Uniontown considers online partnership
The Uniontown Area School District in Pennsylvania is considering a partnership with Virtual Learning Network Partners to create online education options for its students. Alex Stone, president and CEO of VLN Partners, told directors Monday that his company is not a cyber charter school but produces “a holistic model for blended learning. We partner with school districts. We put your lessons online. We cater to your students.” — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Minnesota Virtual High School Students Earn College Credit Tuition-Free Through DeVry University
Minnesota Virtual High School students are now eligible to participate in the Passport2College program offered through DeVry University, one of the largest degree-granting higher education systems in North America. This unique program allows full-time juniors and seniors who meet residency and GPA requirements to take up to two college credit classes tuition-free through DeVry University, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. — Earthtimes
Online learning is growing by the gigabyte
Online enrollment in Minnesota shot up 50 percent last year to more than 4,500 students. Online education can reach kids that traditional schools haven’t, according to assistant Minnesota Education Commissioner Morgan Brown. — Minnesota Public Radio
Edutech builds eLearning Centre for Hashemite University
Edutech Middle East, a leading provider of technology-enabled learning solutions, has recently announced that it has successfully established the first eLearning Centre in Jordan for the Hashemite University (HU). — Al-Bawaba
Conference Focuses on “The Mobile Future’”
Carnegie Mellon University’s West Coast Campus and UC Berkeley’s Fisher IT Center at the Haas School of Business partnered to hold a conference Tuesday of this week in Santa Clara, CA, on “The Mobile Future: Technology Revolutionizing Our Lives.” — Campus Technology
Face-to-Face and Online Tutoring Equally Effective, TutorVista.com’s President Says
Dr. John Stuppy, President of TutorVista.com, the world’s leading online tutoring company, presented at the USDLA 2008 National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, where he discussed comparisons between face-to-face and online tutoring. In particular, Dr. Stuppy spoke about a solution that uses global education resources to provide tutoring help wherever and whenever needed. — Business Wire
TEM 2008 Educational and Networking Event for Telecom and IT End Users Begins Next Week
TEM 2008, AOTMP’s educational and networking event for telecom and IT end users, kicks off next week in Orlando, Florida and will feature educational sessions and networking events for those holding responsibility for selecting, reviewing, recommending, and managing telecom services and technology. — Business Wire
Virtual schooling a hit in real world
Teachers from across the province met in Vancouver this week for a conference devoted to online learning as the growth continues. Enrolment province-wide climbed from 17,000 students in 2006 to 33,000 students in 2007, according to Ministry of Education statistics. — Vancouver Courier
Ghana to host third e-Learning Africa Conference
Ghana would host this year’s International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training dubbed; “e-Learning Africa 2008” from May 28 to 30. The conference scheduled for Accra is an annual event for developing e-Learning capacities in Africa. — Joy Online, Ghana
Publishers Sue Georgia State over Digital Distribution
A group of publishers has filed suit in federal court to stop what it calls “widespread copyright infringement” at Georgia State University (GSU). The complaint, filed by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and SAGE Publications and supported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP), charges that GSU administrators are violating the law by systematically enabling professors to provide students with digital copies of copyrighted course readings without publisher authorization. — Campus Technology
Cengage Learning to Acquire Houghton Mifflin College Assets for $750 Million
Cengage Learning announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Houghton Mifflin Company, under which Cengage Learning will acquire the assets of the Houghton Mifflin College Division (HM College) for $750 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2008 upon satisfaction of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. — Cengage
The Pearson Foundation and Nokia Announce the Mobile Learning Institute Earth Day Challenge
The Pearson Foundation and Nokia today announced a global, environmental filmmaking competition that gives young people the chance to share their views on the earth’s future and the importance of combating climate change. The Mobile Learning Institute Earth Day Challenge was announced at the opening of Jane Goodall’s Global Youth Summit on Earth Day 2008 in Orlando, Florida. — Earthtimes
Lawmaker seeks ban of ‘textbook scam’ publishers
The Philippines — Representative Monico Puentevella is set to pass a resolution that would ban at least five publishing companies involved in the alleged multimillion-peso textbooks scam. The five publishing companies are JTW Corporation, SD Publications Inc., Vibal Publishing House Inc. and Lamco Paper Products Co. Inc. and Watana Phanit Printing Company. — Sun.Star
The 2008 SIIA CODiE Awards will celebrate outstanding developments in software, digital information and education technology
At a time when computer security risks abound, which company has the best data security solution? Which online educational site will do the most to help your kids learn? And which online health site can really provide details about the cure for what ails you? On May 20, 2008, The Software & Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) CODiE Awards will answer these and 72 other questions about who has the best software, content and educational technology solutions. — eSchool News
Agilix Selected as One of Three Winners in Microsoft’s Ingenuity Point Competition
Agilix Labs Inc. announced that its GoCourse Learning System solution has been selected as a winner in round two of Microsoft Corp.’s Ingenuity Point contest, a worldwide competition for independent software vendors (ISVs) that recognizes solutions built on Microsoft technology with the potential to drive positive change in the areas of education, healthcare and environmental sustainability. GoCourse Learning System, a personalized distributed learning platform for delivering online courses, is the winner in the education category. — PR Newswire
Sessions Online Wins Best Practice Award from United States Distance Learning Association
Advancing its reputation as the quality leader in online education for creative professionals around the world, Sessions Online Schools of Art and Design announced it has received the 2008 Best Practices Award for Distance Learning Programming from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). Sessions’ Graphic Design Master’s Certificate Program won on the strength of its extensive creative and technical graphic design curriculum, one-to-one student mentoring and dedicated faculty comprised of renowned graphic designers. — Business Wire
USDLA Awards Marilyn Mosley Gordanier and Laurel Springs School with “Outstanding Leadership by an Individual in the Field of Distance Learning” For Excellence in Distance Learning in 2008
The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) presented its 2008 International Distance Learning Award to Laurel Springs School in conjunction with the 2008 National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 1987, USDLA has been the world’s premier distance learning association. The USDLA International Awards program honored outstanding individuals and organizations for excellence in the field distance learning, education and training. — PR Web
Quantum Receives Platinum Award for ‘Best Practices for Online Distance Learning Programming’ from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
Quantum Simulations, Inc., a developer of artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring, assessment and professional development software for science, mathematics and accounting, received a Platinum Award for its exceptional achievements in software development at the USDLA International 21st Century Best Practice Awards Ceremony held in St. Louis, Missouri last. — PR Web
Scotland to teach game development in schools
In addition to haggis and William Wallace, Scotland will now also be known for teaching video game design in its schools. Scotland is home to studios like Realtime Worlds and Rockstar North, among others. — Ars Technica
New markets create university challenge
Lebanon’s cast-iron reputation as a learning center dates back almost 140 years. The country’s long and illustrious history has provided a solid foundation for the country’s education industry to build on. Currently, the Lebanese higher-education sector is growing by $700 million a year. But how well-suited is academia to the business world? It’s not always a good match; for many institutions, profitability comes before delivering high-quality programs. — Kipp Report
Gangs, Social Networks and Media Literacy
Around the country, community groups offer free Internet access to young people as a way to keep them off the streets and away from gangs, just as gangs have started using social networks to recruit teens. Are they offering the proper media literacy training to combat the problem? — PBS Teachers
Fair use on campus: publishers sue school over class reading
A group of publishers are suing Georgia State University over the digital distribution of class reading materials in a case that may help define the fair use of digital materials. The three publishers involved, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and Sage Publications, target the academic audience. Cases that defined fair use of classroom material date back to the early ’90s, where the means of infringement was the photocopier. Back then, private entities that prepared material for university courses were found to have infringed the copyright of publishers in duplicating their material. A key feature of these cases, however, is that the infringers were private businesses that charged for their copying services; many universities are not-for-profit entities. — Ars Technica
Darwin’s private papers get Internet launch
Comprising some 20,000 items and 90,000 images, the release on darwin-online.org.uk is the largest Internet collection of Darwin’s papers, according to the organizers from Cambridge University Library which holds all the Darwin papers. The website displays thousands of notes and drafts of his scientific writings, notes from the voyage of the Beagle when he began to formulate his controversial theory of evolution, and his first recorded doubts about the permanence of species. It also contains photographs of Darwin and his family, newspaper clippings, reviews of his books and much more. — Reuters
Consumer groups urge “do not track” registry
Two consumer groups asked the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to create a “do not track list” that would allow computer users to bar advertisers from collecting information about them. The call echoed those of other privacy advocates who filed statements with the FTC on Internet companies’ use of “behavioral advertising.” — Reuters
Japan’s high-tech displays give paper a cutting edge
TOKYO (Reuters) - Bend it, write on it, read it — just don’t try to fold it into a paper plane. Electronic paper is Japan’s answer to rising raw material costs, depleted resources and booming demand for printed matter from emerging markets such as China and India. At a high-tech fair in Tokyo, Japanese firms showed the latest versions of what is still considered a niche product, ranging from thick, sturdy readers to thin displays that look like plastic sheets and can be bent. E-Ink, which manufactures Sony’s Reader tablet, says consumers will eventually embrace the energy-saving technology as the cost of paper and fuel goes up. — Reuters
Crossroads in Education: Issues for Web 2.0, Social Software, and Digital Tools
Advancements in technology, principally Web 2.0, social software, and digital tools, have challenged what it means to be educated and how we proceed to educate our youth in a culture where innovation and creativity, lifelong learning, personalization (my own learning space), and knowledge from and with the collective vie for a rightful place. The issues we face surround the dilemma of achieving personalization while maintaining standards (KnowledgeWorks Foundation, 2006). Students do need structure from experienced teachers and core subject matter knowledge; however, as Owen and his colleagues (2006) pointed out, their use of social software has opened up new sources of that knowledge leading to times when it would be appropriate to use “more weakly classified and framed approaches to learning” (p. 31). Let’s look at some of the issues and implications for curriculum, instruction, and integration support, which will need open discussions with educators, parents, students, the community, policy makers, and technology developers, if we are to resolve the dilemma. — The Journal
Transitioning to unified communications with e-learning
E-learning systems can help accelerate the acceptance and use of new unified communications (UC) technologies. Not only do they help workers get up to speed on the technical aspects of the new system, they can also help foster social acceptance. — Unified Communications News
Schools mull needs of adult distance learners
Many ed-tech advocates have voiced support for distance learning as a way for K-12 students to take courses not offered at their regular schools or enroll in courses for college credit. But another group of learners–adults who turn to distance learning to return or expand their schooling–is attracting more and more national attention. — eSchool News
AT&T Foundation Proposes WOW Project Blending Tech, Education Outdoors
The philanthropy organization of AT&T Inc., AT&T Foundation, announced the release of $25,000 as award money in order to develop the garden’s Wonders of Wireless (WOW) proposal. The proposal delineates a cutting-edge technology project, which aims to maximize the outdoor learning experience of visitors taking so-called cellular tours, in the Key West Tropical Forest and Garden. — TMCnet
HP Introduces Full-function Mini-notebook PC for Education Market
Hewlett-Packard is introducing a full-function, mini-notebook PC, priced starting at $500, to help schools offer affordable computing and benefit mobile professionals. The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, which will be available later this month, was designed for the education market and is flexible for students to use from the classroom to family room. — TMCnet
NEC Display Solutions Strengthens Star Student Education Rewards Program
NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading stand-alone provider of commercial and residential LCD and plasma displays and projectors, announced that schools participating in its Star Student program will receive cash-back rewards on NEC display products. Debit cards containing the cash will be mailed directly to schools and may be spent however the schools choose. — Business Wire
Intel offers Saudi Arabia a boost in WiMax and E-learning
Saudi Arabia was the first stop on Intel Chairman, Craig Barret’s whistle-stop tour of the Middle East’s Gulf States. On his travels, Barret is purportedly offering Intel’s technical support to build up the region’s high speed, wireless WiMax technology, and pilot projects aimed at e-learning in Saudi Arabian schools. — Inquirer, UK
Microsoft partnerships to transform education, technology in Latin America
At the Government Leaders Forum—Americas in Miami today, Microsoft Corp. announced new and expanded partnerships that will play a strong role in transforming education and creating economic opportunity in Latin America. — Dominican Today
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