Andy Green OBE who set the current record of 763mph (1228kmh) in October 1997.

Promethean will work with the Bloodhound SSC team to support its international education programme and engage young people in the science that underpins this challenge. Supported by an array of global technology companies and universities, a key objective for Bloodhound is to inspire young people to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education and careers.

The project will provide open access to its science and engineering research data and design iterations involved in the development of the Bloodhound SSC. Ultimately this will be the catalyst for a raft of cutting-edge research in fields such as; aerodynamics, materials technology, composite manufacturing and sustainable high-tech engineering.

“In the 1960’s, the goal of putting a man on the moon inspired an entire generation to take interest in STEM. We hope Bloodhound will have the same “Apollo Effect” for this generation” said Jim Wynn, Chief Education Officer at Promethean.

Promethean will be installing its ActivClassroom technology in Bloodhound’s education centres, creating the ‘classroom of the future’ and will be equipping Bloodhound’s education ambassadors with relevant software and educational resources for use in schools.

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Promethean Planet Is Changing

Promethean, a world leader in the rapidly growing global market for interactive learning technology, has unveiled a new look Promethean Planet to provide members with a faster, easier and more enhanced user experience.

Promethean Planet Is Changing

Available free in 11 languages, this next generation of Planet aims to provide its 600,000 plus teaching members with new functional enhancements. These include a one-click mega-menu and enhanced resource search and filtering, making it quicker to search for and access over 20,000 free teaching resources.

Proving once again that Promethean Planet is all about its members, the new site enables users to personalise their experience by customising their interactive whiteboard community homepage with their favourite content and resources, exchange private messages with other members and create bookmarked quick links to any Planet page. In addition, Planet’s free online storage means each member can save and store up to 1GB of resources securely in their free, personal storage space.

With its enhanced website, Promethean Planet continues to lead the way to encourage the true spirit of community. Promethean Planet’s new innovative private group functionality has been designed to meet the needs of educator groups, schools, districts and education authorities. Planet members can apply to set up a private group that includes private forum, blog and wiki functionality as well as the ability to file-share within the private group environment.

Brent Taggart, Head of Promethean Planet said: “Promethean Planet is the world’s largest online community of its kind and its success is due to its members who span 150 countries. We provide the platform for teachers and educationalists to share lessons and ideas, source training, and interact with their peers. The enhancements and improved functionality unveiled today have been designed with our members in mind in order to further improve their Planet experience and to build on its market leading position.”

Promethean Planet’s popular online store has also been given a new facelift, making it even easier to buy publisher created interactive whiteboard resources from leading names such National Geographic, Dorling Kindersley, Scholastic, the Waterford Institute and Collins. These low-cost, ready-made lessons are completely customisable, aligned to educational standards and can be purchased in US dollars, GBP and now Euros.

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Promethean Technology Key To Improved Results At St. Aidan’s

Promethean ActivClassroom solutions help the new £16 million campus at St. Aidan’s Church of England Academy, Darlington, achieve a dramatic turnaround in school attendance and academic results.

Since the implementation of the Promethean ActivClassroom with interactive whiteboards (IWB), the Academy has been transformed from one of the country’s “least effective” schools to a thriving centre of secondary education and beacon of ICT best practice.

Assistant principal, Alan Dick, commented: “We know that technology is a vital part of students’ lives, and we were determined to place it at the heart of our improvement strategy. This approach has paid immediate dividends, renewing students’ enthusiasm for lessons and giving a welcome boost to their results.”

Whereas only 19% of students left the school with five ‘good’ (A*-C) GCSE grades in 2006, this had doubled in 2009, with 39% of students achieving the benchmark – well above the national target of 30%.

Key to this transformation has been the role of classroom technology in addressing student attendance and improving the former school’s ranking as eighth worst in the national truancy league.

Alan Dick added: “Since the opening of the Academy, attendance levels have increased from 81% to over 90% – in a class of thirty, that’s the equivalent of three students turning up to class who were previously disengaged from lessons. The improvement has been influenced by a number of factors but it’s clear that students are more motivated by the use of tools such as electronic whiteboards and learner response keypads, meaning that they look forward to lessons and find it easier to participate.

These results support a recent poll by Becta, the Government agency responsible for promoting the use of ICT in schools. It reported that 95% of teachers now recognise that use of technology is raising standards in schools and colleges (Becta Raising Standards, 2009).

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Promethean Joined By Jim Wynn As Chief Education Officer

Promethean, a world leader in the rapidly growing global market for interactive learning technology, has announced the appointment of Jim Wynn to its senior management team as chief education officer.

Jim has over three decades of experience in education technology across more than fifty countries. He joins Promethean from Cisco, where he led their public sector consultancy for emerging markets, with an emphasis on education. Jim’s previous appointments include head teacher of two secondary schools in the UK where he pioneered the use of ICT, head of research at RM Plc, and partners in learning lead for EMEA at Microsoft.

Jim’s in depth global experience, both in education systems and serving education for highly recognised technology players, will further strengthen Promethean’s leading global position in the interactive learning technology market.

Jean-Yves Charlier, chief executive officer of Promethean, commented: “We are delighted that Jim is joining Promethean. His knowledge of education systems across the world, together with the benefits technology can bring to learning, will be invaluable in further shaping Promethean’s strategy and continued development of innovative products for the classroom.”

Jim’s appointment will help to strengthen Promethean’s pledge to bring to life the promise of 21st century learning, improving engagement and results for learners and teachers alike through the use of interactive whiteboards and other interactive learning technologies.

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PLH Online Launch NCPLH Personal Licence Holder Qualification And Exam In England & Wales

After a successful first year of delivering online SCPLH training and qualification throughout Scotland, PLH Online have launched an online version of the NCPLH (England & Wales).

PLH Online Launch NCPLH Personal Licence Holder Qualification And Exam In England & Wales

PLH Online enables users to achieve full certification in accordance with the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 or the Licensing (England and Wales) Act 2003.

The modules are fully approved by SQA who are accredited to award the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (Off-Sales and On-Sales) and the QCF Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders in England and Wales. PLH Online has been developed in association with who Montpeliers (Edinburgh) LTD have extensive knowledge of training in the UK licensed trade.

The training can be purchased and accessed instantly on-line, and used at a time and a place to suit, helping managers become qualified personal licence holders quickly and conveniently. The training modules – which have been in development for over two years – have been tailored for both on and off-sales operators Director Karen Calvert explains:

“We are extremely pleased with the success of our Personal Licence Holder training in Scotland, so launching the product in England & Wales was a natural progression for us. We have attracted customers from a wide range of businesses across the industry, from large multi nationals to corner stores.

“It is proving to be a very cost effective and practical training solution, and the feedback on the quality and content of the training itself is fantastic. We are also appealing to a wide range of age groups proving that e-learning is for everybody.”

SQA Head of Business Development & Customer Support, Alasdair MacRae said, “SQA are delighted to be working with PLH Online to deliver our Personal Licence Holder qualifications through their innovative e-learning system. This will provide flexibility and choice for our candidates in when and where they undertake the course, benefits which are key in this busy and diverse industry.”

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