Recently in e-learning Category

Texthelp Systems, provider of literacy software solutions, today announced the release of their new Suite of Web Apps. The Texthelp Web Apps work within browsers on iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, and other mobile devices as well as PCs and Macs. The Apps include: Read&Write Web, eBook Reader for Bookshare eBooks, Speech, and Dictionary. With the proliferation of iPads and other mobile devices, schools and colleges are looking for Assistive Technology (AT) solutions that allow their students to use these devices at school and at home to access digital content. Read&Write GOLD users can now benefit from access to familiar support features, including Read Aloud with dual color highlighting, Dictionary, Translator, and Study Skills. http://www.texthelp.com/

Edvance360, LLC, a provider of eLearning services and software, has announced its release of Edvance360 LMS-SN Version 6.0. Edvance360 is a Learning Management System combining course management tools with a social network and web 2.0 tools to create an effective learning environment.  The latest release includes: A new mobile version of the application including full access to the user’s synchronized calendar, social network, mail, grades, community, and system alerts; Send/schedule automatic reminders to users, be notified of late assignments and student inactivity, and get messages when students complete a certain percentage of a course or fall below a set average for a course; New course cloning options for faculty, additional reports, and more. http://www.edvance360.com

Libraries in Tennessee and Ohio announced that readers could expand their access to digital books through new programs being offered by libraries in those states. Because most of the libraries can not lend files for Kindle users, owners of the popular ereader may think they are unable to participate in the lending programs. Actually, the Tennessee library system shows how flexible lending digital content can be across different platforms. Borrowing an ebook or audiobook through R.E.A.D.S is similar to renting audiobooks online. Library patrons log on to the Regional eBook and Audiobook Download System, and enter their library numbers to download the files. The ebook files can be used on EPUB friendly devices such as the Sony Reader or iPods. The files are only accessible for the number of days that they are lent. Ohio libraries also promoted their ebook offerings on October 4, 2010, although their files are also incompatible with Kindles. By participating in the statewide Ohio eBooks system, libraries save money on ebook lending programs. Being able to go to the library without leaving home is not something people might normally think of doing, but just as there are online stores and online churches, there are now online library branches that lend digital media. www.suite101.com

OmniUpdate, Inc., a web content management system provider for higher education, released version 9 of its OU Campus CMS. Web developers are the primary beneficiary of this new release, as there are no user interface (UI) modifications affecting end-users. The development goal for version 9 was to replace Xalan (XSLT 1.0) with Saxon 9 (XSLT 2.0), thereby establishing the platform for several new feature releases expected throughout 2010 and beyond. A database abstraction was also added to support the use of MySQL and other databases, in addition to Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase ASE. The move to XSLT 2.0 provides web developers with a true programming language with typed variables and user-defined functions. It offers more than twice the functions and operators available in XSLT 1.0. Additional efficiencies, provided in the declarative language, also offer web developers a significant reduction of code, thus allowing for faster processing speed. New features include Snippets (pre-defined and formatted code sets) that users can add to pages in the WYSIWYG editor, as well as Final Check, which enforces spell checking, link checking, and W3C compliance testing prior to page publishing. Image Thumbnails, Auto Draft, Save-in-Place, and Source Editor Word Wrap are also part of the release. www.omniupdate.com

OmniUpdate, Inc., announced the availability of a new Live Delivery Platform (LDP) for its core web CMS product, OU Campus. This platform will be available to both new and existing OmniUpdate customers as an optional component beginning May 2009. A benefit of live delivery is the quick availability of dynamic data and the customization of content by website visitors. These capabilities facilitate interactive Web 2.0 applications such as favorites, watchers, polls, event calendars, image galleries, wikis, comments, forms, and surveys. OU Campus is designed as a push or "decoupled" CMS. The Live Delivery Platform extends the capabilities of OU Campus by allowing it to take advantage of the benefits of both push and pull CMS functionality. The platform will initially be available through a PHP-based API installed on the customer's web server, with other languages to follow. http://www.omniupdate.com

milengo Inc. announced that it has joined with Clay Tablet Technologies to bring its content routing solution to IT, communications and eLearning clients struggling with large volumes of content. The solution, Clay Tablet 2.0 connects any content management system with any localization tool, so that content may be translated easier and faster. http://www.milengo.com, http://www.Clay-Tablet.com

Inmedius, Inc. announced the acquisition of Generation21 Learning Systems, an E-Learning provider since its founding in 1996. Known as the first developer of reusable learning objects, performance support technology and true tailored learning. Inmedius and Generation21 customers will benefit from an integration of their project technical documentation with training course creation, management and deployment. Inmedius plans to broaden their portfolio of offerings, empowering clients with an integral link between technical documentation and learning that supports their products and customers, including tight integration between Inmedius’ existing S1000D, DITA and Content Management technical information systems with Generation21’s E-Learning platform. Generation21's solution offers Learning Management, Content Management, and Content Assembly tools. Generation21 offerings will be available for purchase worldwide through Inmedius’ international network of offices. http://www.generation21.com, http://www.inmedius.com

Mzinga announced the immediate availability of a collaborative learning solution, The Mzinga Social Learning Suite, designed to bridge the gap between prescribed learning and social knowledge sharing. The Mzinga Social Learning Suite incorporates a broad range of social technologies into Mzinga’s existing learning development, delivery, and management tools, allowing users to interact and share information of their own, for a unified learning environment that lets employees, customers, and partners connect with peers, access prescribed learning courses, share resources and expertise, and benefit from the feedback and ideas of others. The Mzinga Social Learning Suite also introduces new default user interface options that take advantage of the system’s enhanced Site Designer. Using the Site Designer, organizations can create an enterprise-wide learning ecosystem with single or multiple "instances" of their Mzinga Learning site, each with distinct branding, layouts, and languages. When administrators want to modify site homepages, the new enhancements let them drag and drop both formal and social learning widgets o to the page and use simple, in-line property settings to adjust how they display. http://www.mzinga.com

Alfresco Software Inc. announced an OEM partnership with Remote-Learner.net, the provider of open source solutions for online learning management, record keeping and learning object storage to corporate, academic and governmental clients. The partnership will deliver solutions to allow learning organizations using Moodle's open source course management system (CMS) to access Alfresco's open source ECM repository to support content development and reuse. Remote-Learner's Enterprise Learning Intelligence Suite for Moodle (ELIS) will be made available on February 12, 2009, allowing users to store and retrieve resources from within Moodle and Alfresco. This solution will enable learning organizations and existing Moodle users to access the back-end content repository services of Alfresco Enterprise, helping to ensure security, compliance, and auditability. Users will be able to more effectively manage, preview and track increasing volumes of content and digital assets on Moodle sites using Alfresco Enterprise. Alfresco Enterprise hosted or download trials are available at http://www.alfresco.com, http://remote-learner.net