Category Archives: Education

Education

Ecotech Institute Announces New Facility Management Program

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New Offering Complements the School’s Solar Energy Training, Wind Turbine Training and Other Renewable Energy Programs

Denver, Colorado, April 03, 2013 – Ecotech Institute, the only college entirely focused on renewable energy training, has expanded its program offerings and is now taking applications for its Facility Management Technology degree program. It’s the newest of the eight different programs focused on training students for jobs in sustainability. This associate’s degree program will prepare students for careers in the field of facility management, focusing on the operation, maintenance, analysis, auditing and cost of energy management systems. Students will receive instruction that is designed to prepare them to analyze, operate, and maintain mechanical and electrical systems.

According to Ecotech’s Clean Jobs Index, in February there were almost 20,000 jobs posted in the U.S. related to facilities management. To see applicable positions in each state, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com/cleanjobsindex. A sample of possible facilities management jobs that graduates of this program could be qualified for include: Energy Manager, Facilities Manager, Maintenance Supervisor, Grounds and Plant Manager and many more.

Ecotech Institute’s Facility Management Technology program was developed in coordination with the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), the world’s largest and most widely recognized association for professional facility managers. IFMA’s more than 19,000 members manage more than 37 billion square feet of property worldwide.

“Facility managers play a critical role in understanding and changing the sustainable nature of our buildings,” says Michael Seifert, president of Ecotech Institute. “Our graduates will be able to marry the operations of facilities management with the fundamentals of sustainability, making them unique and forward-thinking employees.”

Upon successful completion of this program, graduates should be able to:

* Operate facility systems in a reliable manner

* Manage a facility system budget

* Make data-based analysis of energy utilization patterns for commercial buildings

* Recognize and correct inefficient building energy system interactions

* Use appropriate software to obtain information necessary to maintain and optimize building operations

* Recommend facility improvement plans

* Apply safety principles to facility management

* Prepare and present technical and project reports

* Communicate facility issues effectively at all levels.

Ecotech Institute, based in Aurora, Colorado, now has more than 520 students who came to Ecotech from across the country for hands-on training in the growing field of sustainability. In addition to Facility Management Technology, Ecotech currently offers the following degree programs:

* Solar Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Wind Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Renewable Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Energy Efficiency Program, Associate of Applied Science

* Electrical Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Power Utility Technician, Associate of Applied Science

* Business Administration – Sustainability, Associate of Applied Science

About Ecotech Institute:
Ecotech Institute is the first and only college entirely focused on preparing America’s workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainability and is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges. Launched in April 2010 in Denver, Colorado, it offers six highly practical renewable energy degree programs that provide graduates with skills valued by today’s alternative renewable energy employers. Classes start once per quarter and applications are always accepted. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify. Ecotech Institute is a division of Education Corporation of America. For more information about Ecotech Institute, visit ecotechinstitute.com or call 877-326-5576.

Contact:
Jenny Foust
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
jfoust@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education, Software, Technology

New Student Apps for Scholarships Offer Solutions for Soaring Education Costs

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New StudentAdvisor.com app discussed on Fox News.

WOBURN, MA (March 25, 2013) — Fox News Boston reported this week that low income students may be avoiding top colleges unnecessarily because they don’t know about all the funding options and tools, including new student apps for scholarships like the one available from StudentAdvisor.com.

The news comes days after a report was released from the Center On Budget and Policy Priorities estimating how much each of the 50 states has slashed per-student funding for its university systems since the start of the recession, adjusted for inflation. In Arizona, where the cuts were the deepest, funding has been hacked in half. Nationwide, legislatures have sliced off 28 percent on average. Only two states — Wyoming and oil-rich North Dakota — have increased it, by the think tank’s calculations.

To learn more about the Scholarship Advisor student app, visit http://www.studentadvisor.com and click the link to the Scholarship Advisor page. Check out a brief video from Dean Tsouvalas on YouTube that shows how easy to use the app is, as well as some of the key features noted above: http://youtu.be/zJOBXkH9os0.

About StudentAdvisor

StudentAdvisor.com, a Washington Post Company, is the leading “all things learning” resource for students of all ages. The site empowers users to determine which learning experiences and scholarships are the right fit for their personality, academic background, budget, career path, and future. The regularly curated content addresses key areas of higher education including: choosing a college, online learning, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), and finding or restarting a career. Users also have free access to regularly updated college reviews, college and scholarship match tools, digital magazines filled with relevant content and advice, and more. StudentAdvisor.com publishes the annual Top 100 Social Media Colleges, a scientifically calculated list that highlights the colleges that are best using social media. The company is a proud member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Media Contact:
Maite Velez-Couto
rbb Public Relations
305-448-1923
maite.velez-couto@rbbpr.com

Education, Non-Profit, Society, Software, Sports

SAP NAMED PRESENTING SPONSOR OF ANDY RODDICK FOUNDATION CELEBRITY GOLF CLASSIC

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Market leader in enterprise application software SAP has signed on as the Presenting Sponsor of the inaugural Andy Roddick Foundation (ARF) Celebrity Golf Classic April 14-15, 2013 in Austin, Texas. The tournament will kick off with a Bogey Down Party with Andy and Friends on Sunday, April 14 at Barton Creek Resort,followed by golf at the Spanish Oaks Golf Club on Monday, April 15. Attendees include MLB Legend Roger Clemens, Four-time Grand Slam Tennis Champion Jim Courier, PGA Golfer John Mallinger, MLB World Series Champion Kevin Millar, Nationally syndicated radio host Bobby Bones and ESPN Personality Jay Harris, with more to be confirmed.

“We have proudly supported Andy on and off the court since 2006,” said Chris Burton, Group Vice-President, Global Sponsorships, SAP. “Like SAP, Andy is committed to community service and improving the lives of young people. We applaud his efforts through the Andy Roddick Foundation.”

Roddick said many of his friends – professional athletes and entertainers, as well as other high-profile personalities – will participate in the event. “I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great performers and athletes over the years and we’ve been able to support each others’ efforts to make a difference in our respective communities. I’m looking forward to many of them joining me in Austin for this first-ever event and appreciate the support of my long-time sponsor SAP to help make it happen.”

The kickoff party on Sunday, April 14 is open to non-golfers and will feature the 1980’s cover band Spazmatics, live and silent auctions, full buffet and open bar. Limited tickets are still available.

The tournament will begin with a 10 a.m. shotgun start on Monday, April 15. Amateur golfers of all skill levels are invited to compete in this inaugural event, which will feature a variety of games and competitions, including longest drive and closest-tothe-pin contests and an awards ceremony following the tournament.

Roddick, in his first year of retirement, is now spearheading ARF’s new growth strategy with the foundation’s CEO, Jeff Lau.“We’re really excited about hosting the first-ever golf tournament to support the foundation’s efforts to help underserved youth learn lessons in character and leadership,” said Lau.

In 2000, Roddick established ARF to make a difference in the lives of youth in underserved communities, and in 2004 was awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his charity efforts.

For sponsorship, ticket and entry information please contact Holly Krivokapich at holly@arfoundation.org, 512-298-1960 or visit www.arfoundation.org/events

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device –SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 195,000 customers (includes customers from the acquisition of SuccessFactors) to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

About the Andy Roddick Foundation
Founded in 2000, the Andy Roddick Foundation is a 501(c)3 that works to develop and inspire underserved youth through education and sports-based mentoring, preparing each youth to succeed in the game of life. ARF has raised over $11 million for its youth programs as well as for various Texas- and South Florida-based youth organizations. For more information, please contact the Andy Roddick Foundation directly at 512.298.1960 or email inquiry@arfoundation.org.

– Ends –

Contact: Marcía Williams 512-585-6092
marcia@arfoundation.org

 

Education

Adaptive Learning In Higher Education: A Reality Check

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Education Growth Advisors Report Makes Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in Higher Education

Stamford, CT, March 13, 2013 — Today, the higher education marketplace is thick with companies and organizations claiming to have “personalized learning” or “adaptive learning” capabilities. Companies are using this language in their sales and marketing efforts, creating confusion for institutions as they grapple with determining an approach to personalized learning that matches their students’ and instructors’ needs. But if one cuts through the clutter, adaptive learning may be one key capable of actually unshackling higher education from the “Iron Triangle” of cost, access and quality, according to a white paper by Education Growth Advisors. The white paper, entitled “Learning to Adapt: A Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in Higher Education”, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, explores the current adoption, opportunities, barriers, advancements, solutions and case studies of adaptive learning in higher education.

“In the era of MOOC mania, newfangled competency-based credentials, and complicated policy debates about how best to increase access to higher education while simultaneously reducing costs and maintaining quality, adaptive learning may play out to be a significant ingredient to alleviating the escalating pressures on higher education,” said Adam Newman, co-founder of Education Growth Advisors. “With broader adoption and evaluation, the market can determine if adaptive learning can realize its potential of delivering learning to more learners, more effectively and more efficiently than ever before.”

The white paper, a precursor to the full report expected to be published later in March, is designed to simplify the discussion by providing analysis of the adaptive learning landscape, including benefits and drawbacks of current products and tools, and case studies from select universities. The paper explores:

* A uniform definition of personalized versus adaptive learning;

* A discussion of varying approaches to adaptive learning from linear to complex algorithmic pathways;

* A review of solutions providers from Platform to Publishers;

* Examples of adaptive learning adoption and evaluation on campuses around the globe;

* The internal and external risks and barriers of adaptive learning adoption by colleges, universities and faculty; and

* The critical questions institutional leaders must address before proceeding with an adaptive learning initiative.

For more information, download a copy of “Learning to Adapt: A Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in Higher Education” or request a copy of the soon to be released full report, which will provide institutions with more tools for evaluation of providers and the rapidly evolving landscape, please visit Education Growth Advisors at http://edgrowthadvisors.com/research/ or call (203) 658-8100.

About Education Growth Advisors
Founded in 2010 by longtime education and investment industry veterans Adam Newman and Christopher Curran, Education Growth Advisors (“EGA”) is a strategic advisory and consulting firm working across the K-12, postsecondary, corporate and lifelong learning sectors. EGA delivers business expertise that marries rigorous, research-based market analysis, hands-on education-industry experience and extensive transactional and capital markets experience. EGA’s unique position at the heart of the education industry ensures that its clients have the partner they need to make the right decisions in today’s complex and rapidly evolving education marketplace. For more information about Education Growth Advisors, visit www.edgrowthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kavitha Thimmaiah
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
kthimmaiah@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education

McKissock Rolls Out New Correspondence Courses for Land Surveyor Education

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Correspondence Booklets Allow for Continuing Education On The Go; McKissock Releases Another Meme-Inspired Video

Warren, PA, March 04, 2013 – McKissock, a leader in continuing education, has rolled out a new 30-hour correspondence booklet for land surveyors. Whether your state requires 12, 15, 24 or 30 hours of professional development, this convenient booklet allows people to complete requirements while on the go. Land surveyors can review the booklet at home, in a parked car or at the library, and then complete the final examination questions at the end of each course and mail it in or take the tests online. McKissock offers a wide variety of land surveyor education including online classes, classroom courses and, now, correspondence booklets for states where they are accepted.

McKissock meets the standards and requirements of the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP) and credit earned once completing the correspondence course is then reported to RCEP, provider #127505. This correspondence book is accepted for continuing education credit in almost all 50 states, please check with your state’s local governing agency for acceptance or call 800-328-2008 and speak with one of McKissock’s customer service representatives.

“Correspondence courses are a fantastic way to learn and meet continuing education requirements for people who aren’t behind a desk all day,” says Annie Creek, Business Development Manager at McKissock. “Flexibility is key for our customers and this allows one more way to easily stay licensed and working.”

Within the new land surveyor correspondence book, you may choose either a discounted customizable package or one of the following land surveying courses:

* Documentation: Self Defense for Professionals

* Utilities, Public and Otherwise

* Disputes Between Adjoining Landowners

* Boundaries and Monuments

* Water Rights

* Legal Descriptions

* Rights and Responsibilities in the Lands of Others

* What Can GIS Do for You? A Look at Case Studies

* Creating & Transferring – Rights in Real Property

McKissock also recently released a series of meme-inspired videos. The short animated videos called, “What is a Land Surveyor?” and “Home Inspector Meme,” take a humorous look at what moms, clients and the world think land surveyors and home inspectors do versus what they actually do on a daily basis. The land surveyor video has been extremely popular, boasting more than 5,800 views and the home inspector video just went live last week.

McKissock is a trusted resource for the most up-to-date regulation and compliance information. An approved education provider in almost every state, McKissock offers required state-specific courses that home inspection and land surveying professionals need to keep their licenses current.

To learn more about McKissock, visit www.mckissock.com. On the site, you can select a state for information on approved land surveying, engineering and home inspection courses.

McKissock offers customizable packages, individual courses, correspondence books (for states that accept them), and a free license renewal reminder service.

About McKissock
McKissock is an education company that educates, empowers and enriches professionals in real estate, appraisal, home inspection, land surveying and engineering. McKissock gives specialists access to relevant, easy-to-use and high-quality courses that provide the hours and information necessary to meet state compliance and regulation requirements. Founded in 1990, McKissock offers more than 100 courses and serves thousands of professionals daily. McKissock promises to provide a great experience that surpasses expectations; deliver interesting information that helps further careers in a way that is enjoyable, clear, concise and pleasant to digest; and seek users’ input and understand their needs so it can continue to serve its customers effectively throughout their careers.
To learn more, visit www.mckissock.com.

Contact:
Jenny Foust
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
jfoust@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education

Clean Jobs Index Lists More Than 103,000 U.S. Jobs that Correlate with Ecotech Institute’s programs

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Ecotech Continues to Grow as Leading School for Careers in Sustainability with more than 120 Graduates and 520 Students

Denver, Colorado, March 04, 2013 – Ecotech Institute, the first and only college focused entirely on jobs training in sustainability, is nearing its three-year anniversary, celebrating a growing student body and an incredible network of alumni. Ecotech Institute educates the future cleantech workforce, so it’s continuously monitoring the changing job landscape to see where its graduates will fit. Data from the recently launched “Clean Jobs Index” shows 103,016 job postings from across the country in January alone that Ecotech Institute graduates could fulfill.

Ecotech Institute, based in Aurora, Colorado, now has more than 520 students who came to Ecotech from across the country for hands-on training in the growing field of sustainability. Since its inception in a temporary facility in April 2010, Ecotech Institute has moved into a new facility, introduced more programs, held three graduations and continues to rapidly expand.

Ecotech Institute held its first graduation in June 2012 and has since graduated two more classes, sending many talented people into the workforce. Career placement has been extremely successful with alumni working in 10 states at employers such as NextEra, M-I SWACO, Tradesmen International and Gamesa. The next graduation is April 5, where 44 more students will graduate, and the next start date for classes is April 8.

“Our continuous growth and alumni success illustrate a positive connection between our hand-picked programs, focus on relevant curriculum and in-demand jobs that require specific training and knowledge,” says Mike Seifert, president of Ecotech Institute. “We are proud to celebrate nearly three years of hard work and commitment to truly understanding what our students and potential employers demand.”

To better understand the clean jobs landscape, Ecotech Institute initiated and produced the “Clean Jobs Index,” which breaks down clean jobs by state and offers links to local jobs listings. Using a wide variety of resources, Ecotech Institute will update the sustainability factors of the Index data on a quarterly and annual basis (depending on when new data is released) and job data will be updated monthly as new jobs are posted. Ecotech Institute uses jobs data from Burning Glass International, whose patented job aggregation technology searches for job listings from more than 17,000 sources.

Ecotech Institute currently offers the following degree programs:

* Solar Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Wind Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Renewable Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Energy Efficiency Program, Associate of Applied Science

* Electrical Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science

* Power Utility Technician, Associate of Applied Science

* Business Administration – Sustainability, Associate of Applied Science

To learn more about Ecotech Institute, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com. To learn more about the Clean Jobs Index, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com/cleanjobsindex/.

Contact:
Jenny Foust
Communications Strategy Group
303.433.7020 (o) or 720.244.4268 (c)
jfoust@csg-pr.com

About Ecotech Institute
Ecotech Institute is the first and only college entirely focused on preparing America’s workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainability and is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges. Launched in April 2010 in Denver, Colorado, it offers six highly practical renewable energy degree programs that provide graduates with skills valued by today’s alternative renewable energy employers. Classes start once per quarter and applications are always accepted. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify. Ecotech Institute is a division of Education Corporation of America. For more information about Ecotech Institute, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com or call 877-326-5576.

Contact:
Jenny Foust
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
jfoust@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education

Kickboard Raises $2 Million in Series A Funding Led By New Markets Venture Partners and Two Sigma Ventures

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Funding Will Support Expansion of the Kickboard Team and Investment in Further Product Development

New Orleans, LA, February 27, 2013 – Kickboard, a web-based school analytics platform that allows educators and school leaders to capture, analyze and securely share critical student performance data, announced today that it has received $2 million in Series A funding led by New Markets Venture Partners and Two Sigma Ventures, with participation from several angel investors. The new round adds to $800,000 from previous seed and angel rounds, bringing the total amount raised to $2.8 million.

“Today’s announcement signals the start of an exciting period of growth for Kickboard,” said Jennifer Medbery, founder and CEO of Kickboard. “With this funding we plan to expand our team and invest in further product development, particularly enhanced dashboards that offer new ways to visualize student performance, including shared information from other tools teachers and school leaders use. In a performance-based culture, it is imperative that teachers, students and families have greater visibility into all elements of student performance so that they can take informed, decisive action and improve student outcomes.”

Kickboard enables schools to complement the deficiencies of their student information system by going beyond the gradebook to develop richer profiles of student progress that include multiple assessments, standards mastery, 21st century skills, reading growth and, most uniquely, student behavior, character strengths and personal interests. The platform’s dashboards provide real-time visibility into student performance in and across classrooms so that teachers have the information they need to make meaningful adjustments to instruction and interventions. With Kickboard, schools are able to improve data-driven teaching, increase collaboration among educators, better facilitate family communication and advance a culture of performance school-wide.

“We believe the answers to K-12 quality, innovation and scaled efficacy are born in authentic data at the classroom and, moreover, end user levels,” said Elizabeth Chou of New Markets Venture Partners. “Kickboard has created a unique and powerful platform that makes it possible for teachers and school leaders to easily and efficiently collect, analyze and act on student behavior and academic data. We recognize the wide-reaching and positive impact Kickboard can have on students’ lives and we look forward to helping the company expand and grow.”

Currently more than 200 schools nationwide have implemented Kickboard school-wide to support their performance-based culture and increase alignment, consistency and real-time visibility of student performance information. Additionally, due to demand from teachers requesting to use Kickboard in their classroom without waiting for school-wide adoption, Kickboard recently began offering free starter accounts to individual educators and teams of up to three teachers per school. The Kickboard starter accounts include most of the same features and functionality as the enterprise platform, allowing teacher leaders to use student data to advance a culture of performance in their school directly by fostering a more transparent, collaborative, growth-minded and results-driven environment in their classrooms.

“In many industries, thoughtful, user-conscious analytics and visualization of data can be incredibly powerful,” said Colin Beirne of Two Sigma Ventures. “Kickboard puts actionable real-time data at the fingertips of teachers and school administrators to better enable them to fine-tune their instruction and management, and ultimately better fulfill their school’s mission.  As strong believers in the power of data to drive insight and results, Two Sigma Ventures is proud to support Kickboard’s efforts to build strong, healthy schools where teachers and students thrive.”

For more information about Kickboard, visit www.kickboardforteachers.com.

About Kickboard
Kickboard is a web-based school analytics platform that allows educators and school leaders to capture, analyze and securely share critical student performance data. The platform’s features include simple yet powerful dashboards that increase the real-time visibility of student performance across classrooms, traditional and standards-based grading, one-click behavior data capture, easy to read charts and graphs and immediate performance reporting, including customizable report cards. With Kickboard, schools are able to improve data-driven teaching, increase collaboration among educators, better facilitate family communication and advance a culture of performance school-wide. Delivered as an on-demand solution, Kickboard can be easily integrated with a school’s SIS, and deployed in a single classroom or across an entire district. For more information, visit kickboardforteachers.com.

About New Markets Venture Partners
New Markets Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in and actively assists innovative education, information technology and business services companies. The New Markets Team has decades of experience investing in and building high growth companies, maintains proprietary relationships with centers of innovation and has particular domain expertise around technology and education. It prides itself on working to add value before, during and after the investment process. Visit newmarketsvp.com for more information.

About Two Sigma Ventures
Two Sigma Ventures is a division of Two Sigma Investments, a leading technology company that applies a rigorous, scientific method-based approach to investment management. Since its founding in 2001, Two Sigma Investments’ vision has been to develop technological innovations that intelligently analyze the world’s data to consistently deliver value for its clients.
 
Two Sigma Ventures invests the proprietary capital of Two Sigma in innovative companies that harness technology, computing, mathematics or data to tackle problems in a new way. The firm invests in companies in various stages of growth and across a wide variety of industry segments, with a focus on companies that utilize technologies and competencies in which Two Sigma has expertise and that can potentially benefit from the firm’s deep expertise in research and technology.  For more information please visit www.twosigmaventures.com and www.twosigma.com. 

Contact:
Lindsey Read
CSG PR
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
937 408 9321
lread@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education

What is a Home Inspector? – From McKissock

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McKissock Launches Another Funny, Meme-Inspired Video Answering the Question: What Does a Home Inspector Do?

Denver, CO, February 26, 2013 – What actually happens during a home inspection? It depends who you ask. Home inspectors are called upon every day to look at properties, but what do their moms, clients and the rest of the world think they do? “What is a Home Inspector?” is a funny video that answers that question from a variety of perspectives.

People often have different ideas about how a home inspector’s job gets done. Whether helping keep people safe from electrical fires, pointing out signs of water damage or confirming that a certain home is a wise investment, this profession is full of hard-working professionals. This entertaining, meme-inspired video takes a comedic look at what they do and don’t do!

McKissock, the creator of the video series, is a trusted resource for state-specific, state-approved, engineering, land surveying and home inspection courses, regulation information and compliance. This video is aimed at home inspection professionals who can laugh at the different perceptions of their career; check it out at http://youtu.be/JTS4X-k94Ds.

“Home inspectors deserve a lot of respect for the hard work they do every day to help us stay safe and warm. But they also deserve a good laugh,” says Annie Creek, Business Development Manager for McKissock. “We love this series of videos because, no matter the career, we all have inside jokes about what we do – and won’t ever do!”

In many states, home inspectors are required to hold a state license and keep up their continuing education. Because rules and regulations vary across the country, it can be confusing to know what the home inspector requirements are for license renewal, including how long it will take, what forms are needed and the related fees. McKissock serves as a comprehensive resource about continuing education requirements and more. For license- and education-related questions, contact 1-800-328-2008.

For busy home inspectors who need a reminder for license renewal (because they are too busy saving cats and babies or inspecting cellars as you will see in the video), McKissock offers a free reminder service that will notify you when your license renewal date is approaching. Visit http://reminder.mckedu.com to sign up.

“Professionals have enough on their plate, so we provide reminders, coursework and compliance information and serve as an ally,” adds Creek. “We have a deep understanding of the lives of people who spend a lot of time in the field and don’t want to be concerned about license deadlines and paperwork.”

McKissock has affiliations directly with many associations to better assist professionals in receiving their continuing education credits. For those with a home inspector job, McKissock has met the standards and requirements of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) and the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA).

From the McKissock website, state-licensed professionals have access to all they need to fulfill state requirements. We offer governing agency information and mandatory topics needed for license renewal; visit today and you can begin taking required coursework immediately. McKissock offers customizable packages or individual professional engineer, land surveying and home inspector courses. For more information, visit www.mckissock.com and search for your specific profession and location.

Contact:
Alicia Hassinger
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
720.933.8119
ahassinger@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education

Veritas Prep Announces a More Effective Way for Students to Master SAT Vocabulary with iPhone App

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New app introduces three powerful learning techniques to help students maximize their SAT scores

Malibu, CA, February 19, 2013 – High school students have a new choice when it comes to mastering SAT vocabulary. Veritas Prep today announced the availability of a new free app, called SAT Vocabulary by Veritas Prep to make learning common SAT level words easier. The app allows students to play games, take quizzes and master important vocabulary words through memory retrieval instead of memorization, all on their iPhone. The SAT Vocabulary app is a complement to the other free online SAT prep resources offered by Veritas Prep.

The iPhone app includes stimulating features that will keep students engaged on the path to success. Features include:

* An innovative scoring system that helps students track their progress toward becoming a “master of vocab”

* A database of over 500 commonly used SAT level words

* Sentences that show students how words are used, not just their meanings

* Missions and games to challenge students (including brutally hard levels for those vocab masters)

The app also utilizes three powerful and proven learning techniques that help ensure students retain more of what they learn.

Adaptive Learning: The app keeps track of how well students know each word and emphasizes words students need to work on so they feel comfortable with the material they already do know.

Spaced Repetition: A technique that exposes students to words gradually over time so that they become a part of long-term memory learning.

Retrieval Practice: Students are asked to retrieve words from memory through exercises like writing sentences for words, which promotes long-term memory.

“High school students are busy people. Between academics and extra-curricular activities, they are always on the go. The app makes SAT prep easy to do anywhere, at anytime. Plus, this app employs learning techniques that encourage a deep understanding of new words rather than simple memorization which will help students achieve their highest possible score,” said Chad Troutwine, co-founder and CEO of Veritas Prep.

The SAT Vocabulary by Veritas Prep can be found in the Apple store by searching for Veritas Prep. To learn more about other SAT prep resources from Veritas Prep and its college admissions consulting services visit http://www.veritasprep.com/sat/.

About Veritas Prep
Veritas Prep is the world’s largest privately-owned provider of test prep and admissions consulting services. It offers industry-leading programs to help applicants improve standardized test scores and gain admission to the world’s most selective universities. Founded in 2002 by graduates of the Yale School of Management, Veritas Prep offers its live classroom GMAT prep course in more than 90 cities worldwide and as an interactive online course available to students everywhere. Its Veritas Prep SAT 2400 course is available as a classroom course, live online, on demand or in private tutoring sessions and features the only zero risk, money back guarantee in the industry. In addition, Veritas Prep offers admissions consulting services for applicants seeking entry into competitive business schools, law schools, medical schools and other graduate programs. For more information, visit veritasprep.com.

Contact:
Kavitha Thimmaiah
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
kthimmaiah@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education

Raptivity Evolve releases the ‘Drag-Drop-Sort’ interaction for Premium Customers

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Raptivity®, the leading rapid interactivity builder tool from Harbinger Knowledge Products, is proud to announce the release of the ‘Drag-Drop-Sort’ interaction. This interaction is the fifth addition to the Raptivity Evolve series, in a span of seven months.

Drag-Drop-Sort enables users to create highly engaging and visually stimulating exercises using the familiar drag and drop concept. This interaction can be used in a variety of creative ways. From simple labeling exercises to sorting and even fill in the blanks exercises, can be put together using this flexible interaction. A seemingly simple interaction, yet very versatile, the Drag-Drop-Sort can be customized to address different learning objectives.

The Drag-Drop-Sort allows up to 25 options to be dragged, which can be text, images or a combination of both. These options get dropped on targets which are also customizable. Along with all the other Raptivity features like media toolbox, color palette, image scaling, HTML5 support and many more, this interaction also provides options for scoring and immediate vs. delayed feedback.

“We are very happy about being able to deliver to customers the value they are looking for. This is another interaction idea that we got from a customer. A customer brought to our attention that Raptivity library did not have a drag & drop that allowed both images and text, and that it would help. We took up that suggestion under Evolve. We encourage more and more Raptivity customers to share their ideas with us on what they would like to see and we will do our best to accommodate their requests.” said Seema Chaudhary, President, Harbinger Knowledge Products Inc.

Using only the Drag-Drop-Sort interaction and a little creativity, instructional designers and course creators will be able to easily create many different interactive exercises from it, such as classification, sequencing, brainteasers, match the pairs and even fill in the blanks.
To know more about Drag-Drop-Sort or to see samples of how it can be used in a variety of creative ways, visit www.raptivity.com/elearning-product/raptivity-evolve/drag-drop-sort

About Raptivity

Raptivity® is a rapid interactivity builder that allows you to quickly and easily create learning interactions. It has a diverse variety of 180+ interactions to select from. Raptivity helps the educators and trainers to enrich their content with the well-designed interactions from various categories like games& simulations, presentation aids, visual aids, brain teasers, assessments and many more.

Raptivity® is a much awarded product and has been appreciated by various learning bodies. It was recently adjudged the ‘the “Best Rapid eLearning Tool” award at Africa Learning & Development Leadership Awards 2012. It has won LearnX Learning and Technology Impact Awards for Games and Simulations Category. Raptivity has also bagged the 2012 reader’s Choice Award by eschool Media. Along with this, the product was also honored with 18th Annual Best Educational Software Awards (BESSIE). For more information, please visit the website www.raptivity.com or contact Harbinger Knowledge Products at 425.861.8400

About Harbinger Knowledge Products

Harbinger Knowledge Products is recognized as a global leader in interactivity solutions for knowledge-sharing applications including learning, presentation and web development. Harbinger Knowledge Products is a part of Harbinger Group, which serves customers in over 57 countries through its offices in Pune (India), Redmond (WA, USA), Pleasanton (CA, USA) and through its partner network worldwide.

For three consecutive years, Deloitte has named Harbinger Knowledge Products among the fastest growing technology companies in its Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific and Technology Fast 50 India programs. Red Herring named Harbinger amongst world’s top 100 private technology companies. Harbinger’s patented technology and sound thought leadership have resulted in groundbreaking products, including market-leading Raptivity®, innovative YawnBuster, and cutting-edge SiteJazzer and TeemingPod.
For more information on Harbinger Knowledge Products, please visit http://www.harbingerknowledge.com.