National Geographic Learning (NGL), part of Cengage Learning, has announced that its Reach for Reading product, a comprehensive K-5 Common Core reading program, has been adopted for use by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) in Evansville, IN. As the third largest school district in the state, EVSC will implement the program for use beginning in Fall 2013 and it will be used by students for at least six school years.

The Reach for Reading program features multicultural literature paired with exclusive content from National Geographic and real-world accounts from famous National Geographic Explorers. The program was constructed by a team of industry-leading authors, including Nancy Frey, Patricia Edwards and Deborah Short, among others, and was built around Common Core Standards.

Reach for Reading goes above and beyond simple compliance of the standards and thoroughly applies the shifts of the Common Core to the program. It is built on three basic principles that will help each classroom within EVSC to achieve reading success - Common Core State Standards; National Geographic Content; and Content-based Instruction.

National Geographic Learning (NGL), a US-based provider of educational materials for the PreK-12, higher education, adult education and ELT markets, has announced a distribution agreement with ASCD, which develops and delivers programmes, products and services for educators. NGL is part of Cengage Learning.

Through this new agreement, NGL will distribute premier professional development solutions from ASCD including online courses, on-demand resource libraries and print titles. ASCD produces various solutions, resources and books that further the professional knowledge and careers of superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education and school board members.

The distribution agreement will allow NGL to distribute more than 500 print titles from ASCD and also ASCD’s online resources. These include PD Online, a professional development solution providing multimedia and high-quality digital content from experts that are said to fit the needs of any type and size of learning group. Another resource, PD In Focus, offers educators on-demand access to hundreds of hours of high-impact videos, related resources and activities.

National Geographic Learning (NGL), part of Cengage Learning, has announced an agreement with Nowa Era, a part of Sanoma, to expand their partnership to include the development of Polish language science and history programmes for primary school. This agreement enables Nowa Era, a Poland-based school publisher, to use National Geographic articles, photography, illustration and video in science and history programmes for primary school in Poland and to carry the National Geographic Learning brand on those programmes.

Additionally, Nowa Era will begin publishing Explorer Magazine for the Polish primary school market. Explorer Magazine is one of the leading educational magazines in the US education market.

Since 2009, Cengage Learning and Nowa Era have collaborated to produce English language learning materials for the Polish school market with great success. The newly expanded relationship is expected to further leverage world-class National Geographic content and Nowa Era’s position in the Polish school market. Additionally, National Geographic Learning acquires the translation and adaptation rights to materials developed under this agreement for customers outside the Polish market.

National Geographic Learning (NGL), part of Cengage Learning, has announced its entry into the academic higher education and career markets with the release of a new series of educational readers. The National Geographic Learning Reader Series was created by experienced subject matter experts using the distinguished, multimedia-rich content of the National Geographic Society.

The National Geographic Learning Reader Series is the product of an exclusive relationship between Cengage Learning and the National Geographic Society, an organisation that represents a tradition of amazing stories, exceptional research, first-hand accounts of exploration, rich content and authentic materials. The series brings learning to life through the combination of compelling images, media and text from National Geographic, and content created by experienced subject matter experts. The engaging material within the National Geographic Learning Reader Series seeks to help students to develop a clearer understanding of the world around them and connects key topics in each discipline to important, real-world examples.

Published on a variety of topics, the readers can be used in conjunction with most standard textbooks or online materials. Readers in the series include Archaeology, Architecture and Construction, Biological Anthropology, Climate Change, Cultural Anthropology, Cultural Identity in America, Gender Roles: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Green, Sustainability, Travel and Tourism, and Water: Global Challenges and Policy of Freshwater Use. Several titles are currently available, and others will be released over the coming months. Each new book purchased features complimentary one-semester access to the media-rich eBook version.

Beyond the new National Geographic Learning Reader Series, NGL plans to integrate National Geographic content into several existing, best-selling Cengage Learning academic higher education and career textbooks. In the coming years, these titles will be enhanced to include articles, photos, videos, interviews and profiles.

Additionally, NGL will create several new, core learning solutions for academic higher education courses to be co-branded with respected Cengage Learning sub-brands such as Wadsworth, Heinle, Brooks-Cole and Delmar. These new print and digital learning solutions will be built from the ground up with National Geographic content leveraged from the start of the product development process, providing the ability to maximise the integration of National Geographic and Cengage author content throughout the resulting learning solutions.

National Geographic Learning (NGL), part of Cengage Learning, has announced significant adoptions of their K-5 Science and K-8 English as a Second Language (ESL) products in Florida and Texas, respectively.

NGL Science has been adopted by 21 school districts in the state of Florida, including Hillsborough County, the third-largest district in the state. This innovative and forward-thinking science product is a newcomer to the K-5 science sector and has achieved 28 percent market share in the state – reaching more than 320,000 elementary students. These students will have the opportunity to experience a research-based programme that brings science learning to life.

Covering all aspects of science – science inquiry, science content and scientific literacy – NGL Science works with educators to immerse students in the nature of science, unlock big ideas, build scientific and content literacy, and get students to think objectively as scientists. The product was created to be customisable, so as to target the specific individual science standards in any given state.

NGL’s numerous ELT products span elementary school through high school and teach students and instructors the skills necessary to unlock the power of reading, writing and language instruction. In Texas, three of NGL’s ELT products have been widely successful in the K-8 space and are being used in over 200 of the state’s school districts – reaching close to 650,000 ESL students.

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Over 2,500 physicians from across the US have reportedly come together on QuantiaMD, an online physician-to-physician learning collaborative, for a programme presented in collaboration with Journal Watch, from the publishers of the New England Journal of Medicine. Through the programme National Case Challenge, physicians viewed real-life case submissions in an online forum, selecting their choice of the best short-format, interactive clinical case in medicine. The large number of programme participants is seen to demonstrate that more physicians are engaging in new modes of online learning and collaboration with their colleagues nationwide.

Participants selected the case 'Brainstem Rescue' by Dr. Alvaro Alonso, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA, which appeared on QuantiaMD, where one in six US physicians engage, share and learn from experts and each other, free of charge. Accessing QuantiaMD through smartphones, tablets, personal computers or point-of-care mobile devices, physicians can reportedly interact with each other and experience thousands of interactive presentations created by medical experts for their peers. The topics include general medicine, oncology, diabetes, infectious disease and mental health.

QuantiaMD seeks to provide a useful interactive learning experience by offering physicians short-form cases to challenge their diagnostic and treatment reasoning. Topics are delivered in interactive 5-8 minute narrated presentations that allow physicians to transform brief periods of downtime into productive, enjoyable learning experiences. The platform is said to enable users to respond instantly and interact with each other, creating a dynamic forum for peer validation and feedback.

QuantiaMD's collaboration with Journal Watch is stated to be based on a shared commitment to education coupled with respect for physicians' time. Journal Watch aims to deliver clinical research drawn from over 250 medical journals in a time-saving, manageable format. A panel of expert Journal Watch judges narrowed the case submissions on QuantiaMD to five finalists, which were presented to the entire medical community for selection of the top submission. Dr. Alonso's winning case, chosen by popular vote on QuantiaMD, garnered him a $2500 award.

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The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) has announced the launch of the first stage of the Online Learning Platform, a new section of its website that makes available training materials in a dedicated learning environment. Initially, the five Building Strong Library Associations (BSLA) modules will be available through the platform, with specialist modules and other training materials to follow.

Powered by the open source learning platform, Moodle, the website allows IFLA members to download high-quality training materials and case studies; participate in online learning activities and discussions; and contribute their stories of how they have used the programme.

The online learning platform is projected as a significant new resource for all of IFLA's members. Beginning in November 2010, IFLA will make available a growing number of downloadable resources, and interactive learning activities. Content will be continually rolled out, with each Building Strong Library Associations module available for download at launch. From February 2011, all five modules will be complemented by a range of blended learning content, quizzes, and activities.

The launch of the Online Learning Platform also includes more than 20 research-based case studies that illustrate examples of the work of library associations around the world.

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The Digital Reading Business Division of Sony Electronics has unveiled a new initiative to support the work of public libraries as they expand and promote their ebook collections. The programme, launched in recognition of Library Advocacy Day, provides public libraries with training on digital reading devices, educational materials to help readers learn about the eBooks and digital texts available to them through their local libraries, and digital reading devices for library staff use.

The Reader Library programme is open to public libraries with robust ebook lending programmes. Programme components include a training programme for library staff developed by Sony. This one-time web-based session covers digital reading formats, an overview of sources for digital materials, and training on Sony's Reader digital reading devices. Sony will begin the programme with a handful of libraries nationwide to tailor educational materials that reflect the content and features of each library's digital collection. Bi-annual update sessions are designed to keep libraries and their staff current with latest developments in digital reading content, format and devices.

Sony's Readers are reportedly compatible with the industry-standard formats in which libraries offer their digital collections. Therefore, consumers can readily borrow perennial favourites and new releases from their local library's collection.

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Internet search services provider Google, Inc., US, recently released an internal learning platform, CloudCourse, under an open source license. Built on Google's App Engine, CloudCourse allows anyone to create and track learning activities. It also offers calendaring, waitlist management and approval features.

CloudCourse is fully integrated with Google Calendar and can be further customised to sync the data with other internal systems; schedule classes in your locations; and look up user profile (employee title, picture, etc).

CloudCourse was developed to provide a course scheduling system fully integrated with Google services. By releasing CloudCourse as open source, Google hopes to help developers who want to port or build enterprise applications on App Engine. As the source code is open, and as more and more schools explore and embrace Google's Apps for Education, CloudCourse may become another part of the ed-tech arsenal.

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