StudyBoost Launches Education Industry's First Interactive Studying Solution for Text (SMS) Messaging or Popular Instant Messaging Platforms

StudyBoost(TM) today announced the launch of its StudyBoost.com mobile learning (mLearning) platform, the education industry's first solution to allow studying via interactive SMS text or instant messaging (IM) platforms.

Study Using Instant Messaging

Study Using Instant Messaging from StudyBoost on Vimeo.

Previously in beta mode, StudyBoost.com already has a large following of teachers and students. The official launch of StudyBoost.com brings a variety of new features including open-ended questions, a comprehensive statistics page and more.

StudyBoost.com is enabling interactive mobile studying for any grade-level or higher education students that have access to any SMS-text capable cell phone, smartphone or an instant messaging client. A student or teacher first adds StudyBoost as a friend for their IM account or as a contact in their phone and then sets up a batch of questions and answers, all on StudyBoost.com. There is also a library of batches that can be used. Batches can be individualized or shared among many, such as an entire class.

StudyBoost is available via www.studyboost.com where users can currently sign up for a free account or access their existing account.
Read more...

About StudyBoost

StudyBoost(TM) provides the education industry's first interactive social media studying platform to enable learning beyond the classroom. StudyBoost allows students to study by answering self- or teacher-prepared questions, at home or while on the go, via two of the most highly used technologies amongst students: SMS text messaging and instant messaging.

For teachers, StudyBoost empowers them to use popular technology to further engage their students beyond the classroom or to integrate technology for learning into their plans. For students, StudyBoost makes true mLearning a reality by leveraging technology they are intimately familiar with and that they carry around everywhere. StudyBoost is a privately held company based in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit www.studyboost.com.

Source: Marketwire

StudyBoost Launches Education Industry's First Interactive Studying Solution for Text (SMS) Messaging or Popular Instant Messaging Platforms

StudyBoost(TM) today announced the launch of its StudyBoost.com mobile learning (mLearning) platform, the education industry's first solution to allow studying via interactive SMS text or instant messaging (IM) platforms.

Study Using Instant Messaging

Study Using Instant Messaging from StudyBoost on Vimeo.

Previously in beta mode, StudyBoost.com already has a large following of teachers and students. The official launch of StudyBoost.com brings a variety of new features including open-ended questions, a comprehensive statistics page and more.

StudyBoost.com is enabling interactive mobile studying for any grade-level or higher education students that have access to any SMS-text capable cell phone, smartphone or an instant messaging client. A student or teacher first adds StudyBoost as a friend for their IM account or as a contact in their phone and then sets up a batch of questions and answers, all on StudyBoost.com. There is also a library of batches that can be used. Batches can be individualized or shared among many, such as an entire class.

StudyBoost is available via www.studyboost.com where users can currently sign up for a free account or access their existing account.
Read more...

About StudyBoost

StudyBoost(TM) provides the education industry's first interactive social media studying platform to enable learning beyond the classroom. StudyBoost allows students to study by answering self- or teacher-prepared questions, at home or while on the go, via two of the most highly used technologies amongst students: SMS text messaging and instant messaging.

For teachers, StudyBoost empowers them to use popular technology to further engage their students beyond the classroom or to integrate technology for learning into their plans. For students, StudyBoost makes true mLearning a reality by leveraging technology they are intimately familiar with and that they carry around everywhere. StudyBoost is a privately held company based in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit www.studyboost.com.

Source: Marketwire

The Digital Revolution and Higher Education

"As online college courses have become increasingly prevalent, the general public and college presidents offer different assessments of their educational value. Just three-in-ten American adults (29%) say a course taken online provides an equal educational value to one taken in a classroom. By contrast, fully half of college presidents (51%) say online courses provide the same value." summarizes Pew Research Center.  

More than three-quarters of the nation's colleges and universities now offer online classes, according to the survey of college presidents, and about one-in-four college graduates (23%) have taken a course online, according to the general public survey.

These findings are from a pair of Pew Research Center surveys conducted in spring 2011. One is a telephone survey taken among a nationally representative sample of 2,142 adults ages 18 and older. The other is an online survey, done in association with the Chronicle of Higher Education, among the presidents of 1,055 colleges and universities nationwide.
Read more...

See the full report.

Source: Pew Research Center

The Digital Revolution and Higher Education

"As online college courses have become increasingly prevalent, the general public and college presidents offer different assessments of their educational value. Just three-in-ten American adults (29%) say a course taken online provides an equal educational value to one taken in a classroom. By contrast, fully half of college presidents (51%) say online courses provide the same value." summarizes Pew Research Center.  

More than three-quarters of the nation's colleges and universities now offer online classes, according to the survey of college presidents, and about one-in-four college graduates (23%) have taken a course online, according to the general public survey.

These findings are from a pair of Pew Research Center surveys conducted in spring 2011. One is a telephone survey taken among a nationally representative sample of 2,142 adults ages 18 and older. The other is an online survey, done in association with the Chronicle of Higher Education, among the presidents of 1,055 colleges and universities nationwide.
Read more...

See the full report.

Source: Pew Research Center

Interactive books can enhance child's learning experience by Jinny Gudmundsen

Photo: Jinny Gudmundsen

"All parents know that reading books aloud is a fun and exciting way to introduce young children to the world. By starting to read to kids at an early age, parents help them build their vocabularies and start them on the path of being lifelong readers.", writes Jinny Gudmundsen.

With the invention of the iPad, parents can now broaden their book resources by easily downloading digital book apps. But book apps have been evolving, and many special ones are creating a new medium: interactive books.

With interactive books, kids are still being read to, but now they too become a part of the story. Here are three exciting and fabulous new book apps that let kids become part of a rich literary adventure.

Read more...

Related links

Harold and the Purple Crayon

The Three Little Pigs-Nosy Crow interactive storybook

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore 

Source: USA Today 

Interactive books can enhance child's learning experience by Jinny Gudmundsen

Photo: Jinny Gudmundsen

"All parents know that reading books aloud is a fun and exciting way to introduce young children to the world. By starting to read to kids at an early age, parents help them build their vocabularies and start them on the path of being lifelong readers.", writes Jinny Gudmundsen.

With the invention of the iPad, parents can now broaden their book resources by easily downloading digital book apps. But book apps have been evolving, and many special ones are creating a new medium: interactive books.

With interactive books, kids are still being read to, but now they too become a part of the story. Here are three exciting and fabulous new book apps that let kids become part of a rich literary adventure.

Read more...

Related links

Harold and the Purple Crayon

The Three Little Pigs-Nosy Crow interactive storybook

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore 

Source: USA Today 

BEST PRACTICES IN ONLINE EDUCATION: Online Instructors, Courses, and administrators

Don't miss this article from Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education TOJDE.
This paper describes the roles of teachers and administrators in online learning, and discusses the rules of best practices for both.

Photo: Ziad D. BAGHDADI

Ziad D. BAGHDADI writes, "There is no universally accepted definition of what a best practice is. However, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) describes best practices as having four common characteristics: they are innovative; they make a difference; they have a sustainable effect; and they have the potential to be replicated and to serve as a model for generating initiatives elsewhere (UNESCO, n.d). When applied to a particular condition, a best practice must ensure the delivery of the most effective outcome, based on repeatable procedures or activities that have been proven they over time for large numbers of people.

The best practice in education is the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way by which society transmits its accumulated knowledge and skills from one generation to another. The use of computers and the Internet in transmitting knowledge and skills is blossoming, and new technology is increasingly being used to complement established education practices and develop new ways of learning such as online education. For technology to offer powerful learning tools for engaging students, online curricula must be developed based on best practices principles and taught by highly qualified teachers using principles of effective online teaching. An academic curriculum is composed of several coherent courses related by themes, enabling the learners to move from the basic foundation of knowledge to more advanced, sophisticated levels of critical thinking and mastery of skills. The attention devoted to each and every course composing the curriculum will lead to a powerful teaching tool, ending with a recognizable scientific degree.

Similarly, the traditional role of teachers is being challenged as a reflection of changing teaching philosophies. Online learning, with its steady increase in popularity and acceptance, exerts more strain on teachers to change their tools and concepts of teaching and evaluating. As an online teacher, close adherence to instructor best practices and expectations ensures a successful outcome of the learning process, which is rewarding to both the teacher and learner alike."

Read more... 

Source: Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education

BEST PRACTICES IN ONLINE EDUCATION: Online Instructors, Courses, and administrators

Don't miss this article from Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education TOJDE.
This paper describes the roles of teachers and administrators in online learning, and discusses the rules of best practices for both.

Photo: Ziad D. BAGHDADI

Ziad D. BAGHDADI writes, "There is no universally accepted definition of what a best practice is. However, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) describes best practices as having four common characteristics: they are innovative; they make a difference; they have a sustainable effect; and they have the potential to be replicated and to serve as a model for generating initiatives elsewhere (UNESCO, n.d). When applied to a particular condition, a best practice must ensure the delivery of the most effective outcome, based on repeatable procedures or activities that have been proven they over time for large numbers of people.

The best practice in education is the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way by which society transmits its accumulated knowledge and skills from one generation to another. The use of computers and the Internet in transmitting knowledge and skills is blossoming, and new technology is increasingly being used to complement established education practices and develop new ways of learning such as online education. For technology to offer powerful learning tools for engaging students, online curricula must be developed based on best practices principles and taught by highly qualified teachers using principles of effective online teaching. An academic curriculum is composed of several coherent courses related by themes, enabling the learners to move from the basic foundation of knowledge to more advanced, sophisticated levels of critical thinking and mastery of skills. The attention devoted to each and every course composing the curriculum will lead to a powerful teaching tool, ending with a recognizable scientific degree.

Similarly, the traditional role of teachers is being challenged as a reflection of changing teaching philosophies. Online learning, with its steady increase in popularity and acceptance, exerts more strain on teachers to change their tools and concepts of teaching and evaluating. As an online teacher, close adherence to instructor best practices and expectations ensures a successful outcome of the learning process, which is rewarding to both the teacher and learner alike."

Read more... 

Source: Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education

Award-winning children's magazine StoryBox finally available on iPad

Bayard has announced, winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Award, StoryBox 1.0, its first iPad app. StoryBox is originally a monthly paper magazine for young children to share with their parents.

Read, learn and play with StoryBox iPad app! 

 

 

In every issue, readers find: an original book-length illustrated story, subjects on science and nature, picture-stories, games, nursery rhymes and much more. The magazine has been published for more than 15 years and is proven successful in helping children with their reading and learning development.
The first issue of StoryBox on iPad includes the same features than the paper magazine, with the same quality and variety of content, but topped with the audio and interactive touch.

In this first issue, users will enjoy:

* An book-length animated story: How about a Mooh
* An introduction to science: Why do aeroplanes leave trails in the sky
* Animal world: Humpback whales
* 2 animated picture stories: the cosmic adventures of SamSam and the dreamy world of Polo
* Interactive and fun games: join the dots, coloring, maze, find the one odd out

Read more...

Related links

StoryBox 1.0
Purchase and Download

About Bayard
Bayard is a European Media company. Bayard has been committed to creating innovative publications of high quality for young readers of all ages. To meet this ongoing challenge, editorial teams work closely with world renowned authors, illustrators, journalists and photographers who have something truly important and exciting to share with young people. Today, Bayard children's magazines are published in many countries, in 13 different languages, reaching a widespread and multicultural community of young readers. 3 magazines are published in English: StoryBox (ages 3-6), AdventureBox (ages 6-9), DiscoveryBox (ages 9-12). Copyright (C) 2011 Bayard All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Source: prMac

Award-winning children's magazine StoryBox finally available on iPad

Bayard has announced, winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Award, StoryBox 1.0, its first iPad app. StoryBox is originally a monthly paper magazine for young children to share with their parents.

Read, learn and play with StoryBox iPad app! 

 

 

In every issue, readers find: an original book-length illustrated story, subjects on science and nature, picture-stories, games, nursery rhymes and much more. The magazine has been published for more than 15 years and is proven successful in helping children with their reading and learning development.
The first issue of StoryBox on iPad includes the same features than the paper magazine, with the same quality and variety of content, but topped with the audio and interactive touch.

In this first issue, users will enjoy:

* An book-length animated story: How about a Mooh
* An introduction to science: Why do aeroplanes leave trails in the sky
* Animal world: Humpback whales
* 2 animated picture stories: the cosmic adventures of SamSam and the dreamy world of Polo
* Interactive and fun games: join the dots, coloring, maze, find the one odd out

Read more...

Related links

StoryBox 1.0
Purchase and Download

About Bayard
Bayard is a European Media company. Bayard has been committed to creating innovative publications of high quality for young readers of all ages. To meet this ongoing challenge, editorial teams work closely with world renowned authors, illustrators, journalists and photographers who have something truly important and exciting to share with young people. Today, Bayard children's magazines are published in many countries, in 13 different languages, reaching a widespread and multicultural community of young readers. 3 magazines are published in English: StoryBox (ages 3-6), AdventureBox (ages 6-9), DiscoveryBox (ages 9-12). Copyright (C) 2011 Bayard All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Source: prMac