DUBLIN, May 8, 2012 — MindConnex Learning, the award-winning provider of digital learning solutions for secondary schools, has today announced that it has signed up four large virtual schools across North America to its Shakespeare In Bits online subscription service.
Shakespeare In Bits Live! is a cloud-based service that can be accessed from any location through a browser and Internet connection. With over 140 schools accessing the service, Shakespeare In Bits Live! is proving a popular choice with traditional and virtual schools due to its low-cost, subscription-based offering that can be used in class and accessed from any location by students wanting to complete homework or additional study.
Christy Hartman, English Department Co-chair with Californian-based Julian Charter School, says, "As an English teacher whose students study independently, Shakespeare In Bits Live! is the ideal solution for our online classroom. Traditionally Shakespeare has always been a tough sell in a virtual environment but I think this will change with innovative solutions like Shakespeare In Bits."
Dan Reid, English Teacher with British Columbia-based Vernon Virtual Education (vLearn.ca), which offers a blended learning environment, claims that Shakespeare In Bits enables students with different learning needs and styles to embrace Shakespeare. Having signed up to all four plays in the Shakespeare In Bits series, Mr. Reid says, "With features such as the in-line translation tool which provides modern day translations of some archaic words and phrases, Shakespeare In Bits is a highly interactive tool that succeeds in demystifying a 400-year-old text, making it more engaging and easily digestible."
MindConnex Learning, creator of Shakespeare In Bits, currently has 40,000 users of the product across all platforms (online, PC/Mac, iPad/iPhone). Four plays are currently available — Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream — with a fifth — Julius Caesar — due for release later this month.
According to Steve Baker, Principal of Virtual High School, who has signed up to two Shakespeare In Bits plays (Macbeth and Julius Caesar) for 130 of its high school students, "Our English department has several members who have been teaching English for decades and Shakespeare In Bits is one of the most promising tools I have come across for teaching Shakespeare. Studying Shakespeare can be daunting for junior and ESL students but the level of engagement that Shakespeare In Bits offers will help to remove these mental barriers and help our students understand Shakespeare much more clearly and more easily."
"We are thrilled to welcome on board four such prestigious virtual learning institutions as Julian Charter School, Virtual High School, Rocky View Virtual School and Vernon Virtual Learning. Shakespeare In Bits Live! is an ideal product for virtual schools as the content is specifically designed to deliver an individualized and interactive learning experience," says Michael Cordner, CEO of MindConnex Learning.
A free two-week trial of Shakespeare In Bits Live! is currently available to educators. Simply complete an online form here — http://bit.ly/zmPlJM — or email Email.
For more information:
Fiona McLoughlin
E: Email
T: +1-617-939-9556
About MindConnex Learning (http://www.mindconnex.com)
MindConnex Learning is an award-winning provider of digital learning software solutions aimed at the school education sector. MindConnex Learning offers an easier way to learn and teach using rich, contemporary multimedia designed to engage the senses and create empowering, relevant and personalized learning experiences. In 2012, Shakespeare In Bits was the recipient of three industry awards including a Readers' Choice Award from eSchool Media for best K-12 edtech product, Best in eLearning and Best Content Provider Solution by EdTech Digest.
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