News & Events
PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed
22/12/11
London, United Kingdom
Major Educational Content Providers Join Forces with Global Grid for Learning
Global Grid for Learning (GGfL), provider of one of the world’s largest collections of digital educational content, today announced it will be adding to its service over 100,000 curriculum resources from Hutchinson Encyclopedia, Audio Network, Amazing People Club, Eye2eye Software, and Geography Photos.
The latest content additions mean GGfL now offers schools access to over 1.5 million digital resources – including videos, interactive activities, images and animations – from 45 trusted providers.
“The ability to access high quality digital resources reliably, quickly and easily is critical for teachers,” said Julian Mobbs, Managing Director of Global Grid for Learning, a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based EduTone. “Often teachers have to cope with content subscriptions from several providers and from locations with different logins. Our latest content providers add tremendous value to GGfL and help us accelerate our mission to provide teachers with a single source for high quality, curriculum-relevant teaching and learning resources, both freely available and paid for, from multiple sources.” He added, “We will be announcing further content acquisitions before January’s BETT Show where we will be showcasing the latest version of our new content service, and demonstrating how it will integrate with our freely available web services, MyCurriculum.com – which GGfL recently acquired from the Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) – and Wetheteachers.com, and how it already works seamlessly with the EduTone XchangeTM single sign-on and identity management platform”.
The Hutchinson Encyclopedia represents the UK’s leading single volume encyclopaedia with over 21 million words and over 80,000 reference resources ranging from articles, maps, diagrams, illustrations, audio clips and animations. The extensive resources, provided by Helicon, an RM company, are regularly updated and include timely information, including an article on the recently created country of South Sudan, for instance.
The Audio Network library will add its collection of professional music tracks, used by many of the world’s leading media companies and covering a very wide variety of styles. The resources are intended for use in a variety of educational applications, from drama teachers using sounds to help describe character traits, to dance teachers using backing tracks for their classes, to student film makers using the music as a sound track to their videos.
The Amazing People Club will provide GGfL with eBooks and audio titles that offer students insights into the exploits, achievements and motivations of some of the world’s most inspirational figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Curie, Mozart, Michelangelo, Darwin, Einstein and many others. Each resource, written in the first person, recreates the life stories of famous people as though they were giving personal interviews.
Geography Photos contributes its library of over 13,000 high quality, copyright-safe and trustworthy images for geography lessons. The Geographical Association recognised the contribution of Geography Photos through an award for its value to education.
Eye2eye Software offers teachers and students photographed points of interest across the whole of Britain with immersive 360 degree panoramas. The resources cover commonly taught topics spanning historic sites, mountain peaks, coasts and interiors.
More information can be found at http://www.ggflondemand.com
**ENDS**
Notes for Editors
About Global Grid for Learning
Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) aims to connect teachers and students at all stages in education to single sources of digital multimedia content from multiple providers. Our mission is to become the leading digital content broker and supply network for education markets worldwide.
GGfL services provide a safe and reliable way for teachers and students to search, stream and download high quality and copyright-cleared learning resources from trusted content providers. Our growing library of over one and a half million digital multimedia resources makes it easier for teachers to engage, motivate and inspire media savvy students.
Available online and through commonly used learning platforms, portals, and commonly used educational software, GGfL ensures teachers and students have seamless access to the digital content they need, when they need it for anywhere, anytime teaching and learning.
Global Grid for Learning is a wholly owned subsidiary of EduTone.
For further information, go to www.globalgridforlearning.com
About EduTone
EduTone provides the sustainable technology infrastructure schools need in order to deliver the 21st century teaching and learning environments their stakeholders require. Installed in thousands of schools around the world, the EduTone XchangeTM is a 2011 CODiE “Best K-12 Solution” award winning, Web 3.0 Platform-as-a-Service technology that enables on-demand, one-to-one services delivery in the Education Enterprise.
EduTone is a DBA of VIP Tone Inc., a privately held corporation headquartered in Alameda, California.
For more information, go to: http://www.EduTone.com
Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) today announced that it has acquired from the Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) MyCurriculum.com, the website that enables teachers to explore, create and share content aligned to the English national curriculum within their own peer groups and networks.
“We are thrilled at the prospect of making MyCurriculum.com a key part of the GGfL content service,” said Julian Mobbs, Managing Director at GGfL, a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based EduTone. “GGfL is committed to unifying access to high quality digital educational content, from commercial, open, free and user-generated sources. This acquisition ensures that the website’s well-constructed tools and resources are kept available to existing users and that the website can achieve its potential by attracting a substantial base of new users. It also gives us a strong platform and brand to leverage our free educational content offering.”
The combination will also offer opportunities for GGfL to extend and enhance its free content service, which currently includes user-generated content from We the Teachers, a community of over 60,000 educators, as well as access to many other open educational resource providers through GGfL On Demand.
With over one million digital resources from more than 40 content providers, including Corbis, Waterford Institute, Intel, Reuters, Bridgeman Education and Science Photo Library, GGfL represents one of the most comprehensive digital educational content collections in the world.
Founded in 2008, MyCurriculum.com users have built up a library of over 1,400 online resources and 500 activities. The site helps teachers to access and develop best practice activities, lesson plans, resources and examples of students’ work.
Educators interested in seeing the MyCurriculum service can sign up for free at www.MyCurriculum.com
Cambridge University Press and California-based EduTone today jointly announced an agreement for EduTone to merge Global Grid for Learning (GGfL), the Press’s innovative digital content aggregation business, into EduTone’s portfolio of education businesses.
EduTone has acquired all of the shares of GGfL and the Press has taken a minority interest in EduTone.
EduTone intends to keep GGfL as a wholly-owned subsidiary, and to integrate its products and services with the award-winning EduTone XchangeTM Platform, enhancing its collection of third-party licensed digital education content, creating global and regional content marketplaces, to be marketed to schools through distribution partners globally.
GGfL will also represent EduTone in Europe, Middle East and Africa, complementing EduTone’s current presence in the United States and Australia.
“The coming together of these two organisations will create a unique force in the education market,” said Robert Iskander, CEO of EduTone. “As the role of technology in schools continues to increase, we are pleased to be able to provide our partners and customers with one of the most comprehensive digital educational content collections in the world backed up by a first class integration platform. The passion displayed by both companies to create breakthrough, innovative services that meet the needs of schools is what will continue to drive our product suite forward and fuel our continued growth.”
Stephen Bourne, Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press, said: “The Press is proud to have pioneered Global Grid for Learning and we believe that EduTone has the ideal technology base and management focus to accelerate and strengthen its presence in school markets around the world.”
Julian Mobbs will continue to serve as Managing Director of GGfL with Robert Iskander becoming the newly appointed Chairman.
Notes to Editors:
To request interviews, or for further information, please contact:
EduTone: Yanni Kalajakis | yanni@edutone.com | +1 866 901-8663 x9019
Cambridge University Press: Hannah Gregory, Public Relations Manager | hgregory@cambridge.org | +44 (0)1223 325544
Global Grid for Learning: Jason Skelton | jskelton@cambridge.org | +44 (0)1223 325823
About EduTone
EduTone provides the sustainable technology infrastructure schools need in order to deliver the 21st century teaching and learning environments their stakeholders require. Installed in thousands of schools around the world, the EduTone XchangeTM is a 2011 CODiE “Best K-12 Solution” award winning, Web 3.0 Platform-as-a-Service technology that enables on-demand, one-to-one services delivery in the Education Enterprise.
EduTone is a DBA of VIP Tone Inc., a privately held corporation headquartered in Alameda, California. For more information, go to: www.EduTone.com
About Global Grid for Learning
Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) aims to connect teachers and students at all stages in education to single sources of digital multimedia content from multiple providers. Its mission is to become the leading digital content broker and supply network for education markets worldwide.
GGfL services provide a safe and reliable way for teachers and students to search, stream and download high quality and copyright-cleared learning resources from trusted content providers. Our growing library of over one million digital multimedia resources makes it easier for teachers to engage, motivate and inspire media savvy students.
Available online and through commonly used learning platforms, portals, and commonly used educational software, GGfL ensures teachers and students have seamless access to the digital content they need, when they need it for anywhere, anytime teaching and learning.
Global Grid for Learning is a wholly owned subsidiary of EduTone. For further information, go to: www.globalgridforlearning.com
About Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Dedicated to excellence, its purpose is to further the University’s objective of advancing knowledge, education, learning, and research.
Cambridge University Press publishes materials for Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and International Baccalaureate materials, as well as for a number of national educational systems. It distributes books and electronic educational products to nearly every country in the world and has offices in 39 countries. For further information, go to: www.cambridge.org
The world’s leading specialist image agency, Science Photo Library, has agreed a licensing agreement with broker and aggregator of digital educational content, Global Grid for Learning, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cambridge University Press.
Over 40 content providers are currently available through Global Grid for Learning (GGfL), including Corbis, Waterford Institute, Intel, Reuters, Bridgeman Education and Cambridge University Press itself, making it one of the most comprehensive digital educational content collections in the world.
Science Photo Library (SPL) is the latest provider to make its resources available through GGfL’s foremost content aggregation service.
Julian Mobbs, Managing Director at Global Grid for Learning commented: “Science is the only universally taught subject in education systems worldwide and we are delighted to provide GGfL’s users with access to content from the leading provider in this area. SPL’s unrivalled collection of scientific images and videos strengthens immensely the GGfL Library, making it even easier for educators and learners to find and discover high quality, relevant and copyright-cleared digital content in a full range of subjects.”
Through GGfL’s content service, teachers and students have easy access to a single source of over one million high quality and copyright-cleared educational resources from multiple, trusted content providers, including images, videos, interactive activities, animations, audio files and documents across a comprehensive range of subject areas.
“Science Photo Library is excited about the partnership with Global Grid for Learning”, said Justin Manton, Business Development Manager at Science Photo Library. “The GGfL platform allows us to continue with our core mission to provide access to the largest unique collection of science imagery in the world to educators and students.”
Science Photo Library (SPL) provides educators with striking specialist images and footage, unrivalled in quality, accuracy and depth of information. It has the largest unique scientific related collection in the world with more than 350,000 images and 15,000 clips to choose from, with hundreds of new submissions uploaded to the website each week.
Download the press release or contact us for more information.
The integration of the Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) content service into ACP’s eLearning platform CyberSphere will provide a safe and reliable way for teachers and students in Singapore to search, stream and download over one million high quality and copyright-cleared learning resources from trusted and educationally credible content providers.
CyberSphere is a powerful and innovative solution developed by ACP Computer Training, who has recently been awarded the Tender by the Singapore Ministry of Education to provide Learning Management Systems to government schools across the country. The addition of the GGfL content service will give teachers and students a quick and simple means of finding useful and relevant digital multimedia content that supports teaching and learning across the curriculum through the CyberSphere platform.
Over 40 educational content providers are currently available through GGfL, including Cambridge University Press, Intel, Classical Comics, Corbis, Reuters EduPuzzles, and Bridgeman Education, making it one of the most comprehensive digital educational content collections in the world.
Resources include a mix of images, videos, interactive activities and animations, audio files and documents, all of which are copyright-cleared, allowing teachers and students the freedom and flexibility to use, edit and repurpose the digital content for use in lesson plans, homework and coursework.
“We’re delighted that we have extended the opportunity for Singapore schools to access GGfL” said Julian Mobbs, Managing Director of Global Grid for Learning, a Cambridge University Press company. “Working with local partners like ACP is a key part of our strategy to bring reliable, relevant and copyright-cleared content to classrooms.”
“ACP is equally pleased to be partnering with GGfL to add further value to our most popular educational solution.” said Mr Alan Poh, Managing Director of ACP. “With GGfL’s content service, CyberSphere will make it as easy and seamless for teachers and students to access the content they need, when they need it and through whatever device they choose to access it.”
More information can be found at http://www.cybersphere.me
Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) will be exhibiting at stand G30 at BETT, the world’s largest educational technology exhibition.
Come by for one of our regular 10 minute presentations, talk to someone from the GGfL team on the stand, or even arrange a meeting away from the hustle and bustle of the show in our private meeting room.
For more information about BETT, visit: www.bettshow.com
To request a meeting at the event contact us either via email or online.
Global Grid for Learning (GGfL) extends a warm welcome to our three new staff members, Robin Ball, Adam Bates, and Martin Suryadarma., who have joined the team following recent international growth.
“We’re delighted to welcome Robin, Adam and Martin to the GGfL team” said Julian Mobbs, Managing Director at Global Grid for Learning, who joined the team just over a year ago from UK-based Espresso Education. “They all come from high profile educational organisations and bring with them invaluable experience from the commercial sector, local authorities, regional broadband consortia and central government.”
Robin Ball joins GGfL as Content Manager having spent the previous six years working at Becta, the UK Government agency for ICT in education. At Becta Robin was responsible for developing and disseminating practitioner advice and guidance as part of the UK Government’s e-Strategy.
Adam Bates brings a wealth of experience in delivering digital content solutions into online learning systems having worked as a key part of the education team at Encyclopaedia Britannica for four years. At GGfL Adam will focus on developing customer interaction and engagement with GGfL content services.
Last but not least, Matin Suryadarma joins GGfL as Technical Solutions Manager, bringing with him skills in technology strategy, product development and systems integrations.
Read the full press release here
Global Grid for Learning (GGfL), the trusted broker for high quality digital learning resources, is pleased to announce that schools across the UK can now subscribe to its service through R-E-M, the market leader in educational software.
The new reseller partnership means R-E-M will now offer UK schools instant access to an ever-growing range of over one million engaging multimedia resources that support teaching and learning across all areas of the curriculum.
GGfL On Demand, an annual subscription service, connects teachers and students at both primary and secondary level to a single source for digital learning resources from more than 40 trusted educational content providers. These resources include a mix of high quality and copyright-cleared:
• images
• videos
• interactive activities and animations
• audio files
• documents
Global Grid for Learning is also working to make GGfL On Demand available as an integrated service through learning platforms, virtual learning environments (VLEs), portals and other commonly used educational software.
Visit www.r-e-m.co.uk/ggfl or call 01458 254700 for more information on how to subscribe.
Waterford Institute, a global not-for-profit research organization focused on education, will now provide its award-winning digital books and music videos through Global Grid for Learning.
The books and videos provided by the Waterford Institute are intended for children ages 4-7. The digital books are designed to give students experience with rich natural text in order to develop comprehension and vocabulary. The videos incorporate engaging music and animation to introduce young learners to reading, math and science concepts.
Waterford Institute, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, created the first educational videodisk and continues to be at the cutting edge of technology-delivered education programs.
“We’re delighted to be a part of GGfL” said Hailey Kuhn, Senior Vice President for Business Development at Waterford Institute. “The partnership is directly in line with our mission to provide every child with the finest education through our educational programs and software, and GGfL is another way for us to reach an even wider audience of teachers and students for this purpose.”
More information on Waterford Institute
You can catch the GGfL team and receive a demonstration of our content services at the following upcoming events:
Worcestershire Learning Technologies Conference
22nd June
The Chateau Impney, Droitwich , Worcestershire
Northern Grid Annual Conference
25th June
Gosforth Park Marriot Hotel, Newcastle
ISTE
27th-30th June
Colorado Convention Center, Denver
E2BN Annual Conference – This Generation’s Learning
29th & 30th June
The Robinson Centre, Wyboston, Bedfordshire
SWGfL ICT Conferences
6th July
The Riviera International Conference Centre, Torquay
7th July
UWE Exhibition & Conference Centre, Bristol
