Archive for January, 2008

Schools in the News (Jan. 14-20, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 20, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Texas Virtual Academy lets kids attend public school online
The program looks a lot like home-schooling, but it carries far more requirements: Professional teachers monitor students’ attendance and academic progress every day. The students must also pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests. — Post-Bulletin

Court Ruling Threatens Virtual Schools
Virtual schools operate in 18 states, according to the Virginia-based North American Council for Online Learning, a trade association. Supporters say the schools are a godsend for parents who prefer their children learn from home. But opponents, including the nation’s largest teachers’ union, insist the cyber charter schools drain money away from traditional schools. — Associated Press

Online school offers fine, flexible education
For the last few years, online schools have provided an important public school option for many of Wisconsin’s families, proving to be a perfect fit for a wide range of students requiring the freedom and flexibility to set their own pace and learn on their own time. Unfortunately, the recent state Court of Appeals decision regarding the Wisconsin Virtual Academy has created some ambiguity. — The Capital Times

Online info sessions set for virtual public school
As the Wisconsin virtual school debate continues to spread over the Web, Wisconsin parents of students seeking an online education can learn more about Wisconsin Connections Academy by logging on to one of 11 online sessions this month and next, starting Tuesday, January 22nd. — Appleton Post Crescent

IIT education gets online
There is good news for the ones aspiring for an IIT education. Now you don’t even have to leave your home or give any entrance exams for it as you can access some of it at least, anywhere in the world for free. On the lines of the prestigious MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), IIT Bombay is going to web cast 5 of its courses. — NDTV.com

Laptops log middle school students on to learning
At Westhampton Beach Middle School in New York, each of the 1,514 students in grades four through 12 has a free, school-issued laptop with Internet access and available electronic textbooks. Read how teachers at this school are using computers rather than traditional textbooks to teach lessons. — Contra Costa Times

Virtual High School
New Fairfield, Brookfield and Bethel high schools are among area schools committed to allowing students to take online courses they don’t offer or core subject classes students need to make up so they can graduate. The schools will take part in a pilot program called Connecticut Virtual High School, which will be useful in resolving a scheduling conflict, providing a different teaching approach, or allowing students to work faster or slower than their peers, educators said. — The News-Times

Capella Education Company Announces Fourth Quarter and Year-end 2007 Earnings Release Date and Conference Call Details
Capella Education Company, a provider of exclusively online post-secondary education through its wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, announced that it will release fiscal year 2007 and fourth quarter 2007 financial results before the open of the market on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. A live conference call and Webcast of the earnings conference call is scheduled for the same day at 9:00 a.m. eastern time (ET). — Business Wire

Scholarship program helps support dreams
Rio Salado College, a pioneer in online education, recently began offering weekly start dates, meaning students can enroll in classes every Monday throughout the year so scholarship winners can begin class at any time. — AZ Central

Organizations plan meeting to discuss education in borough
This coming Saturday, a community meeting is planned to discuss education in the borough. Spearheaded by the Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation and sponsored by a number of organizations including the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the day-long meeting is meant to encourage discussion about ways to improve education from pre-kindergarten to the university level. — Daily News-Miner

Cornerstone University launches online MBA program
Launching an online master’s program in business administration sets the stage for Cornerstone University to move other degrees onto the Web. The Grand Rapids school plans to launch the online MBA in May and follow it up in the years ahead with other programs such as master’s degrees in education and in management, plus the bachelor’s of science in ministry leadership. — mlive.com

Cyber Univ. ‘lax on student ID’ / Education ministry to instruct online university to tighten controls
Unlike an ordinary open university, the Cyber University in Japan does not provide any lectures in classrooms, promoting itself as a school where a student can be certified as a college graduate without ever having to go to a campus. However, according to sources, the university was yet to confirm the identity of about 200 of the 620 students currently enrolled. It also is believed to have given most of the 200 students lecture credits, which are required to graduate from the college. — Daily Yomiuri Online

South City students to reap benefits of 21st-century technology
Future students at South San Francisco schools may watch lessons from home, go on virtual field trips to museums and have video conferences with book authors when the school district completes its two-year technology update. The South San Francisco Unified School District’s $2.1 million project will bring in VoIP telephones, new computers and high-speed connectivity that will offer students modern-day capabilities and streamline operations in all its 16 schools. — Examiner

Hendrix College Gets $1.5 Million Grant
Hendrix College has been awarded a $1.5 million challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, Okla., to help fund the college’s new $22.8 million Student Life and Technology Center, proposed to be one of the most interactive and tech-savvy college facilities in the country.  — Arkansas Business

IT News (Jan. 14-20, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 20, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

NComputing gets $28M in 2nd round
NComputing Inc. said Monday it raised $28 million in a second round of funding. The Redwood City-based provider of desktop virtualization software and hardware said the round was led by Menlo Park-based Menlo Ventures. Also participating were existing investors, Foster City-based Scale Venture Partners and Korea’s Daehong Technew Corp. — Biz Journals

8th annual MacBowl raises $24,000 for SF school
Macworld and Aspyr Media’s eighth annual MacBowl charity event was held on Thursday night at the Yerba Buena Lanes, above the Moscone Center where Macworld Conference & Expo is held. The event raised $24,000 in equipment, donations and cash for the Yick Wo Elementary School, located on Jones St. in San Francisco. The funds and equipment donated will be used to establish a Mac-based computer lab at the school. — Macworld

MacSpeech unveils Dictate
Long time Macintosh speech recognition developer MacSpeech on Tuesday announced a brand new product at Macworld Conference & Expo, called MacSpeech Dictate. — Macworld

Becta unveils schools IT campaign
Educational technology body Becta has launched the ‘Next Generation Learning Campaign’, in response to findings that schools are failing to meet parents’ demands for effective use of technology in schools. A survey commissioned by Becta revealed that 95 per cent of parents believe that technology helps their children to learn, but that only one in five schools are using it effectively. — Vnunet.com

Sun to acquire MySQL
Sun Microsystems will pay $1 billion for Swedish software company MySQL, whose open-source database is used for some of the most widely visited websites in the world. — Macworld

Social Networks, from the 80s to the 00s
As Facebook enjoys its moment in the sun, we should take a moment to step back and look at the history of computers and social communication. Some historical perspective is in order, both to assess the real value of social networks as businesses, and to anticipate how they are likely to evolve in the future. — Gigaom

Conferences in the News (Jan. 14-20, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 20, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

UNESCO and partners help teachers bring technology to the classroom
As part of its mandate to build capacity in education worldwide and enable all students to benefit from high quality teaching, UNESCO initiated, in 2006, a project aimed at providing core standards for the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into the classroom. The Competency Standards for Teachers (CST) were launched on 8 January 2008 after two years of development, at the Moving Young Minds conference, an international seminar gathering 100 education ministers from around the world to discuss the role of technology in enhancing education. — UNESCO

Registrations, Exhibitors Reach Record Levels at FETC 2008
FETC, a division of 1105 Media and one of the largest conferences in the nation devoted entirely to educational technology, announced today that attendee pre-registration for the 2008 conference, staging Jan. 22-25 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., is up 15 percent over 2007 numbers. – T.H.E. Journal

Focus on role of technology in schools
The role of technology in the future of schools will be a dominant theme at the Global Education Forum at Madinat Jumeirah Dubai on January 22 to 24. The Global Education Forum will be held alongside the Gulf Educational Supplies Show (Gess), the region’s premier educational supplies and solutions event. — Khaleej Times

21st International VLSI Conference and 7th Embedded Systems Conference 2008 Highlights New Challenges in Nano Tech Era; Attracts 1000 Experts and 2000 Student Delegates
The 21st International VLSI Conference and the 7th International Embedded systems Conference from January 4 - 8 opened on Friday. The Conference is expected to draw more than 1000 VLSI and Embedded Systems Experts, Researchers, Scientists, Academicians, 2000 student delegates, exhibits from worlds leading product companies, a who’s who of leaders and visionaries who will help shape discussions around the industry’s hottest topic “Challenges in the new Nano Technology” Era. – TechWhack

uae’s e-learning market grows by 26 per cent to reach usd 72.6 million by 2010
Eye of Dubai, the premier comprehensive tourism and investment guidebook and online portal for Dubai residents and visitors, has announced that it is leveraging the popularity and reach of its web portal www.eyeofdubai.com to promote ‘e-Learning Excellence in the Middle East 2008’, the four-day forum being held in Dubai aimed at bringing together leaders and decision-makers to create an action agenda focused on e-Learning quality throughout the region. — Al Bawaba

Getting personal at Bett 2008
Now in its 23rd year, the British Education Training Technology (Bett) show, was as busy as ever. The four-day event, held at London Olympia from 9 to 12 January, attracted about 30,000 visitors. — VNUnet

Games in the News (Jan. 14-20, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 20, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

EA plans Mac version of Spore, from Sims creator
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced plans to release Spore for the Mac later this year. The game is the latest work in progress of legendary game designer Will Wright, maker of SimCity and The Sims. — Macworld

Parents & Preschoolers, Launches on Funbrain
Parents and preschoolers now have a safe, fun environment to enjoy games together on the Internet with the launch of a new playground on Funbrain.com. The Moms’ & Kids’ Playground, designed for parents and their kids ages 2-6, features unique, colorful characters and houses [22 exciting games suitable for first-time Web users. Funbrain is a leading online publisher for preschool to middle school children. The popular site includes teacher-endorsed educational games for children, online books, puzzles and games, comics and more. — PR-USA.net

What’s all this virtual world stuff anyway?
There is a Second Life users group meeting in Chicago this week and CNet’s story previewing the event all-but acknowledged the terrible press they have the Second Life virtual world has been getting. This article links to recent articles on Second Life and original Webcasts with people involved in the program. The author, Chris Dorobek, concludes, “I don’t think that these Web tools are for everybody — or everything or every organization. Few tools are. But in some situations, I think they may be powerful and useful.” — Fcw.com

Serious games = serious training
Video games have become ubiquitous. A diversion that began as two lines and a dot in Pong has evolved into a multimillion-dollar industry. Proponents of serious gaming say the industry has been slow to take off because it has relied mostly on limited government funding. — Fcw.com

Army game garners 2.4 million users
The official computer game of the U.S. Army has enjoyed 2.4 million users since its debut in July 2002, according to Major Bret Wilson, the support operations officer for America’s Army, The Official U.S. Army Game. Unlike most commercial shooter games, America’s Army rewards points for teamwork, rather than for simply finding and using the weapons that can kill the largest number of hostile targets. — Government Computer News

Got game? NASA wants to know
NASA wants to make a massive online game in which dozens of players can band together to conquer a common enemy: physics experiments. The agency’s Learning Technologies Project Office released a request for information to create an online world where players can tinker with experiments that apply science, technology, engineering and math concepts. — Fcw.com

Learning could be fun and games at TSA
The Transportation Security Administration hopes to use video games to train its 40,000 officers who check luggage and cargo for dangerous items. TSA solicited for a six-month, single-source contract July 27 on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site to create a game that would help its screeners identify guns or knives through X-ray machines. — Fcw.com

Serious game teaches emergency responders
In testimony before the House Select Committee on Hurricane Katrina, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff lamented the lack of real-time situational awareness after Katrina hit New Orleans. Real-time situational awareness is difficult to achieve, but a game known as “Incident Commander” could help public safety officials improve their response to emergencies. “Incident Commander” is based on the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a command and control infrastructure for emergency preparedness. — Fcw.com

Awards in the News (Jan. 14-20, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 20, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Website World Summit Award 2007, Sponsored by United Nations
The World Summit Award (WSA) global initiative, has chosen islamweb.net, for its Award as the best interactive educational website for Arabic-speaking children by the consensus of the Jury which met in Croatia. — Website Host Directory

Publishers in the News (Jan. 14-20, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 20, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

Pearson teaches world a lesson
The educational publisher is rapidly expanding its reach and services outside America. — Times Online

Cengage Learning Names Jerry V. Elliott as Chief Financial Officer
Cengage Learning, one of the world’s largest providers of print and digital information services for the educational and library reference markets, has appointed Jerry V. Elliott Chief Financial Officer. — Mississippi Sun Herald

Gale Helps Answer the Question: ”What Do I Read Next?”
Adapted from Gale’’s acclaimed What Do I Read Next? print series, Books & Authors is specially designed to complement the browsing habits of today’’s Web user, integrating easy-to-follow menus that allow users to broaden and narrow their searches according to author, title or series, awards, and other criteria. An “if you like” search connects readers to the themes and genres that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. — usstock.jrj.com

Online provider plans expansion
Cengage Education, the online provider formerly known as Thomson Education, plans a major expansion in the tertiary field with a portfolio of industry-backed business degrees. Subject to government approval, there would be a generalist business program and seven specialist majors - including corporate governance, logistics management and sports management - each badged by an industry association. — The Australian

Publishing Company Settles Software Suit With SIIA
A New York-based publishing firm has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve a copyright infringement suit filed by the Software & Information Industry Association on behalf of several prominent software vendors. Whittiker Legal Publishing on Wednesday signed off on settlement to resolve a lawsuit brought against it in federal district court in the Eastern District of New York. In addition to the cash settlement, the company agreed to destroy all unlicensed copies of the Adobe, FileMaker and Symantec applications in its possession. — Internet News

New Online Game Publishing Firm Established
Today saw the opening of the online game publishing firm True Games Interactive, founded by Jeff Lujan and Bob Drobish, both industry veterans who participated in publishing and operations at K2 Network. True Games is planning for its first release in the summer of 2008. — The Game Reviews

Harcourt plans to shut down S.D. division
The name Harcourt, which for years gave San Diego a toehold in the book publishing world, will disappear from the region by June 30.  The new owners of locally based Harcourt Trade Publications will close the adult and children’s book publishing division here by midyear, laying off 65 workers. — Sign on San Diego

Houghton Mifflin Names Publisher of a Unit
Becky Saletan, publisher of the trade division of Harcourt, has been named publisher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Adult Trade Books, a combined unit that resulted from Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep’s recent $4 billion takeover of Harcourt. — The New York Times

N People Benefit with NComputing

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 18, 2008 in Tech Trends. 0 Comments

 

NComputing is changing the educational computing world not one user at a time, not one computer at a time, but on a much broader scheme –in fact, entire school districts, corporations, international conferences, and Internet cafes are all reaping near-instantaneous benefits, in addition to new market segments that have been reached as a result of affordability. The key of the model is sharing, a simple concept  that we are taught as toddlers, yet is rarely cultivated in our culture when it comes to technologies. If you are one of the 850 million people who owns a personal computer (and probably an iPod and mobile phone as well), you know exactly what I mean.

What became very clear with the One Laptop Per Child project and subsequent similar projects was that at 1:1 user/laptop ratio doesn’t work well. The main reason is cost, which includes hardware, software, and support. A computing initiative must offer superior quality in all of these areas otherwise it is bound for failure. Yet overall high quality and a 1:1 ratio, as we have learned, are opposing forces even with our current, cutting-edge computing options. It’s ironic because today it’s possible to build computers that are 1,000 times better than a decade ago that can be manufactured for less than half the price. Computers are now so powerful that a single user only uses a small fraction of the computer’s capabilities.

Stephen Dukker, the mastermind behind the first dramatic price reduction in computers, the eMachine, is currently working on another major breakthrough in his role as the CEO of NComputing: the multi-user, Virtual PC experience. As the founder and CEO of eMachines, Dukker learned an important lesson that he carried over to NComputing: You simply can’t build a computer for less than $400. So, instead of focusing his efforts on producing a cheaper computer, he looked for a way to harvest the possibilities of one computer and dared to defy the defining 1:1 ratio of U.S. technology culture.

The concept is refreshing, brilliant, and eco-friendly. With NComputing’s solutions, a single computer can act as a server to power between 7 to 30 virtual PC access terminals — in other words, multiple people can work off the same computer simultaneously running all types of applications. A server-class machine could support hundreds of users working from a single source. The greatest risk to this model is that if the mother computer goes out, so do the rest. In such a case, students working in a lab could temporarily look over the shoulders of their peers, or an instructor might hook up a backup computer. Still, two brand new computers plus NComputing’s superior technologies for as low as $70 a seat is much more cost-friendly than a 1:1 solution.

NComputing has already gained 4-5 percent of the educational computing market for K-12 schools, and is making a tremendous impact around the world. It will soon supply Macedonian schools with units to support 180,000 seats for less than half the cost of other bidders. In Mexico,  4,500 seats have already been deployed, and even in the most remote areas NComputing renders possible mobile Internet cafés that travel from village to village in the form of a large shipping container. About 50 percent of NComputing’s market is abroad, with Brazil being the largest international purchaser, and the rest of the sales split between places including Eastern Europe, Mexico, India, the Philippines, and Russia among others. NComputing has distribution centers in 80 countries and offices in 12.

NComputing’s ability to think beyond the 1:1 ratio of computer/user that is so prevalent in our culture has resulted in a unique and affordable solution that already boasts results. The Wall Street Journal  noticed this and recognized NComputing with its 2007 Technology Innovation Award.  NComputing truly lives up to its name, “n” being the mathematical sign that stands for any number. When asked what was in a name, Mr. Dukker replied that NComputing means removing the last barriers of computing so that everyone can have access.

Company briefing and phone interview with Mr. Stephen Dukker, 1/16/2008.

To learn more about NComputing’s mission and solutions, click HERE.

Online Education in the News (Jan. 7-13, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 14, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

♦ Learn How To Improve Your Child’s Education Online
Whether school is closed due to snow or simply because its the end of the day, the learning doesn’t have to stop with lesson plans online. The site is a project of Edvantia, a local non-profit. The site launched last month and while parents are just beginning to learn about the tools available, teachers have been actively downloading lessons for the classroom. New lesson plans are being uploaded daily. — WOWK

♦ K-12 Online Teaching Endorsements: Are They Needed?
The nature of the 21st-century classroom is rapidly changing. Online education in K-12, also called virtual schooling, is growing at about 30 percent annually (North American Council for Online Learning [NACOL], 2007). With this rise comes an increase in demand for experienced teachers to teach online, which adds another dimension to this issue of teacher quality. – T.H.E. Journal

♦ CourseAdvisor Reveals Top Ten Questions and Tips for Students’ 2008 Online Education Resolutions
CourseAdvisor, an established marketing and lead generation company operating one of the top online education directories, address what they see as the top questions about online education, as well as advice to prepare students for what is ahead. – Market Wire

♦ New Answers for E-Learning
Online courses often can be more boring and less educational than traditional classes.  That may finally be changing for the better, however, as e-learning is getting an upgrade. Some professors and schools are redesigning their courses to take advantage of the Web’s interactive and visual possibilities, adopting some bleeding-edge technologies such as gamelike simulations and digital avatars to make online courses more exciting and more effective than traditional classrooms. – U.S. News

♦ Go Green With an Online Degree, Says WorldWideLearn.com
WorldWideLearn.com, the world’s premier online education directory, has published a new article titled “Nine Ways to Save the World with Your College Degree.” The featured article reveals the environmental benefits associated with online education. – eMedia Wire

♦ Online Tutoring Service Brings Assistance to Math Students
Recently featured on NBC’s Today Show, Multimedia Tutorial Services puts private tutoring within reach of families with modest incomes that may not be able to afford costly private tutors. With online tutoring packages beginning at as little as $49.95 per month, the company’s principal product line, Math Made Easy, helps students achieve better math grades through effective use of personal phone/online tutors, comprehensive DVD reviews, and unlimited practice tests. – PR Web

♦ Online lectures draw millions, though students can’t earn credit
Studying on YouTube won’t get you a college degree, but many universities are using technology to offer online classes and open up archives. Berkeley’s on YouTube. American University’s hoping to get on iTunes. George Mason University professors have created an online research tool, a virtual filing cabinet for scholars. And with a few clicks on Yale’s Web site, anyone can watch one of the school’s most popular philosophy professors sitting cross-legged on his desk, talking about death. – Fort Worth Star Telegram

♦ Hybrid Lab Courses Resonate with ‘YouTube’ Generation
NYC College of Technology Biology Professors Isaac Barjis and Walied Samarrai are the creative wizards behind hybrid lab courses in general biology and in anatomy/physiology. Part animation, part video, part interactive software and part Wiki, their courses are generating a buzz with both students and colleagues, as they create a fascinating, fun experience that encourages experimentation. – Newswise

♦ Mobile WiMAX initiative launched in Sderot
The rocket-hardened city of Sderot can now bill itself as one of the country’s leading hi-tech hot-spots following the launch a WiMAX initiative that will provide free Internet access to kindergartens, schools and Sapir College. Intel donated dozens of laptop computers as part of this initiative.  – The Jerusalem Post

♦ ProQuest Launches Largest Aggregated Full-Text Database for Libraries: ProQuest Central
This week, ProQuest launched the largest aggregated full-text database for libraries. The new database, called ProQuest Central, will serve as the foundational research collection for academic libraries. ProQuest Central will offer more than 11,000 titles (8,000 in full text) and more than 160 subject areas covering core academic disciplines. – The Sun Herald

IT News (Jan. 7-13, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 14, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments

♦ SANAKO: SANAKO Partners with Nokia to Launch Handheld Learning Solution
SANAKO, leaders in live language learning technology, have partnered with the world leader in mobility Nokia to launch an Internet-based handheld learning solution. The move reflects the rapid growth in the use of online content and services in UK education and is based on the new Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. – Kauppalehti

♦ MaxPower Wireless Line Will Debut at Macworld Expo
Newer Technology will unveil its MaxPower line of wireless networking products at Macworld Expo in San Francisco next week. The line comprises a US$97.99 wireless router, PCMCIA Cardbus adapter (for $59.99), a USB 2.0 “stick” adapter and extension cradle ($64.99) and a PCI adapter with moveable antenna base for desktop systems for $64.99. – PC World

♦ Macworld 2008: WiMax in ultraportable 13 inch notebook computer
Rumors are flying that Macworld 2008 could see Apple include long-range wireless broadband technology (WiMax) in an ultraportable 13 inch notebook computer. – Product-Reviews

♦ Mobifusion Launches Popular Indian Titles for the Country’s Growing Mobile Customer Base
Mobifusion, Inc., a global developer, publisher and distributor of mobile applications and technologies, is expanding its mobile content portfolio in India, bringing some of the countries most trusted and best-selling brands to the mobile phone. Mobifusion will also be releasing competitive exam materials and local language content in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Bhojpuri & Marathi. – Press Release

Games in the News (Jan. 7-13, 2008)

Published by Erica Nielsen on January 14, 2008 in In the News. 0 Comments


♦ Learning to give at a young age
In Club Penguin, a popular online game club for the elementary school set, more than 2.5 million kids gave their virtual earnings to charities in a contest last month. At Club Penguin, children’s penguins have virtual jobs, earn virtual coins and can buy things for their virtual igloo homes. The site held a 10-day “Coins for Change” campaign ending on Christmas Eve in which 2.5 million users donated in some cases as many as 1,500 coins to charities. In turn, the site, owned by Walt Disney Co., divided 1 million real dollars among the charities: the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund and Free the Children. – L.A. Times

♦ Technology + Online + Industry + Partnerships
Perhaps the best way to interest students in a health care career is to give them an early taste of medical school. Even elementary-age kids can connect to the excitement that surrounds the life sciences. To foster that enthusiasm early, the new interactive website BioWorksU.com sets games and experiments against the backdrop of a virtual university. Launched by the Indianapolis Private Industry Council (IPIC), a nonprofit workforce development agency for Marion County, the project was funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. – T.H.E. Journal


♦ China Education Alliance, Inc. Introduces Newly Developed Online Educational Game…
China Education Alliance, a leading distributor of educational resources, offering high-quality programs and training both through online networks and an onsite training center in China, announced the introduction of an online educational game “Fortune Island,” which was a game platform first recommended by the National Educational Game Research Base by the Ministry of Education of China. — Reuters

♦ Tabula Digita Announces First Multiplayer Educational Video Game Tournament for Educators Educators Attending FETC 2008 Can Learn First Hand What Students Love About Gaming FETC 2008
At FETC 2008 in Orlando, Fla. this month, educators will get the chance to play the role of today’s “Generation .NET” students as they compete in the inaugural State Challenge Multiplayer Educational Games (MEG) Tournament. The tournament is being presented by Tabula Digita, an educational gaming company delivering pre-algebra and algebra software programs to K-12 schools and districts. — dBusiness News

♦ Government pledges £30m to get pupils online
In the U.K., the government has pledged £30m of funding over the next three years to help school pupils from low-income families gain home broadband access. The plan will allow pupils to access school work and resources — enabling the download and storage of homework, for example — and get feedback from teachers at home. – ZD Net