Group items tagged

"CALL (Campaign Alliance for Life long Learning) Category: Common Interest - Current Events: Why CALL? Why now? Rising charges and course cut backs have seen two million learners' places lost from further and adult education in England since 2005. Now groups representing students, staff and local communities have come together to campaign for the right of everyone to access to learning irrespective of class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, asylum status or employment. We have founded CALL, the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning because we believe that affordable access to the life changing opportunities provided by education is the hallmark of a civilised society. CALL is a non-party political alliance. The only qualification for joining is commitment to our six founding principles below. CALL believes our education system should provide: equality of access to high quality education for all learners (regardless of: class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, asylum status or employment status), including a statutory right to learning in the workplace universal access to basic skills, ESOL and ICT courses and a first level three qualification regardless of age learner, teacher and community involvement in all levels of decision-making about their learning wherever it takes place learning for personal wellbeing and development and the maintenance of local authority adult education a path out of poverty and disadvantage including widening participation in higher education and the provision of a second chance later in life a stable, motivated and rewarded workforce of professional practitioners."

"In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior important in learning. During the 1990's a new group of cognitive psychologist, lead by Lorin Anderson (a former student of Bloom's), updated the taxonomy reflecting relevance to 21st century work. The graphic is a representation of the NEW verbage associated with the long familiar Bloom's Taxonomy. Note the change from Nouns to Verbs to describe the different levels of the taxonomy."

"Who we are: Democrasoft is a leading provider of innovation in social collaboration and voting platforms for building successful online communities. With a focus on implementing solutions to build better relationships, identify obstacles, and create actionable, quantifiable outcomes that get results, Democrasoft provides everything you need to leverage the power of a well-engaged group. Democrasoft offers hosted, web-based solutions that "reach-in" to internal groups to promote collaboration and streamline decision-making, and "reach-out" to external audiences to enhance customer relationships, identify market opportunities and provide valuable customer insight and feedback."

The Academic Research Group, Inc., founded in 1972, occupies offices at 144 Tamarack Circle, Skillman, New Jersey. In our more than 38 years of service to the needs of the academic, business and professional communities, we have written, researched and edited over 50,000 documents in all fields. Our clients come from all over the United States and the world

"Since Trivantis was founded in 1999, people, ideas and innovation have fueled our growth. Our flagship product, Lectora , blazed the elearning trail as the first, easy-to-use authoring software and made rapid elearning a reality. Our family of Lectora products is complemented by Lectora Integrator, CourseMill LMS products, and the design services of our Custom Development Services group. In 2009, we introduced Lectora Online which combines the power of collaborative online elearning with the same great authoring capabilities of Lectora Publisher. Trivantis software is utilized by leading companies from consumer products, retail, universities and high schools, to governments and manufacturing. Our products serve over 70% of the Fortune 100, most of the Fortune 500 and all five U.S. military branches. Global 2000 companies in more than 70 countries make our products their elearning solution of choice. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Trivantis Corporation also has offices in Boca Raton, Paris, London and Beijing."

"Who We Are: The UHI serves as an interface between Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore community in which it resides. The UHI was established in 2000 by Dr. William Brody, president of the University, in response to a recommendation from the Urban Health Council - a group of community residents, clergy, local leaders, business representatives, city officials, and faculty, staff, and students from the Johns Hopkins Institutions (JHI). Together with its community partners, the UHI explores ways that the research, teaching, and clinical expertise of the University can be better harnessed for the benefit of the residents of East Baltimore; Mission: To serve as a catalyst that brings together the resources of Johns Hopkins Institutions with the City of Baltimore, and especially East Baltimore to improve the community's health and well-being, and in so doing serve as a model of community-university collaboration regionally and nationally."

"The mission of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) is to help donors create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world. The organization, a 501-(c)-(3) nonprofit, was developed by the Rockefeller family as its private philanthropy service, and traces its antecedents to John D. Rockefeller, Sr., who in 1891 began to professionally manage his philanthropy as if it were a business." RPA provides research and counsel on charitable giving, develops philanthropic programs, and offers complete program, administrative and management services for foundations and trusts. It also operates a charitable gift fund through which clients can make gifts outside the United States, participate in funding consortia, and operate nonprofit initiatives. The organization is governed by a 17-member board of directors representing the fields of philanthropy, finance, venture capital, education, the arts, broadcasting and medicine (list available upon request, or via BPA currently serves more than 160 donors in advising on giving to more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and North America. As a whole, the organization has facilitated over $3 billion in grant making and advised last year on nearly $180 million. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is one of the world's largest philanthropy services, with 40 full-time staff in our New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. We also work with a group of carefully-selected expert affiliates. Our senior staff members offer an average of 20 years each in grant making experience with major foundations, both U.S. and international, including the Ford Foundation, the Levi-Strauss Foundation, the SmithKline Beecham Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, the New York Community Trust, the Wallace Fund and the John A. Hartford Foundation. Senior staffers are frequent speakers and are quoted often in national publications and media."

"With over 7,000 resources, including lesson plans, worksheets, audio, video and flashcards, onestopenglish is the world's number one resource site for English Language teachers. Onestopenglish is a teacher's resource site published by Macmillan English Campus, part of the Macmillan Education Group, one of the world's leading publishers of English language teaching materials. Onestopenglish is packed with resources for English teachers. All materials are written and edited by our expert team of teachers and authors and are organized into core subject areas such as Skills, Grammar and Vocabulary, Business and ESP, Exams and Young Learners, so you'll always find what you're looking for. Onestopenglish members have the opportunity to sign up to the Staff Room, our subscription area containing additional features and premium resources."

The Promising Practices Network (PPN) is a group of individuals and organizations who are dedicated to providing quality evidence-based information about what works to improve the lives of children, families, and communities. Who runs PPN? This project is operated by the RAND Corporation, the nation's original "think tank." RAND is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. Long recognized as one of the world's premier research organizations, RAND produces work of enduring value-research and analysis that is prized and respected for its quality, innovation, comprehensiveness, and objectivity. The wide dissemination of its findings is an equally important part of RAND's mission: research must be readily accessible to policymakers if it is to have impact on the public good. RAND brings to PPN extensive experience in the child policy arena, with more than 150 researchers and consultants working in areas such as child health, juvenile justice, education, child care, labor, and demographics. RAND's analysis has shaped public policy on a range of problems facing young people, including prenatal health, substance abuse, firearms violence, and early childhood interventions.

"On the air. On the Web. Around the world. American Public Media, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is the largest owner and operator of public radio stations and a premier producer and distributor of public radio programming in the nation. It is also the largest producer and distributor of classical music programming in the United States. 780 stations reaching 16.5 million listeners carry our programs each week. Among its portfolio of more than 20 national programs are such public radio staples as A Prairie Home Companion®, Saint Paul Sunday®, Marketplace®, Marketplace Money®, The Splendid Table® Speaking of Faith® and special reports produced by our national documentary unit, American RadioWorks®. Learn more about American Public Media programs» American Public Media is the parent organization for Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio and Classical South Florida, operating 42 public radio stations and 32 translators in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, California and Florida. American Public Media's subsidiary, Minnesota Public Radio, owns and operates the historic Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul, home of the live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion®. Also under the American Public Media umbrella is the for-profit Greenspring, the parent company of Greenspring Media Group, a diversified regional and national magazine publishing and event management company. American Public Media is also a co-founder and major partner of Gather.com, a social networking Web site that invites the public radio audience to share with others their observations, thoughts and perspectives with others"

"Jennifer Harris Edstrom , founder and principal consultant of Edstrom Educational Consulting, has a decade of assessment experience garnered from work with individual classrooms, state accountability programs, and national shelf products. After graduating from Wellesley College, she was certified to teach in the public school systems in Needham, Massachusetts, South Brunswick, New Jersey and Glencoe, Illinois. As a consultant for ETS, Ms. Edstrom was trained by Grant Wiggins's CLASS organization to author material for their Assessment Wizard program, a software program that assists teachers in developing authentic performance assessments. In 2002, Ms. Edstrom joined Riverside Publishing Company, where she oversaw the content development of high-stakes testing programs at all grade-levels and in all subject areas. Most notably, she worked closely with the Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Assessment and Arts Supervisor for the State of Washington in researching, developing, and implementing their Goal 2 authentic performance assessments in the areas of Art, Music, Drama and Dance, now being used across the state at the elementary, middle and high school grades. Ms. Edstrom left Riverside Publishing to found Edstrom Educational Consulting in 2005. Through her leadership, EEC has grown a large client base that includes notable educational publishing divisions, including Riverside Publishing, Holt-McDougal, and CTB/McGraw-Hill. In her role as principal consultant, Ms. Edstrom has acted as an advisor in the best practices of assessment, as well as authored assessment materials of the highest quality with attention to specifications. She has instructed educators in both small and large-group settings with a focus on all aspects of assessment, from testing best practices, types of assessment and creation of rubrics."

"Founded in 1967 at Sweetwater Creek State Park by a group of concerned citizens, the Georgia Conservancy collaborates, advocates and educates to protect Georgia's natural environment. Through its focus on clean air and water, land conservation, coastal protection, growth management and education, the Georgia Conservancy works to develop solutions to protect Georgia's environment and promote the stewardship of the state's vital natural resources. Called "the state's most influential environmental organization" by Georgia Trend magazine, the Georgia Conservancy, a statewide, nonprofit organization, serves as an advocate for clean air and water through programs such as Mothers & Others for Clean Air and as a founding member of the Georgia Water Coalition (GWC). The Georgia Conservancy, through its work with GWC, was active in the development of a statewide water management plan to ensure Georgia's waters remain clean, abundant and available for all Georgians. Today, the water program continues as the Georgia Conservancy works to influence and track the state's water conservation implementation plan as part of the statewide water plan, which passed by the state legislature in 2008. Other recent Georgia Conservancy successes, to name only a few, include: launching the Coastal Georgia Land Conservation Initiative in partnership with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Association County Commissioners. The initiative will protect critical coastal lands and promote sustainable land use and development practices through comprehensive mapping, education and technical assistance assembling and facilitating a team of air quality, policy and health experts to revise guidelines on appropriate outdoor activity when air quality is poor securing $250,000 in state funds to assist schools with installing pollution control devices on metro-area school buses. and, in 2008, teaching more than 292 teachers in 18 environmental education workshop

To preserve the legacy of the unprecedented and heroic work of the men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives ("MFAA") section, known as "Monuments Men," during World War II, by raising public awareness of the importance of protecting and safeguarding civilization's most important artistic and cultural treasures from armed conflict, while incorporating these expressions of man's greatest creative achievements into our daily lives. The Monuments Men respected the cultures of others. They risked their lives to preserve that culture. Two Monuments Men were killed in action protecting treasures. As a group the Monuments Men changed the course of history by returning more than 5 million cultural items after the war. Help us preserve the legacy of the Monuments Men and put it to use in protecting cultural treasures from future armed conflict.

"What are Gizmos? ExploreLearning.com offers the world's largest library of interactive online simulations for math and science education in grades 3-12. We call these simulations Gizmos . Gizmos are: fun, easy to use, and help students develop a deep understanding of challenging concepts through inquiry and exploration. research-based, flexible tools used by teachers across all 50 states in a wide variety of ways. Gizmos are ideal for small group work, individual exploration, and whole class instruction using an LCD projector or interactive whiteboard. designed to supplement your existing curriculum. Gizmos are correlated to state curriculum standards and over 200 textbooks, making them easy to integrate into your instructional program. backed by first-rate training and professional development services that help maximize the value of your investment."

"Project SAILS ® began in 2001 with the goal of developing a standardized test of information literacy skills that would allow libraries to document skill levels for groups of students and to pinpoint areas for improvement. To make Project SAILS a success, we brought together a team of experts in librarianship, test design and measurement, data analysis, and programming. A three-year research and development phase involving more than 80 higher education institutions in the U.S. and Canada culminated in 2006 in the production version of the SAILS test. Looking for additional information about the project? Try one of the following links: Overview - Background information about Project SAILS Brochure - Introduction to Project SAILS and the test instrument in PDF format History - Important events in the development of SAILS Project SAILS Team - Brief biographies of the SAILS team members Acknowledgements - Recognition of contributors and participants Looking for information about the SAILS test? Go to About the Test. Project SAILS is headquartered at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The project was funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Studies and supported by the Association of Research Libraries."

"The graduates of today and tomorrow enter into a world that requires them to be engineering-literate and technologically savvy. The integration of engineering education in grades P-12 will better arm students with essential tools and skills to enter into the workforce or postsecondary education. Additionally, due to a 20 percent slip in the number of engineers graduating from U.S. institutions and with more than half of the U.S. workforce in the sciences and engineering approaching retirement age, the need for a diverse group of students interested in and prepared to study engineering in college is ever growing. It is essential that young engineers from the U.S. be involved in the next generation of innovative ideas that support our society's needs. This interest and drive to participate in engineering must be fostered at an early age. INSPIRE is dedicated to addressing the downward trends in engineering interest, preparedness, and representation; to transforming P-12 education to include engineering; to preparing a globally competitive engineering workforce; and ultimately to creating a society of engineering-literate citizens."

"Project Tomorrow is a national education nonprofit group based in Irvine, California. The vision of Project Tomorrow is ensure that today's students are well prepared to be tomorrow's innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world. We believe that by supporting the innovative uses of science, math and technology resources in our K-12 schools and communities, students will develop the critical thinking, problem solving and creativity skills needed to compete and thrive in the 21st century. We approach our mission by: Conducting national research projects such as Speak Up. Facilitating the replication of model projects in schools and communities. Providing online tools and resources for students, teachers and parents. Contributing to the national and regional dialogue about educational issues."

"Workforce3 One, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (ETA), is an interactive communications and learning platform designed to build the capacity of the Workforce Investment System (WIS) to develop strategies that enable individuals to be successful in the 21st century economy. This platform provides online insight into the skills and competencies required by business and industry through the innovative workforce solutions identified by a wide range of strategic partners and grantees. Workforce3 One: Allows the workforce system, educators, business and industry, and others to share their innovative approaches, products, and tools; Offers online learning events (webinars) that highlight promising practices and provides a space to share ideas; Provides a vehicle for ETA to share information and products developed at the national level; Serves as a key point of dissemination for the approaches, products, and tools for High Growth, Community-Based Job Training grants, and Workforce in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative; Offers a current searchable database of 3,500 learning modules with additional material added weekly; and Provides and supports collaborative workspaces to allow individuals associated with the WIRED initiative regional economies to share information to support their socially networked leadership groups, partnerships, and strategies."

"Stenhouse Publishers started in 1993 with two employees in a one-room attic walk-up in York, Maine. That fall we published six titles. Today, a dozen employees work in our offices overlooking Monument Square in the heart of Portland, Maine, editing, marketing and producing a catalogue of more than 200 books and videos. Stenhouse publishes professional development books and videos by teachers and for teachers. All of our titles are grounded in a philosophy of education that respects both teacher and learner. And all are designed to integrate theory, research, and practice in an accessible manner. Good professional resources encourage teachers to step back and ponder important questions, such as: "Why do we teach these concepts in these ways?," and the closely related, "Is there a better way? Our titles cover a range of literacy topics, from reading comprehension to classroom management. On a larger level, our publishing program strives to support professional growth and create a culture of inquiry for teachers at all stages of their career and for learners of all ages. Stenhouse is part of Highlights for Children and a division of their subsidiary Teachers' Publishing Group.

"The Accident Cynthia Howroyd, a speech language pathologist and clinical director, created AutismPro after becoming frustrated with her attempts to provide efficient and affordable guidance to those working with children with autism. In 2001, Cynthia was working with no funding or trained autism personnel on staff when she became unable to travel for several months due to a car accident. While she recuperated, she used the pause in her hectic schedule to think about how to continue to meet her clients' needs. She began imagining creative ways of applying technology to the problem. A Unique Approach Understanding how the expertise of professionals, the internet, expert system software, and online learning might be combined into a single solution, she developed the vision of a 'virtual autism clinic' that would dramatically increase accessibility to treatment guidance. Success! After three years of struggle and determination, Cynthia gathered a team of experts to begin Virtual Expert Clinics Inc. in 2004. In 2006, Virtual Expert Clinics launched their first product, AutismPro Professional, designed to help caregivers design and deliver tailored intervention plans for young children with autism. Helping Schools and Clinics With strong interest from school districts and early intervention centers across North America and worldwide, Virtual Expert Clinics has developed a package of software and consulting, training, and program-design services to help these institutions deliver autism programming to improve child outcomes. A Growing Group of Worldwide Users AutismPro is being used by over 1,000 individuals and organizations in a dozen countries. Virtual Expert Clinics has established high profile re-seller partnerships in Poland (SOTIS), Australia (Autism Spectrum Australia), and The Netherlands (Fontys University)."