With our event on Multilingualism in Europe only two short weeks ahead, I am delighted to announce our first keynote speaker. Armin Hopp, Founder and President of Speexx, will speak about why communication-empowered organisations are more agile and profitable and what organisations can do to get the edge. Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite Empowering communication - what’s in it for the bottom line? Why are communication-empowered organisations more agile and profitable? In today’s globalised business world, we are increasingly faced with the challenges of international collaboration and communication across borders. Dealing with customers, competitors and partners of different countries and cultural backgrounds on a daily basis has become the norm. How do we meet these challenges and ensure that international communication skills become part of our learning culture and not an obstacle? Find out why foreign language and business communication skills are the glue holding together any successful organisation and how you can use them to your advantage to drive real growth. Hopp founded Speexx in Munich, Germany in 1994. Today the company has become a truly European and international player with offices in Munich, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Sao Paulo and Shanghai, serving more than 7 million learners in 1,500 companies worldwide including Ericsson, Airbus, UNHCR and Credit Suisse. "In today's globalised business world, the ability to communicate across borders with strong foreign language skills is becoming a key competitive advantage. I'm really looking forward to discussing the challenges and opportunities with other experts and getting some fresh insights." states Hopp. Bringing his 20 years of experience in the B2B language learning space to the table I am very much looking forward to an insightful presentation and lively discussion afterward. I think the topic of empowering communication which, as a matter of fact, leads to improved cultural understanding and better results faster, is one of the important topics when we are talking about the future of work and working in teams dispersed all over the world. In addition to their event participation and kind sponsorship, Speexx also made available their latest white paper about data protection in global e-learning projects for download. We will be announcing our other keynote speakers and presenters over the course of the next days along with giving you further information about what topics they will be presenting on respectively. Should you be interested in joining us on September 17 in London, our co-organiser Macmillan Digital Education has made sure to provide us with a sizeable venue and thanks to our sponsors Speexx and busuu tickets are free. However, seats are limited and we only have a few of them left. Please reserve your tickets on time as we cannot admit guests without a valid ticket.

I’ve been blessed throughout my career to have worked for some great bosses. As I’ve lately been taking a closer look at leadership principles and best practices while urrently participating in a leadership institute, I stumbled across this great post by Michael Hyatt discussing the value of working for a "bad boss" in which he lists 20 random lessons learned from bad bosses: Everyone on the team matters. No one deserves to be treated poorly. Bosses create an emotional climate with their attitudes and behaviors. The higher up you are, the more people "read into" everything you say and do. Stuff gets amplified as it moves downstream. A word of encouragement can literally make someone’s week. Conversely, a harsh word can ruin it. Hire the right people then trust them to do their job. Don’t ever intentionally embarrass people in front of their boss, their peers, or their direct reports. Don’t attack people personally. Instead, focus on their performance. Get both sides of the story before you take action. Tell the truth; then you don’t have to remember what you said. Give people room to fail and don’t rub their noses in it when they do. Be quick to forgive and give the benefit of the doubt. Measure twice, cut once. Don’t ever ask your people to do something you are unwilling to do yourself. Respect other people’s time, especially those under you. Don’t believe all the nice things people say about you. Follow-through on your commitments, even when it is inconvenient or expensive. Don’t be ambitious to get promoted. Instead, focus on serving and doing a great job. Be responsive to everyone at every level. You never know who may be your next boss. Keep confidences. Make no exceptions. Do not complain about your boss to anyone. If you have to complain, then have the integrity to quit. What other lessons might you add to the list? Image courtesy ©iStockphoto.com/mediaphotos

Our EdTech Funding Coverage is brought to you by Digital Education. Thanks to some significant rounds for Pluralsight ($135 million), Edmodo ($30 million) and Desire2Learn ($85 million CAD), August has been another strong month in edtech funding. All in all, over $270 million have been invested in edtech startups, ranging from seed to Series D rounds. We did not include rounds in India and Asia in this rundown and will publish them shortly in a separate post. In this overview you find investments in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Edutainment startup Growl Media raises Series A from Auvest Group Growl Media, an edutainment startup based in Dubai that creates educational apps and games for children, has raised an undisclosed Series A round from Auvest Group. Through the investment Auvest acquired a minority stake in Growl Media along with the option to later increase its shareholding. Two executives from Auvest will join Growl Media’s board of directors. "The funding will enable us to expand our product offering to webisodes and TV; continue to build our stable of apps; enhance Eureekah, our technology platform built in-house; and bring our content to new markets," states Dinesh Lalvani, CEO and Founder of Growl Media in the press release. Founded in 2013, Growl Media targets children in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia with its mobile apps and has signed a deal with Samsung to promote the Samsung Galaxy Tab for Kids. Further Reading Growl Media secures Series A investment from Auvest Group | Press Release Links growlmedia.com | Twitter E-Textbook Rental Platform Packback raises $1 million Seed Round Packback, an e-textbook rental platform, has completed a $1 million seed round that started with a $250k investment from Marc Cuban on the TV show Shark Tank reports WSJ. Other investors in the round include The 20 Million Minds Foundation, Howard Tullman, Mark Achler, Mark Tebbe, and Rishi Shah. Packback’s unique angle is a so called "pay-per-view" option which lets students rent an e-textbook for 24h priced at around $5. Packback aims to convert students to either buy a used textbook or rent an e-textbook for an entire semester. According to the Packback website over 60.000 students across 80 US campuses already joined the movement which can access 3,000 titles for short-term rental in about 21 different popular subjects. Video Further Reading After Shark Tank, Packback Seeded For ‘Pay-Per-View’ E-Textbook Rentals | Wall Street Journal Links packbackbooks.com | Twitter Music Education Startup JoyTunes raises $5 million Series A Tel-Aviv-based JoyTunes, a startup that creates apps for music teachers and students, raised a $5 million Series A led by Aleph VC with participation from Formation 8 and existing investor Genesis Partners. JoyTunes aims to gamify learning a musical instrument through apps that interact with the music played and therefore turn the practice into a game-like experience. Launched in 2010, the app has been downloaded 3.5 million times and over 1 million songs are practiced each week. After this latest funding round, JoyTunes is free to use for music teachers and their students according to WSJ. Video Further Reading JoyTunes Collects $5M to Make it Fun to Learn to Play Music | Wall Street Journal Links joytunes.com | Twitter Assessment and Communications Platform FreshGrade raised $4.3 million Seed Round British Columbia-based FreshGrade, an assessment and communications platform for teachers, raised a $4.3 million Seed Round from NewSchools Venture Fund, Emerson Collective, Accel Partners and Social+Capital. Founded in 2011, FreshGrade offers an education resource for teachers, parents and administrators with the aim of streamlining communication between the different parties and maximise student engagement in the classroom. "FreshGrade is designed to provide richer reporting and communication capabilities while cutting down on the amount of time required from teachers and administrators. Ultimately our vision is to be able to streamline lesson planning and assessment and allow administrators and teachers to spend more time working with students and communicating with parents." states FreshGrade Co-Founder Steve Wandler in the press release. Video Further Reading FreshGrade Secures $4.3 Million in Seed Funding from NewSchools Venture Fund, Emerson Collective, Accel Partners and The Social+Capital Partnership | PR Newswire Links freshgrade.com | Twitter Anonymous Photo Sharing App for College Students Unseen raises $2.1 million Seed Round Austin-based Unseen, an anonymous photo sharing app for college students raised $2.1 million from a group of angel investors including Rackspace co-founder Dirk Elmendorf, Indeed.com CEO Rony Kahan and the CEO of Woodbolt International Doss Cunningham reports TechCrunch. The app lets anyone share photos with people around them without the need to open an account or giving a username. The round comes shortly after Yik Yak, another anonymous app in the college space, raised their $10 million Series A in June. Unseen wants to tackle cyberbullying, a common problem among these kind of services, through manual and outsourced moderation. Video Further Reading Unseen, An Anonymous Photo Sharing App For Colleges, Raises $2.1 Million | TechCrunch Links getunseen.com | Twitter Quizz Grading App QuicKey raised $150k Cambridge-based QuickKey, a mobile application that turns smartphones into quizz scanners, raised $150k in convertible debt from advertising company The Educator's Network reports BostInno. Founded in 2013, Quick Key had already raised $22k from a successful Kickstarter campaign and an undisclosed angel round from ARC Capital in May of this year. The app turns the smartphone camera into an optical scanner, enabling the teacher to scan and grade up to 10 quizzes in 30 seconds as well as uploading the results to a cloud-based grade book. The Quick Key app also works in classrooms without Internet connection or access to computers. Video Further Reading Quick Key Closes $150K Investment on its Road to Revolutionizing Personal Instruction | BostInno Links get.quickkeyapp.com | Twitter LTG Exam Prep Platform raised $3 million Series A for Mobile Test Prep LTG Exam Prep Platform, a mobile test prep startup out of MIT, raised a $3 million Series A from Tal Education Group, Atlas Venture, Jamie McCourt, Yongjin Group and Zhen Fund reports TechCrunch. LTG’s test prep app Prep4GMAT features a patented technology called Label Study Method, helping students to recognize patterns through visual cues and keywords. The app also helps learners to better understand their weaknesses and features a tutoring marketplace with certified tutors from across the globe. The startup plans to extend its apps into SAT prep in a next step. Video Further Reading LTG Exam Prep Platform Raises $3M In Series A Round To Develop SAT, More Test Apps | TechCrunch Links prep4gmat.com | Twitter 3D Content Publisher Verold raised $1.6 million Toronto-based Verold, a 3D content publishing platform, raised $1.6 million from Growthworks Capital, the Ontario Growth Fund and a group of angel investors. Verold’s goal is to weave 3D content into the fabric of the Web, making it easy to deliver a rich, engaging and interactive user experience on any device. The startup is currently taking part in the Pearson Catalyst program, working on an interactive educational experience around content in Developmental Psychology. Further Reading Verold Secures $1.6MM in Second Round of Funding | Press Release Links verold.com | Twitter Other Funding Rounds Edmodo enters IPO zone with $30 million Series D led by Index Ventures Desire2Learn raises $85 million Series B for International Growth Gig Economy Marketplace Fiverr raises $30 million Series C Overview: The Semi-Finalists of the Robin Hood Foundation College Success Prize HEDLINE: Pluralsight raises $135 million Series B Video Tuition Platform sofatutor raises €3,5 million led by German publisher Cornelsen

If you are a Blackboard client that missed BbWorld 2012, I recommend taking the time to watch Blackboard’s 2012 corporate keynote to hear firsthand of the innovations Blackboard is planning for the coming year.

I am happy to announce that we have confirmed two new speakers for our event on Multilingualism in Europe, in London on September 17: Niss Jonas Carlsson and Mait Müntel. Online Ticketing for EDUKWEST Live - Multilingualism in Europe powered by Eventbrite Niss Jonas Carlsson is the founder of the Swedish language learning company Brainglass, established in 2002. Brainglass was founded with the aim to change the way we learn languages, by adding personalisation. In 2011 Brainglass launched its first mobile application called Karaoke4English on iOS and Android. Today the company’s mobile applications, including Lingoal, have surpassed 1 million downloads and combine the concepts of audiobook, e-book, dictionary and exercises into one engaging learning environment. Based on his experiences with language students and immigrants in Sweden, Carlsson will focus on the topic of "Language challenges in Europe: Minorities, Migration and Motivation" during his presentation at the event. The second speaker I would like to introduce today is Mait Müntel, the co-founder and CEO of Lingvist, a language learning startup from Estonia and part of the Techstars London 2014 cohort. Lingvist wants to help you learn any language in 200h by the means of applying big data and mathematical concepts to the learning process and therefore reducing the time needed to learn a new language by 90%. The idea for Lingvist was born out of personal need. Müntel was looking for language learning applications when he wanted to learn French but none of the existing solutions fit his needs. "I had always wanted to learn new languages, but never had the time to do so. All the existing language learning tools tend to be inefficient and so I decided to build my own. I tried the prototype on myself and it took me only 200 hours to learn French, which I took as a sign that I’m onto something remarkable." Mait is a particle physicist and an entrepreneur. He received a PhD in Theoretical Physics in 2008 and has extensive expertise in mathematical modeling and programming research software. Müntel contributed to the development of BalticGrid.org, a distributed computing network for the Baltic Sea region and was part of the Higgs boson research team at CERN, Switzerland.

As technology continues to advance, we’re moving into the "post-PC" era as we find an increasing number of students and faculty alike relying on the mobile devices in place of traditional desktop or laptops. These mobile devices are continually becoming powerful and rapidly affording profound new opportunities for teaching and learning, both in and outside the classroom. During this keynote presentation at the 2012 Missouri Distance Learning Association Conference, we explored current trends in mobile technology adoption among students and faculty and considered how mobile devices are changing the way we communicate and access information. We discussed the possibilities for new teaching and learning experiences using readily available mobile technology. Stats on Mobile Technology Adoption and Usage Tech vs Text: New Study Unveils What Students Are Actually Using To Learn The Rise of the "Connected Viewer" | Pew Internet, July 2012 Cell Internet Use | Pew Internet, June 2012 In a Relationship: College Students and Their Smartphones [INFOGRAPHIC] | Mashable, June 2012 Americans and Text Messaging | Pew Internet, September 2011 30% of U.S. Adults Prefer to Be Reached by Text Message | Mashable, September 2011 How mobile devices are changing community information environments | Pew Internet, March 2011 Student Smartphone Use Doubles; Instant Messaging Loses Favor | Wired Campus, June 2010 The Power of Mobile | Pew Internet, April 2010 Teens and Mobile Phones | Pew Internet, April 2010 Teens and Mobile Phones Over the Past Five Years: Pew Internet Looks Back | Pew Internet, August 2009 View all mobile studies by Pew Internet & American Life Project ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2011 Report Videos The voice of the active learner Why mobile learning? KATTY ISD — A new vision for mobile learning Thoughts on the state of mobile learning "When Technology Gets Out of the Way" - 2011 Apple iPad commercial Samples Sample Course Syllabus as EPUB eBook NIU Instructional Guide for University Faculty and Teaching Assistants Sample Course Podcast NIU Faculty Development Program Archives Podcast NIU Teaching with Blackboard Podcast Sample Curated Daily Online Newspaper - Ed Tech Trends Daily Tips and Tutorials Designing a Mobile-Friendly Blackboard Course Getting Started with ePubs: Creating Your Own E-Book Using Apple Pages How to Create an ePub E-book How to Create a Course Podcast with Dropbox in 5 Easy Steps How to Setup Custom Flipboard Section for Twitter Hashtag Search 10 Tips for Getting Started Teaching with Twitter Encouraging Engagement Outside the "Walls" of the Course with Twitter Chats Tools & Apps Apple Pages [creating EPUB ebooks] Apple iBooks Author [creating iBooks] Blackboard Mobile Diigo Browser [iOS mobile browser alternative to Safari, built-in sharing integration with Diigo] Downcast [podcatcher for iOS] Dropbox [file storage/syncing/sharing] DropItToMe [sending files securely to another user's Dropbox] KeepVid [download offline & mobile-friendly versions of streaming videos] mTouch [iOS app for Moodle] NIU Mobile Paperli [create curated, online & mobile-friendly newspaper] PollEverywhere [polling] Mr. Reader [Google Reader RSS app for iPad] Reeder [Google Reader RSS app for iPad, iPhone, Mac] Reflection [mirror iOS device to Mac or Windows computer] Screenr [screencasts]/li> ShowMe [screencasts] General Mobile LearningResources Jason Rhode’s library of mobile learning links Photo Credits (photos shown during presentation) Teens of today - talking and texting | Courtesy @librarianguish on Flickr Teen texting by water fountain | Courtesy @yourdon on Flickr OMG! My boyfriend is texting me on *both* of my cellphones! | Courtesy @yourdon on Flickr Teen texting on brick wall | Courtesy @jpott on Flickr Students holding smart phones | Courtesy @danzen on Flickr Student texting | Courtesy @yourdon on Flickr Barefoot man texting | Courtesy @yourdon on Flickr Photo courtesy flickingerbrad on Flickr

The number of people learning foreign languages in Poland has increased in recent years, especially since joining the European Union in 2004. Many young people have taken the opportunity, myself included, of studying or working abroad. The European student exchange, along with freedom of work and travel around Europe opened up the door for a better future for many people. I often say I have grown up together with Poland. I remember those days when I would dream of traveling all round the world and speaking as many languages as I could possible learn. Back In late nineties the English language wasn’t as in demand as it is now. I started to learn it at age 12, but it was rather a very passive learning, memorizing grammar rules and doing exercises. My parents decided to enroll me in a language course after school to get a chance of speaking with a native speaker. The idea of combining language courses with my interest in music helped me to become fluent in English. There is constant criticism towards public schools and their poor language programs. As a result, parents are forced to enroll their children in after school classes. This has created a large and rapidly growing market for private language schools across Poland. However, freelance tutoring has become a competitive alternative due to its lower cost and more personalized approach. Language Learning in Public school Students start to learn their first foreign language beginning in the first year of Primary School, and it is continued through Middle School . At the start of Middle School students are required to choose a second foreign language to study. In High School each student learns two or even three languages. According to a Report from the Center Development Education for school year 2011/2012 91.6 % of students were studying English, 38.9 % German, 3 % French and 5,1 % Russian at non-university public schools. The reports aims to provide an overall view on language learning in Poland in order to help teachers implement more successful language programs in schools. Despite the demographic, there has been a significant rise in Spanish language students. Around 60 thousand students were studying in school year 2012/2013 compared to just 40 thousand in school year 2010/2011. On top of that, 12 universities offer Spanish Philology or Iberian Degree with around 13 thousand students total. Furthermore, the number of bilingual Polish-Spanish schools has more than doubled from 16 to 33 in past few years and with plans to open 5 additional in school year 2014/2015. Further language education at University has a lot to offer: at University of Warsaw students can learn up to 40 languages, including English and German , or less popular choices such as Hungarian or Macedonian. Private Language Learning On the whole, in more developed regions in Poland people tend to be better at languages than those living in the countryside. In cities such as Warsaw, Cracow , Wroclaw or Gdansk knowing one language is not enough, young people invest time and money in brushing up on new languages. In addition, Tourism, travel, living, and working abroad are the main reasons why people invest in language learning. English has become the main office language for many foreign companies in Poland. The booming in-company courses are on high demand where a language tutor can earn much more than teaching children or teenagers. There are many language schools in Warsaw, but choosing a good one can be a daunting process. Stationary language schools have traditionally been the main choice of learning foreign languages. However, mobile schools have seen an increase demand for their services recently. Mobile schools utilize language tutors who are able to be flexible with hours and locations without having the financial burden of a permanent physical location. Although in its infancy, the network of mobile language schools continues to steadily grow. Picture License  Some rights reserved by NicoTrinkhaus

This infographic compiled by OnlineColleges.net shares some of the many ways educators have incorporated social media into the classroom. The following previously posted infographics related to social media might also be of interest: Pros and Cons of Social Media in Education (Feb, 2012) A Case Study in Social Media Demographics (Mar, 2012)

When: September 17th 2014 Where: The Glasshouse Building - 2 Trematon Walk (Off Wharfdale Road) - Regent's Quarter - N1 9SR London - United Kingdom Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite Programme Admission & Welcome (2:30pm - 3pm) Matthias Ick, Macmillan Digital Education Session 1: Policy (3pm - 4:15 pm) Keynote: Nicolas de Santis, BRAND EU Presentation: Nicholas Niggli, Embassy of Switzerland in the UK Presentation: Niss Jonas Carlsson, Brainglass Panel Discussion, Q&A Coffee Break (4:15pm 4:30pm) Session 2: Business (4:30pm - 5:45pm) Keynote: Armin Hopp, Speexx Presentation: Florence Mele, ESCP Europe Presentation: Prashant Raizada, EnglishUp Panel Discussion, Q&A Coffee Break (5:45pm - 6:00pm) Session 3: Innovation (6:00pm - 7:00pm) Presentation: Kirsten Winkler, EDUKWEST Presentation: Mait Müntel, Lingvist Open Mic / Pitch Session Networking (7:00pm - 8:30pm) Speakers Niss Jonas Carlsson Founder Brainglass Niss Jonas Carlsson is the founder of Brainglass, helping second and foreign language learners to bridge the gap between educational material and native language media since 2002. +1M downloads of apps like Lingoal, Read4English and others.  Armin Hopp Founder & President Speexx  Armin Hopp is the Founder and President of Speexx, a leading global provider of corporate online language training solutions. His academic background is in linguistics and English literature. A regular speaker at international talent management conferences and seminars, Armin has won the National German Award for Further Education and the WorldDidac Award. He is a member of the steering committee to the HR Expo Professional Learning Europe Conference, LEARNTEC, ELIG (European Learning Interest Group) and ambassador for Towards Maturity in the UK. Matthias Ick Managing Director Macmillan Digital Education  Matthias Ick serves as Managing Director of Digital Education at MacMillan Science and Education. Ick has built up extensive experience across digital markets and education, from making venture capital investments to founding tutoria.de - Digital Education’s online service for private tutoring for parents and students. He started his career in consulting and previously worked with the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, investing in online businesses and advising on mergers and acquisitions. He is using his entrepreneurial know-how to lead Digital Education’s portfolio of companies and identify new ideas and businesses.  Nicholas Niggli Head of the Economic, Trade and Finance Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK  Nicholas C. Niggli is currently the Head, Economic, Trade & Finance Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK, a posting for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. In this capacity, he leads a diplomatic team that represents, promotes and defends Switzerland's economic, trade, finance, science and business interests in the United Kingdom.  Previously, Niggli was part of Switzerland’s trade diplomacy and was based at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the WTO & EFTA. There he covered the Doha Development Round, the International Services Agreement plurilateral negotiations (TISA), Accessions to the WTO as well as budget, administration and institutional issues.  Florence Mele Director of Studies at ESCP Europe London campus  Florence Mele is Director of Studies at ESCP Europe London campus, in charge of degree programmes. Established in 1819, ESCP Europe is the world's oldest business school and has educated generations of leaders and entrepreneurs.With its five campuses in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, and Torino, ESCP Europe's true European Identity enables the provision of a unique style of cross-cultural business education and a Global Perspective on international management issues.  Florence holds an MSc Computing Science from Birkbeck College University of London.  Mait Müntel Co-Founder & CEO Lingvist  Mait Müntel is co-founder and CEO of language learning startup Lingvist. Mait is a particle physicist and an entrepreneur. He received a PhD in Theoretical Physics in 2008 and has extensive expertise in mathematical modeling and programming research software. Müntel contributed to the development of BalticGrid.org, a distributed computing network for the Baltic Sea region and was part of the Higgs boson research team at CERN, Switzerland.  Prashant Raizada Founder & CEO EnglishUp  Prashant is the Founder and CEO of EnglishUp, a personal Online English Learning business currently operating in Brazil. A seasoned entrepreneur, Prashant's previous ventures include founding Lifestep, an employability skills venture focused on 16-20 year olds in UK and India and being a member of the founding team of Infosys BPO, an Global outsourcing business, which grew to $250m in 4 years.  In a career spanning ~15 years, Prashant has also worked for McKinsey & Co, HSBC and Citibank in London. He is an MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (Calcutta) and the Indian Institute of Technology but believes he only ever learnt anything.  Nicolas de Santis President & Secretary General Gold Mercury International Nicolas de Santis is President & Secretary General of Gold Mercury International, the global foresight think tank and global governance award organisation founded in 1961. De Santis is a global vision strategist and internet entrepreneur, advising companies and governments on sustainably driven corporate and brand visions, business model innovation and cultural transformation.  Prior to joining Gold Mercury, Nicolas was an internet entrepreneur, who started influential and high profile internet companies, such as opodo.com. He is currently working on building a strong brand of the European Union: The BRAND EU Centre.

Google Voice is a great service for extending the capabilities of your phone, including helpful features for educators such as a single number that rings you anywhere as well as online voicemail transcription in which messages are transcribed and delivered to your inbox. One of the lesser-known features, Call Widgets, allows you to create an interactive widget and place on a website, allowing visitors to easily call your Google Voice number. Call Widgets can be put on any web page, and allow people to call from that web page. When somebody clicks on the widget, Google Voice calls them and connects them to you. Your number is always kept private. You can create multiple call widgets and have different settings for each of them. Here’s an example of a Google Voice Call Widget (if you use this widget, you can leave me a voicemail at my Google Voice number) In this screencast, I share how to create a Google Voice call widget and embed in a learning management system (in this example, I demonstrate embedding in Blackboard, but the steps would be similar for other LMS’s). Do you use Google Voice in your teaching? Have you tried setting-up a Google Voice call widget? Feel free to leave a comment other Google Voice tips or suggestions you have to share!

Cross-published on EDUKWEST Europe. Pope Francis officially launched Scholas.Social at a dedicated event in Vatican City. Scholas.Social is a new global, multi-religious and multi-cultural network that aims to connect schools through collaboration, encounter and shared interest. The platform enables students and teachers across the globe to share projects and learn from each other. They can ask for help which can be given in different ways, from sharing the project over monetary or resource donations to volunteering in the project. This way, Scholas.Social takes a page from the crowdfunding playbook but adds non-monetary ways to support, as well. Scholas was conceived last year when Pope Francis gave out the task to create an online platform that would transform the way students learn and is modelled after two projects he ran as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The project was handled by software development company Globant which was responsible for the front-end development, Line64 which was responsible for the back-end and Google which integrated its educational tools Google Apps for Education into the network. Besides uploading and sharing or supporting school projects, users of the platform can earn badges for their help and participation. The general mission behind the Scholas project is to foster a culture of encounter by introducing a different concept of education. Video Further Reading TECHNOLOGY FOR EDUCATION: Scholas presented at the Vatican Scholas.Social, its digital platform to connect schools world wide | Press Release Links scholas.social | Twitter

This infographic by OnlineUniversities helps explain how tablets are changing the face of education and also provides some interesting analysis about the potential of this mobile device in teaching and learning. From: OnlineUniversities.com

Rosetta Stone announced a partnership with Acesse Corporation, an Internet marketing and advertising service provider with small business clients across the globe. Under the partnership, Rosetta Stone will provide its language learning products Rosetta Stone Language Learning V3 for Business and Rosetta Stone Advanced English for Business to Acesse’s 400.000 customers through a new continuing education product called Acesse University. Besides language training Acesse University will offer courses in Internet marketing, business fundamentals and technical skills, aiming to provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with the skills needed to stay competitive in a global market. Full Release after the break. (Thomson Reuters ONE via COMTEX) -- Rosetta Stone and Acesse Corporation Partner in Landmark Global Deal Rosetta Stone accelerates growth of its Enterprise & Education business by providing language-learning solutions to 400,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs through Acesse University September 9, 2014 (Arlington, VA) - Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST), the world's leading provider of education technology and language-learning solutions, today announced a partnership with Acesse Corporation to bring Rosetta Stone's award winning language solutions to more than 400,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs worldwide through Acesse's soon-to-launch continuing education product, Acesse University. The partnership will position Rosetta Stone to further its growth in the corporate and enterprise sectors by expanding its reach in the valuable small business market, and will strengthen the company's presence in newer geographies, including China. Serving 400,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world, Acesse University will enable its members to stay competitive in today's dynamic global economy by offering courses that will improve their business acumen. Highlights of the curriculum include Internet marketing, business fundamentals, technical skills, and language training. Two solutions from the brand new Rosetta Stone® Language Learning Suite-Rosetta Stone Language Learning V3 for Business and Rosetta Stone Advanced English for Business-will be offered in the Acesse University platform. "In an increasingly global marketplace, language abilities impact individual and organizational success, and businesses are looking for effective solutions," said Judy Verses, President of Global Enterprise & Education at Rosetta Stone. "Our partnership with Acesse will touch small business owners across the globe, and help them achieve language skills that are critical to reaching their business goals." Over the past five years, Acesse has helped entrepreneurs by providing them with high quality, affordable, and easy to use products and services in a digital environment where there is constant change. The upcoming launch of Acesse University will fortify Acesse's position in the rapidly evolving digital space by providing entrepreneurs with a continuous learning environment to establish and grow their businesses. "As the global landscape continues to become increasingly connected, understanding multiple languages will become more important for small businesses," explained Bob Kinsella, CEO at Acesse. "Our language-learning partnership with Rosetta Stone, as well as the other courses available through Acesse University, will give our members a competitive edge so they can accomplish their business goals and surpass their competition." About Rosetta Stone Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) is dedicated to changing the way the world learns. The company's innovative technology-driven language, reading and brain fitness solutions are used by thousands of schools, businesses, government organizations and millions of individuals around the world. Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stone pioneered the use of interactive software to accelerate language learning. Today the company offers courses in 30 languages, from the most commonly spoken (such as English, Spanish and Mandarin) to the less prominent (including Swahili, Swedish and Tagalog). Since 2013, Rosetta Stone has expanded beyond language and deeper into education-technology with its acquisitions of Livemocha, Lexia Learning, Vivity Labs, and Tell Me More. Rosetta Stone is based in Arlington, VA, and has offices around the world. For more information, visit www.rosettastone.com. "Rosetta Stone" and related trademarks used herein are the property of Rosetta Stone and are used and/or registered in the United States and other countries. About Acesse Corporation Acesse Corporation was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Acesse is a global leader engaged in a daily race to provide our small business partners with high-quality, affordable, and easy to use products and services in an environment where there is constant change. Acesse is a valued and trusted partner to small business owners in their goal to reach economic prosperity and achieve their dreams. For more information, visit Acesse at www.marketing.acesse.com, Twitter, or Facebook. Rosetta Stone Media Contact: Michelle Alvarez malvarez@rosettastone.com 703-387-5862 Acesse Corporation Media Contact: Sara Summers pr@corp.acesse.com 612-460-4700 This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Rosetta Stone via Globenewswire HUG#1854555

What technology will we be using in the classroom 3, 5, or 10 years or more from now? This visualization attempts to organizing a series of emerging technologies that are likely to influence education in the coming decades. Click here for enlarged version. Courtesy Edudemic

We are delighted to announce that Nicolas de Santis will deliver his keynote at our event Multilingualism in Europe next week. Nicolas de Santis is President & Secretary General of Gold Mercury International, the global foresight think tank and global governance award organisation founded in 1961. De Santis is a global vision strategist and internet entrepreneur, advising companies and governments on sustainably driven corporate and brand visions, business model innovation and cultural transformation. In the 1990s de Santis worked for the European Union and where he advised on issues relating to European identity and the launch of the Euro currency. Prior to joining Gold Mercury, Nicolas was an internet entrepreneur, who started influential and high profile internet companies, such as opodo.com which he left in 2003. In 2013 he launched Brand EU Centre which labels itself as the unofficial brand of the European Union, aiming to improve the management of the European Union as a global brand. In his presentation de Santis will focus on the state of English as the defacto unofficial language of the EU. Brand EU believes English would not act as a barrier to other European languages, but instead be the path for a stronger and more adept EU. Using English across Europe will first of all, make information sharing more efficient, and it will allow citizens to communicate with their neighbouring countries freely, and it will exist complementary to national languages which, as always will hold onto the cultural diversity of Europe. Brand EU will make their position paper available for the public to download at the day of the event. Based on his decades of experience in European politics as well as Internet entrepreneur, I am very much looking forward to de Santis’ keynote opening the event. Should you be interested in joining us on September 17 in London, our co-organiser Macmillan Digital Education has made sure to provide us with a sizeable venue and thanks to our sponsors Speexx and busuu tickets are free. However, seats are limited and we only have a few of them left. Please reserve your tickets on time as we cannot admit guests without a valid ticket.

Today I am happy to announce that we have confirmed two additional speakers for our event on Multilingualism in Europe this Wednesday. I would like to introduce Mrs Florence Mele, the Director of Studies at ESCP Europe London Campus and Mr. Nicholas Niggli, the Head of the Economic, Trade and Finance Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK. Online Ticketing for EDUKWEST Live - Multilingualism in Europe powered by Eventbrite Prof. Mele holds an MSc Computing Science from Birkbeck College University of London. Prior to her work at ESCP Europe she worked in different positions across Europe, notably in Paris, the Rome area and southern Italy. ESCP Europe is the world’s oldest business school and has educated generations of leaders and entrepreneurs.With its five campuses in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, and Torino, ESCP Europe’s true European Identity enables the provision of a unique style of cross-cultural business education and a Global Perspective on international management issues. In her presentation Florence Mele will focus on the role foreign languages play for employability, leadership and the future of work as well as cultural awareness and concrete implications for the workplace in a global economy. In his capacity as the Head of the Economic, Trade & Finance Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK, Nicholas Niggli leads a diplomatic team that represents, promotes and defends Switzerland’s economic, trade, finance, science and business interests in the United Kingdom. Previously, Niggli was part of Switzerland’s trade diplomacy and was based at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the WTO & EFTA. There he covered the Doha Development Round, the International Services Agreement plurilateral negotiations (TISA), Accessions to the WTO as well as budget, administration and institutional issues. In his presentation Nicholas Niggli will provide the connection between his own life as a member of a multilingual and multicultural family and how Switzerland as a country is handling the four official languages in its education system, administration and economy.

Professors are excited about many of the trappings of digital teaching and scholarship. Others increase their work loads, stress them out, and scare them, a survey by Inside Higher Ed and Babson Survey Research Group shows. A PDF can be downloaded here; the text of the report can be viewed here. Read more here.

The NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center is seeking an Instructional Design Coordinator to join the Center staff. Primary Responsibilities: Keep current with present and emerging distributed learning systems and distributed learning pedagogies. Offer high-level individual and group consultations on instructional design and course transformation suitable for distributed learning. Design, develop, and deliver programs on distributed learning tools and techniques for faculty, teaching staff and teaching assistants. Design and develop quick guides, informational materials, and tutorials on distributed learning techniques. Assist faculty and academic units with developing distributed learning programs’ quality related policies and procedures, and implementation strategies. Represent the Center in meetings with academic and support units at NIU and other institutions on issues related to learning management systems, distributed learning, etc. Collaborate with Center staff on various programs, resources and services offered by the Center. Work closely with the Director on various activities related to the mission of the Center as assigned. Qualifications: Master’s degree in education, instructional technology or related fields is required. Doctoral degree or experience in teaching in a higher education environment is preferred. At least 1-year experience with learning management systems and online pedagogies suitable for a higher education environment is required. Knowledge of instructional design principles, pedagogical techniques, and use of instructional technologies suitable for online teaching is required. Experience in designing, developing, maintaining and delivering educational tutorials in multiple media format for a higher education audience is required. Ability to work closely with clientele at various academic units to assess distributed teaching, learning and related needs, and find effective solutions to address those needs is required. Excellent communication skills, planning and organizational abilities, problem solving skills, and ability to work collaboratively and collegially in a team environment is required. Experience in using Windows, Mac, office productivity tools, online teaching tools, and social networking tools for teaching purposes is required. Ability to research online teaching, curricula, and online quality related policies and procedures, and assist academic units with those policies and procedures is preferred. For more information or to apply, please visit http://www.niu.edu/facdev/positions/idcoord12.shtml

Coursera announced its entrance into the Brazilian / Portuguese MOOC market through partnerships with the University of São Paulo (USP), the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), the Lemann Foundation and the web portal R7. Brazil represents Coursera’s fifth largest user base behind the US, India, China and UK. USP and UNICAMP will both create courses for Coursera in the fields of finance and entrepreneurship which will be available in 2015. In the meantime Coursera’s global translator community is working on the localization of 28 courses, being available by the end of this year. Besides coordinating these translation efforts, the Lemann Foundation is also creating teacher professional development courses for K-12 teachers. Obviously Coursera is not entering uncharted territory, nevertheless Coursera states in the accompanying press release that it is "the first open online education provider to partner with Brazil's top universities" and at least TheNextWeb swallowed the bait. Long before Coursera even got interested in Latin America, the local MOOC platform Veduca had started out by translating popular courses from leading universities in Portuguese. In June of last year Veduca announced a partnership with USP, creating two courses with certification in Basic Physics and Probability & Statistics. In October Veduca then announced the world’s first open online MBA in Engineering and Innovation with the option to gain an official certification validated by the Brazilian Ministry of Education. Today both USP and UNICAMP host MOOCs on Veduca with USP offering already 26 courses and UNICAMP five. Given the relatively small amount of funding Veduca raised compared to Coursera, $1.25 million vs. $85 million, Veduca will face some stiff competition in the coming years. I always pointed out that Veduca has an advantage on the technology side with two patents related to MOOCs and that it is primarily a tech startup, not an education startup. Interestingly, Coursera’s co-founder Daphne Koller now describes her startup the same way. The partnership deals also show that universities still tend to not wanting to commit to just one MOOC provider, a trend we saw early on with Coursera and edX which both signed partnerships with (the same) leading universities. For now nothing is decided. There is still a huge portion of Brazilians who are not connected to the Internet. Veduca has the advantage of a working certification process through partnerships with test centers and its focus on specialized courses catering to Brazilian key industries. Yet, the partnership with R7, a popular web portal in Brazil, could drive more interest to Coursera, especially among first time Internet users who are often using web portals to navigate and search the Internet. Disclosure: Our supporter Macmillan Digital Education is an investor in Veduca. Further Reading University of Sao Paulo (USP) and State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Join Coursera as First University Partners in Latin America to Create Online Courses for Portuguese Speakers in Brazil and Around the World | Press Release Olá! Coursera Partners With Top Latin American Institutions | Coursera Blog Related Links Veduca builds Video Lecture Platform for Latin America Veduca and University of Sao Paulo offer MOOCs with Certification Veduca Builds Out its Lead as the Latin American MOOC Platform EDUKWEST #102 with Carlos Souza of Veduca

Recently I was invited by Chicago State University Center for Teaching & Research Excellence to lead a workshop for CSU faculty on the use of Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom. To accompany this hands-on workshop titled Using Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom to Engage and Inspire Students offered August 28, 2012, I prepared an online interactive handout with links to many samples and online resources. During this session, several common Web 2.0 technologies were introduced and participants were then given the opportunity to further explore selected technologies and begin designing an activity that leverages chosen technology. If interested in taking a closer look, the handout is available at http://j.mp/csuweb20 Photo courtesy jeremywilburn on Flickr

The Chinese market for tech and creative skills is heating up. In just four weeks two significant Series B rounds adding up to over $50 million went into edtech startups offering online courses for tech and creative professionals. Jike Xueyuan, an online learning platform for tech skills, raised a $22 million Series B from SIG Asia and BlueRun Ventures reports QQ Tech. Founded in 2009 but officially launched earlier this year Jike Xueyuan claims to have over 120.000 users who can choose from over 300 courses covering tech skills from mobile to web development. Jike Xueyuan, which translates to Geeks College, follows a similar business model like lynda.com. Users pay for a monthly or yearly membership and get access to all courses on the platform in return. Prices range between RMB 30 (US$4.89) per month to RMB 260 (US$42.35) per year. In August Xingshuai Teach, which offers courses on creative skills like graphics, videos and design, raised a $30 million Series B from Northern Light Venture Capital and Legend Capital. Xingshuai Teach was founded in 2008 and users get free access to all courses on the platform. The startup generates revenue through selling certifications for successfully completed courses. According to 36kr Xingshuai Teach has seen constant revenue growth since 2012 where it generated RMB 1 million (US$162,000). In 2013 revenue was at RMB 100 million (US$16.2 million) and this year the platform aims for RMB 1 billion (US$162 million) in revenue by the end of this year. There are also rumors of an IPO in 2016. China is also a target market for beforementioned lynda.com as well as for Udemy. Both companies have stated that Asia is a key region for further growth and therefore a priority when it comes to expansion in the coming years. With now two well-funded startups that operate in their home market this will be a region to watch. Further Reading Chinese IT education startup teaches you how to make your own Flappy Birdclone, gets $22M investment | Tech in Asia Chinese crash course education startup for designers and animators secures $30M funding | Tech in Asia

As I’ve previously shared, I’m currently leading a Sloan Consortium professional development workshop on the use of text messaging in teaching. Over the next several days, I’ll be sharing a series of posts to include links to a variety of different resources I’ve come across regarding text messaging in addition to continuing to chat on Twitter using hashtag #sloansms. Stay tuned for more, and join in the conversation either via the Twitter hashtag or by leaving a comment to any of the posts to come.Photo courtesy mennovdhorst on Flickr

Our EdTech Funding Coverage is brought to you by Digital Education. Last month was quiet in terms of funding in Asia compared to the rest of the world, but we can already tell that more deals are coming in throughout September. Yet, thanks to a significant Series B for Chinese online course platform Xingshuai Teach, the total still surpassed $30 million in August. Japanese Online Cram School Aoi.Co. raised $1.2 million Aoi.Co, a Japanese edtech startup that runs online cram school Aoi Zemi, raised $1.2 million from JAFCO reports TechCrunch Japan. Aoi Zemi streams lectures for free on the Internet, students are charged when they want to watch the recordings. The startup claims that the pass rate at entrance exams of students who took test prep on Aoi Zemi is over 85%. According to The Bridge, Aoi Zemi has attracted over 3000 users. Further Reading Online cram school startup Aoi.Co. raises $1.2 million from Jafco | The Bridge Links aoi-zemi.com English Language Learning App OKpanda raised $1.6 million Seed Round OKpanda, an English language learning app targeting Japan and other Asian countries, raised an additional $1.6 million Seed Round led by Resolute Ventures with participation from East Ventures, Beenos and existing investors Innovation Endeavors, Kapor Capital, 500 Startups as well as a group of angel investors. The round brings the total funding raised by OKpanda to $3 million. Founded in 2012, OKpanda aims to help Asians with English pronunciation through interactive lessons and sessions with tutors. Its two apps have been downloaded over 600k times. In Japan, OKpanda targets the over 1 million learners who currently attend English conversation classes, paying between $150 - $200 per month. OKpanda is priced between $30 - $100 per month, depending on how many lessons with a tutor are included. The tutors are based in the Philippines. Further Reading OKpanda Takes In Another $1.6M For Its English Language Learning App For Asia | TechCrunch Links okpanda.com | Twitter Online Course Platform Xingshuai Teach raised $30 million Series B Xingshuai Teach, an online platform offering courses on creative skills like graphics, videos and design, raised a $30 million Series B from Northern Light Venture Capital and Legend Capital. Founded in 2008, Xingshuai Teach offers users free access to all courses on the platform. The startup generates revenue through selling certifications for successfully completed courses. In 2013 revenue was at RMB 100 million (US$16.2 million), and there are rumors of a planned IPO in two years. Further Reading Chinese crash course education startup for designers and animators secures $30M funding | Tech in Asia Links xsteach.com

Looking for more information on the background of text messaging, the tecnology the makes it possible, or definitions of technical terms? The following resources provide foundational background information. Text Messaging - Wikipediabackground and history of development of text messaging as a communication platform SMS - Wikipediatechnical background and history of the development of short message service (SMS) Text Messaging and Online Chat Abbreviations - Webopedia quick reference list and definitions of over 1,300 text abbreviations Are you aware of another resource regarding background and definitions of texting that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Please leave a comment below!