WriteToLearn Lauded at Minnesota Charter School
Seventy-three percent of students at Dunwoody Academy High passed the writing portion of the Minnesota test required for graduation, which school officials partially attribute to its new WriteToLearn application.
Scores were on par with the state average but above what would be expected in a new charter school. Based on that success, nearby Harvest Preparatory School is piloting WriteToLearn this year, and a new charter school, BEST Academy, a boys-focused Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) school for K-8 students, has opened its doors with a launch of WriteToLearn.
"WriteToLearn gives students immediate feedback, so they are able to receive a great deal of practice in refining their writing skills," says Duane Dutrieuille, dean of academic and student affairs of Dunwoody Academy High School, which provides academic and career-focused training for students from the inner-cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Turnitin Offers Low-Cost Software to Michigan Schools
Turnitin, a service of iParadigms LLC, has formed an alliance with the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) to offer each of the state's high schools and middle schools a low-cost option to purchase Turnitin's new WriteCycle instructional tool.
WriteCycle is a digital workflow solution comprised of three interconnected services that help students better engage with their courses, instructors, and peers. The product helps students and teachers identify various forms of plagiarism and correct the problems. GradeMark, a digital markup system, frees instructors from hand-grading papers, allowing them more time to give each student feedback.
Videré Conferencing, VBrick Form Reseller Partnership
Videré Conferencing and VBrick Systems Inc. have formed a partnership in which the former company will resell VBrick's suite of enterprise video systems to enhance Videré Conferencing's range of offerings.
The companies previously have teamed up to implement a cable TV solution at Greater Lowell Technical High School in Lowell, MA, that allows the school to stream, record and store live cable television distribution over its data network for playback and educational use throughout the year.
"Selecting VBrick and Videré as our providers was an easy choice as their partnership allowed us to implement best in classroom video services," says Michael Barton, director of media and professional development at Greater Lowell Technical High School.
