Promethean Offers ELL Solution
Promethean Offers Bilingual / ESOL Interactive Curriculum to Help
Schools with ELL Students Meet Fifth Grade NCLB Science Testing Requirements
ATLANTA – July 8, 2006 - When schools open this fall, America will pass the 300 million-population mark- and the newest American will likely be Hispanic, according to census statistics. Texas, New Mexico and California already have “majority-minority” Hispanic populations.
To help the many schools with significant and growing Hispanic student populations meet the daunting challenges of teaching English acquisition skills and passing NCLB fifth grade science tests, Promethean, a global leader in interactive learning technology, has introduced two powerful ELL interactive resources: ActivLingua and Eduspark.
ActivLingua, a breakthrough English language teaching and learning system, seamlessly integrates Promethean’s interactive whiteboard technology with an impressive bank of multi- media resources to create a dynamic teaching and learning experience.
Eduspark programs, with a strong emphasis on science, provide dual-language immersion and the ability for teachers to toggle between English and Spanish that is invaluable for English Language Learners (ELL) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) applications.
“The Eduspark program increases the retention of academic science content in our students,” said Laura Alcorta, director of student diversity and learning at Round Rock ISD, Texas.
“ActivLingua and Eduspark dual immersion curriculum combined with Promethean’s interactive classroom solutions give schools with Spanish student populations an edge as they strive to meet NCLB science standards while increasing student’s language acquisition skills,” said Mark Elliott, president of Promethean Inc.
The two ELL programs using Promethean Activboards also are a cost-effective solution because one interactive whiteboard with materials costs less than multiple PCs in each classroom.
ActivLingua, now a wholly-owned Promethean unit, engaged experienced ESOL teachers to create and promote a multi-sensory experience that appeals to each learner’s natural learning style, whether visual, auditory or kinaesthetic. Multimedia modules include teaching flipcharts packed with activities, printable worksheets and transcripts, printable student workbooks ideal for reading and writing practice, feedback flipcharts for group marking of students’ workbooks, grammar reference and worksheet flipcharts, and grammar diagnostic tests.
Eduspark software is based on the latest brain research and neuropsychological data and is designed to stimulate left and right brain hemispheres. This approach facilitates learning for English and Spanish speaking students to improve comprehension, reinforce long-term memory, increase attention level and motor skills, and to develop language abilities.
In 2005, Eduspark was selected to participate in TechBA, a joint program between the University of Texas at Austin and the United States-Mexico Foundation for Science, after a rigorous review of more than 200 companies and based on their offering of leading-edge bilingual education content and the need for such content in the U.S. The program, sponsored by Mexico’s Ministry of Economy, is housed in the Austin Technology Incubator, one of the oldest and most widely recognized incubators in the U.S.
Featuring rich multimedia, the CD-based Eduspark holistic learning system offers student workbooks, games, flash cards, teacher guides and more than 154 bilingual course modules. Eduspark also offers curriculum for grades K-12 including reading, math, science, biology, chemistry, world history, music, writing skills and neuro-motor development.
Eduspark has received enthusiastic response from education experts in academia and from teachers and administrators in Texas and California and is already in use in more than 1,000 schools in Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and Spain.
Content will be aligned to state standards and available from Promethean by fall 2006.
About Eduspark
Eduspark’s mission is to provide world class educational dual immersion programs that increases the academic and social performance of children from early childhood though high school. The Eduspark Holistic Learning System offers over 154 course modules in English and Spanish pre-K through High School that includes: reading, math, science, biology, chemistry, world history, music, writing skills and neuromotor development. Eduspark’s rich multimedia materials include e-Student interactive activity books, flash cards, games and teacher’s guides.
About Promethean
Promethean is a global leader and innovator in interactive learning technology that empowers teachers to engage, educate, assess and motivate learners. Developed by and for education professionals, its award-winning products help teachers to prepare digital lessons quickly and easily. The technology enables them to create, customize and integrate text, images, quizzes and tests, web, video and audio content, so they can more easily capture students' attention and accommodate different learning styles.
The company supplies Activboard, the world's most durable interactive whiteboard technology; Activstudio, a software platform for secondary teaching; and Activprimary, the leading whiteboard software designed specifically for use in primary schools and kindergarten. It also offers personal hand-held Activote response units which provide instant polling and analysis to promote learning and teacher productivity. Promethean is committed to supporting effective use of classroom technologies and offer a comprehensive support and professional development service to enable optimum usage and return on investment.
Promethean's headquarters are in Blackburn, in the United Kingdom. In the US it is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Its products are distributed through a global network of partners and inspire millions of learners in